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Should sex work be decriminalised? Should sex work be decriminalised?
Sex work should be fully decriminalised Sex work should be fully decriminalised
Sex work should be partially decriminalised Sex work should be partially decriminalised
Sex work should not be decriminalised Sex work should not be decriminalised
Removing penalties for soliciting and kerb crawling gives workers more time to screen out potentially violent clients Removing penalties for soliciting and kerb crawling gives workers more time to screen out potentially violent clients
Legalising brothels provides sex workers with safety in numbers Legalising brothels provides sex workers with safety in numbers
Reduces the number of 'sex tourists' travelling abroad to use brothels/services that disproportionately exploit children and force them into sex work Reduces the number of 'sex tourists' travelling abroad to use brothels/services that disproportionately exploit children and force them into sex work
Sex workers can access healthcare without fear of arrest Sex workers can access healthcare without fear of arrest
Sex workers won't have to work in dark isolated areas where they are more at risk of becoming victims of a crime Sex workers won't have to work in dark isolated areas where they are more at risk of becoming victims of a crime
Criminalising consensual sex in any form impedes on the human right to bodily autonomy Criminalising consensual sex in any form impedes on the human right to bodily autonomy
Allows the continuation of clients with disabilities who rely on sex workers to fulfil their sexual health Allows the continuation of clients with disabilities who rely on sex workers to fulfil their sexual health
Legalising the profession allows sex workers to access healthcare and support without fear of arrest Legalising the profession allows sex workers to access healthcare and support without fear of arrest
Criminalising the act of using/seeking out a sex worker greatly reduces the pool of potentially violent patrons Criminalising the act of using/seeking out a sex worker greatly reduces the pool of potentially violent patrons
Removes the likelihood of increased sex tourism with the UK Removes the likelihood of increased sex tourism with the UK
Can provide further support for sex workers while tackling the reasons they entered sex work Can provide further support for sex workers while tackling the reasons they entered sex work
Can be used to combat reasons why patrons use sex workers Can be used to combat reasons why patrons use sex workers
Keeping brothels illegal reduces the number of sex workers abused and/or exploited by pimps Keeping brothels illegal reduces the number of sex workers abused and/or exploited by pimps
Legalising sex work opens the door for loopholes relating to sex trafficking and exploitation Legalising sex work opens the door for loopholes relating to sex trafficking and exploitation
Decriminalisation opens the door for sex tourists travelling to the UK and increasing child sexual exploitation Decriminalisation opens the door for sex tourists travelling to the UK and increasing child sexual exploitation
Decriminalisation means sex worker specific support services will have their budgets cut and many will be closed Decriminalisation means sex worker specific support services will have their budgets cut and many will be closed
Normalising the act of purchasing sex reinforces the cultural narrative that women's bodies are a commodity that can be bought and sold Normalising the act of purchasing sex reinforces the cultural narrative that women's bodies are a commodity that can be bought and sold
Decriminalisation opens the door to increased use of sex workers, leading to a culture that enables and encourages sex addiction Decriminalisation opens the door to increased use of sex workers, leading to a culture that enables and encourages sex addiction
Full decriminalisation risks more violent and abusive clients approaching sex workers Full decriminalisation risks more violent and abusive clients approaching sex workers
Should not be decriminalised Should not be decriminalised
The majority of sex workers opt for this work in case of a financial crisis The majority of sex workers opt for this work in case of a financial crisis
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Should sex work be decriminalised?
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Sex work should not be decriminalised

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Legalising sex work opens the door for loopholes relating to sex trafficking and exploitation

Since full decriminalization of sex work also legalizes the work of pimps and brothel owners and expands the market, it will help them find cracks in the system to exploit prostitutes and commit sex trafficking.
Julie Bindel
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The Argument

The term sex worker, which was coined in the 1980s, includes pimps and pornographers along with those who sell sex. Therefore, decriminalizing sex work also legalizes the activities of pimps who are historically known to traffic and exploit prostitutes.[1] The legalization of sex work has benefitted brothel owners and punters more than the prostitutes, as in the case of New Zealand.[2] Also, full decriminalization has been observed to mostly be campaigned for by pimps and men who buy sex. Prostitutes are more likely to argue for partial decriminalization.[1] According to a study, countries with legalized prostitution had a higher trafficking inflow than the countries that prohibit prostitution. This was mainly due to the expansion of markets, which outweighed the substitution effect (where legal sex workers are favored over illegal workers).[3]

Counter arguments

Legalizing prostitution does not mean there will be increased sex trafficking. A 2012 government-sponsored study for New South Wales, Australia, which decriminalized sex work in 1995, showed “no evidence of recent trafficking of female sex workers . . . in marked contrast to the 1990s when contacted women from Thailand were common in Sydney”.[4] New Zealand legalized prostitution in 2003, and according to a 2008 study by the New Zealand Ministry of Justice, there has been “no incidence of trafficking.” Additionally, sex worker advocates say the law has made it easier for sex workers to report exploitation.[5]

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/11/prostitution-legalised-sex-trade-pimps-women
  2. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-41349301
  3. https://orgs.law.harvard.edu/lids/2014/06/12/does-legalized-prostitution-increase-human-trafficking/
  4. https://maggiemcneill.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/nsw-sex-industry-report-2012.pdf
  5. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2010/09/29/legalized_brothels_fantastic_for_new_zealand_prostitutes_say.html
This page was last edited on Tuesday, 22 Sep 2020 at 18:11 UTC

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