Benefits Of Prostitution

Should prostitution be made illegal in the UK?

Prostitution has always been a very controversial topic and is widely recognised as ‘the oldest profession’, but despite this, it is still happening today globally despite different states of legality. Prostitution is legal in approximately 72 countries around the world today and there are many different opinions on whether it should be legal or not, with people against it for the protection of people involved in the industry or people who believe that sex should only be allowed after marriage and believe that the act of prostitution is indecent. In these cases, people are against either the underground market prostitution creates or just sex, both of which could be seen as illogical as sex is

This is the opinion that prostitution should be legal because it would be easier to combat the system of illegal drug use and abuse that goes on within the illegal sex trade industry. In addition to this, if prostitution was legal, sex workers who have faced abuse could go to the police without fear of being prosecuted themselves. Gary Ridgway, an American serial killer who murdered at least 49 sex workers over the course of 19 years said that he murdered prostitutes because he knew it would not be a priority for investigating and he thought he would not be held accountable for the murders. If prostitution was not an underground activity, it would be a lot easier to control problems like exploitation, assault and even murder within the industry. It is estimated that if prostitution was completely legal in the USA, the total amount of rapes each year would decline by about 25%. This would be roughly 25,000 less rape cases per year. A study from Church et al in 2001 found that 81% of prostitutes in London or the UK had experienced client violence with 50% saying this had happened in the last six months. These shocking statistics revealed that 47% of these people (yes, people) had been slapped, punched or kicked, 25% had been held against their will, 20% had been strangled, 20% had been kidnapped and 72% had suffered with rape or attempted rape. So if

Although I believe that these things should stay the same, I think that there should be better support systems for people who have been forced into prostitution and for people who wish to leave the industry, but feel that they cannot. There are already some good charities working to help people in these situations and trying to help prostitutes suffering from abuse, like the charities ‘Beyond the Streets’ or ‘Street Light UK’, but charities like these need better funding and ways to reach people in every area and situation. Prostitutes are people. They deserve just as much respect and rights as anybody else. Hiring a prostitute is like hiring an actor, you can use them for your own entertainment and pleasure in a contract that they agree on, but you do not have the right to force them to do something they are uncomfortable doing and you cannot harm them in any way as they do not belong to you. Yes, you have hired them, but you are not their boss, so you have no right to control them or discipline