World's oldest profession: Prostitution

Prostitution is historically and culturally ubiquitous. The position of prostitution and the law varies widely worldwide, reflecting differing opinions on victimhood and exploitation, inequality, gender roles, ethics and morality, freedom of choice, historical social norms, and social costs and benefits. Prostitution may be considered a form of exploitation. where it is illegal to buy sexual services, but not to sell them —(the client commits a crime, but not the prostitute), a legitimate occupation where prostitution is regulated as a profession or a crime.

Prostitution may sometimes be associated with illegal, abusive and dangerous activities such as human trafficking, sexual slavery, sexual exploitation of children, assault, drug dealing and illegal immigration. One view maintains that this results from prostitution being stigmatized or illegal, or both. Another, however, believes that legalizing and regulating prostitution does not improve the situation, but instead makes it worse, creating a parallel illegal prostitution industry, and failing to dissociate the
legal part of the sex trade from crime.

An in-depth study of the red light area and the pattern of functioning reflect the dehumanizing situation that the commercially sexually exploited women face every day. They are pushed into the trade at a young age, at times even before they attain puberty and thus are not aware of the trap they are falling into.

Once in the trade, there is no escape till the brothel keeper has earned well enough through them. Here they are subjected to physical and mental torture if they refuse to abide by the wishes of the keeper. As most women have no formal education, they
have no knowledge of how much they earn. When they are allowed to leave the set-up, they are most probably a victim of life threatening diseases like AIDS, without any place to go to. Thus in all probability, they will continue in the area and start soliciting and earning.

Once trapped in the trade, women get pulled into a vicious circle from which escape is difficult. They get pulled
through the contacts with various organizations working in the area. They form the bridge for them to develop linkage with the outside world, which also form the support system to the women.

According to the law, prostitutes can practice their trade privately but cannot legally solicit or seduce customers in public. Clients can be punished for sexual activity in proximity to a public place. Organised prostitution (brothels, prostitution rings, pimping, etc.) is illegal. As long as it is done individually and voluntarily.

Prohibition to treating prostitution as work was based on the assumptions that a regulated industry could contain
the rampant growth of the highly visible brothel and street prostitution trade, eliminate organized crime and end child prostitution and sex trafficking.

Organized crime also remains inherent across the industry, blurring the boundaries between legal prostitution and unregulated sex businesses. Sex exploiters indiscriminately traffic women for commercial sexual exploitation, into both legal and illegal brothels, the former often a safe market for the illicit trade.

Sexual exploitation of children continues with the increased tolerance of prostitution. We are told that by legalizing prostitution, regulating and taxing it; the women will be safer.

Is that true?

No, the customer will be protected. It is the prostitute that is tested, not the customer and so the women involved will still become infected. When that happens, and it will, they will be out of a job. They’ll turn to street hooking, which is never safe and this will get the criminals out of the business. That is only said by people that haven’t a clue how criminal gangs operate.

They will not willingly give up a part of their operations that generates so much money. The mob will be involved even if it is legal and despite the court ruling on pimping, women will still be exploited and the law will be toothless when it comes to protecting them.

Finally I want to mention human trafficking. If we legalize brothels across the country we will increase demand far in excess of supply. Most women do not want to be prostitutes and so as more customers are lured through advertising and the fact that
what was once on the edges of society is now endorsed by the courts and parliament, then there will be a need for more call girls. That will mean human trafficking. This isn’t fantasy or wild speculation. All parts of the sex industry already have human trafficking involved.

It is a reality, women are brought in from outside of the country with promises of a better life, women and young
girls from rural and remote parts are lured to the big cities with the same. Once in the hands of the traffickers they are put to work in ways they never imagined..This won’t disappear if we legalize brothels. How can I say that? Because that is the experience elsewhere, Taking a stand against brothels, prostitution and human trafficking is not taking a stand against
women, for murder or exploitation, it is exactly the opposite.
And that’s the Byline.