Blog 4 – Prostitution

“The oldest profession in the world” is often seen as a disgraceful business to be in, yet it is the one that has been around since the beginning of human civilization. The controversy about prostitution is one that goes far beyond the recent discussion about its legalization, and transcends the dilemma of right and wrong.

On one side of the debate, we have a morally motivated religious right, and on the other, we have examples of cases in which the legalization of prostitution succeeds, and in the middle is everyone else in between. The legalization of prostitution, like the other issues we have discussed in these blogs, is not one with a quick and dirty answer that will make everyone happy.

Unfortunately, most of the reputable research I was able to locate on this topic is fairly old. This fact must be taken into consideration whilst understanding the research presented in this post, because it may not necessarily be representative of present day information or biases.

Many individuals are in favor of the legalization of prostitution, especially those who advocate for freedom of sexuality, but even more are in opposition to this freedom. Vogel and Adams (1986) reported in their study of the average American’s opinion on prostitution, 32% of the population is in favor of the legalization of prostitution. The study is flawed in that it was conducted on the telephone and on a voluntary basis, so one must consider that when considering the data it presents. It can be reasonably assumed that based on the changes ideas about sex in society that this number has increased greatly, but there is little research conducted in the last twenty years in the United States that would suggest this.

In a study that both seemed to condemn and praise the idea of prostitution being legalized, Datta and Post (2013) have a dialog in their study about the various benefits of prostitution, and the harms that it causes, which will be discussed  in a later paragraph. In Datta and Post (2013), Datta is a proponent of prostitution, bringing into the discussion evidence that some women enter the profession willingly as a way to make ends meet. Datta’s portion of the study states that 71% of women in India entered the industry willingly as a way to make more money for their families and are happy with their position in life.

On the opposite side, there are MANY sources and research in opposition to prostitution. On the flip side of Datta and Post (2013), the Post side of the study was conducted in over 5 countries where the participants identified themselves as sex workers. The results spoke volumes about the profession, as over 90% of sex workers wanted to escape the industry and 70% met the diagnostic requirements for PTSD. These numbers speak louder than words, especially since they come from such a diverse group of participants in multiple geographic locations. The study also concluded that the average lifespan for women after entering the industry is 4 years, either being subjected to murder or suicide.

In Cho, Dreher, and Neumayer (2013), the idea of prostitution is brought up in relationship to human trafficking. The researchers conducted a study in 150 countries which examined the legal status of prostitution and the amount of human trafficking that occurred in the respective nation. What was discovered in this study is that those nations with prostitution legalized possessed a higher rate of human trafficking in it as well, including, but not limited to, child prostitution, force prostitution, and sex slave rings. Since research never infers causation over correlation, this is simply regarded as a coincidence, but it is on that cannot be ignored in regards to the research.

Ultimately, I like to identify myself as a proponent of those who do what they want as long as they aren’t harming anyone else, but when considering ONLY the research I encountered, I have to say that I am against the concept of prostitution. I cannot condone something that seems to lead to individuals dying or being forced to use their bodies for activities that they would not voluntarily participate in. Sex is healthy, and if the sex worker is willing I feel as though it could something that I could get behind in this case, but there are just too many cases of people being forced into prostitution.

An article I came across in my research was about how the Netherlands, a nation famous for its red light district, was revamping its legalization prostitution due to this fact (Outshoom, 2012). The legislation clearly made an effort to distinguish willing workers from coerced ones, in making a legal data base of voluntary prostitutes who registered with the government and are taken care of by their companies. The new law criminalizes those who force unwilling victims into the industry, but does not criminalize the act itself, something I think is very important.

Prostitution is a sticky subject with a lot of stigma and judgement behind it. People are too quick to blame victims of this industry and not consider that if there was not a demand for this, it would not be occurring. Regardless of this, based on the research, I don’t agree with the legalization prostitution until it can be perfected and the government can ensure that it is protecting those who do it voluntarily.

 

References

Cho, S., Dreher, A., & Neumayer, E. (2013). Does Legalized Prostitution Increase Human Trafficking?. World Development,4167-82.

DATTA, B., & POST, D. (2013). Should prostitution be legalized?. New Internationalist, (461), 28.

Outshoorn, J. (2012). Policy change in prostitution in the Netherlands: From legalization to strict control. Sexuality Research & Social Policy: A Journal Of The NSRC, 9(3), 233-243.

Vogel, R. E., & Adams, R. (1986). EFFECTS OF PROSTITUTION: AN URBAN POPULATION RESPONDS. American Journal Of Criminal Justice, 11(1), 1-10.

One thought on “Blog 4 – Prostitution”

  1. Two research articles included for Side A 3/5 pts
    This section was somewhat confusing

    Two research articles included for Side B 5/5 pts
    Really strong sources for Side B. Good job!

    Summary of Side A and Side B 15/20 pts
    Summary of Side A was kind of confusing

    Who you agree with and why? 13/15 pts
    (Include strengths and weaknesses)
    Great job in this section. Only thing that could’ve been added would be specific strengths and weaknesses
    APA Formatting/ Grammar/ Length 5/5 pts

    Total 41/50 total

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