Sex Work and Decriminalization: Exploring the Debate - Report Example

Legal activities are approved by the laws passed through the judicial system, while illegal activities are against the legislation (Staff, 2017). These laws vary from state to state. When a discussion on decriminalizing sex work arises, parents and people with a functional moral imagination get appalled by the thought of their daughters doing such a job. However, sex workers are ordinary women who either like or dislike their careers and have attained different academic achievements but opt to be prostitutes for regular reasons like supporting their children (Brito, 2019). Legalizing sex workers would be beneficial to them in numerous ways, like giving them a voice in society, and granting them labor rights and protection by the law against harassment.

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In the United States, sex workers are limited because the websites where they display their services are frequently being shut down. An example of such a page is backpage.com. The organizations responsible for such sites are then charged with facilitating prostitution. In a recent case, the Attorney General termed the backpage.com website, "a dominant marketplace for illegal commercial sex." The Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) aims to reduce the legal protection for such sites, which means most of them will have to be closed (Garsd, 2019). The criminalization of prostitution and websites that facilitate the work push it further underground, which results in the trafficking of people into countries that have legalized prostitution like Germany (Lutnick & Cohan, 2009). Also, it leaves the prostitutes terrified and devastated.

Some countries, like New Zealand, have legalized prostitution (Brito, 2019). The outcomes of the Prostitution Reform Act have benefited the sex workers. Research carried out by the Christchurch School of Medicine at legal brothels indicated that 89% of prostitutes believed that the law created job opportunities for them (Brito, 2019). They also believe that it protects their legal, health, and safety rights. Approximately 60% now find it easier to turn down clients, and 55% reported an improvement in police attitude. Another 80% said that their jobs felt "safe" because they were protected by employers, police, and co-workers (Brito, 2019). Prostitutes can report to the police when they are harassed. There is a prostitute who successfully sued a brothel owner for sexual harassment. Further research shows that countries like New Zealand that have legalized prostitution have registered little change in the population of sex workers. The lives of sex workers in New Zealand have significantly improved.

The legalization of sex work gives a voice to the women employed in the industry (Wright Jennifer, 2018). Countries that have decriminalized the profession stand a better chance of creating policies that protect workers' human rights and safeguard them from being exploited. Amnesty International claims that it is impossible to involve prostitutes in developing laws that affect their lives and safety without decriminalizing prostitution (Wright Jennifer, 2018). By involving them in reforms, the women in this dangerous profession will have a voice.

When the United States decriminalizes prostitution, the lives of sex workers will improve significantly. They will be able to report unruly clients to the police without being hindered by their work status. Decriminalization will also grant them labor rights so that they can demand clean, healthy work environments if employed. It generally leads to better environments for the rest of the population because rape cases decrease. Despite sex workers being "someone's daughter," they are individuals that have a say in their lives. The legalization of prostitution would be beneficial to both sex workers and the general population in the United States.

References

Brito, C. (2019, June 12). New York could become the first state to decriminalize sex work fully. Retrieved August 24, 2020, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-prostitution-legalization-sex-work-decriminalization/

Garsd, J. (2019, March 22). Should Sex Work Be Decriminalized? Some Activists Say It's Time. Retrieved August 24, 2020, from https://www.npr.org/2019/03/22/705354179/should-sex-work-be-decriminalized-some-activists-say-its-time

Lutnick, A., & Cohan, D. (2009, November 17). Criminalization, legalization, or decriminalization of sex work: What female sex workers say in San Francisco, USA. Retrieved August 24, 2020, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19962636/

Staff, E. (2017, November 19). Difference between Decriminalization and Legalization. Retrieved August 24, 2020, from https://difference.guru/difference-between-decriminalization-and-legalization/

Wright, Jennifer (2018, April 26). Why Prostitution Should Be Legal. Retrieved August 24, 2020, from https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/politics/a20067359/why-prostitution-should-be-legal/