Forced Prostitution Essay

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The battle against forced prostitution or sex trafficking often becomes confused with the fight against free prostitution when there is no distinction according to the laws. Prostitution can be free or it can be forced and the only way to help the real victims is to distinguish between the two. The first step in getting a handle on human trafficking is to legalize prostitution. Those who oppose any form of prostitution dispute the fact that legalization is not the answer. According to their view, sex trafficking or forced prostitution would not exist without the demand for commercial sex. Prostitution encourages the growth of human trafficking by providing a cover in which the traffickers can hide behind in order to sexually exploit women …show more content…

Given these points, decriminalizing prostitution creates a legal framework that can then help to prevent women and children from being coerced into sex trafficking & sexual exploitation. For the most part, the distinction between free and forced prostitution would establish a better relationship between the prostitutes and the authorities. With the fear of being arrested being eliminated, the workers and their clients actually become important sources of information for the police in identifying cases of forced prostitution. Toronto police, here in Canada, have performed many large scale busts against human trafficking and they were all tipped off by the clients of the victims of forced prostitution. Comparatively, in New Zealand where prostitution is legal, the workers are more likely to report incidents of violence. As well, the incidents of underage prostitution have not increased in the legalized world of prostitution and there have been no incidents of sex trafficking identified either. After all, let’s face it, police have a tough time distinguishing on the streets who has entered the world of prostitution by choice and who is being forced into it. This is not a question police would ask when making an arrest if there is no …show more content…

Having legalized prostitutes conducting their business in one place, like in brothels or in specific identified areas, would help to identify those who are illegal or being trafficked. Equally important in the battle against human trafficking, recognizing free prostitution would allow police funds to be focussed on catching the real criminals of forced prostitution. If prostitution were made legal then police would not have to spend countless hours and money trying to eliminate it and protect the community from it. Some of the real crimes become neglected as a result and the true victims of forced prostitution are neglected as well. Resources, time, and energy that can help actual victims of sex trafficking are wasted on rescuing those who don’t want to be. This is very counterproductive financially when everyone is painted with the same brush. Criminalizing prostitution forces it into the underworld where legalizing it would bring it more in the open so that human trafficking can be easily tackled. The legalization of brothels allows the government to have more control over the prostitution industry and gives them more ammunition to prevent the illegal forced trafficking of women who are exploited and coerced to

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