Arguments Against Sex Workers

Rights and protections for sex workers includes a variety of goals being pursued by individuals and organizations surrounding the human and labor rights of sex workers. The goals of these policies generally aim to allow sex work and ensure decent treatment from legal and cultural forces on a local and international level for everyone involved in sex work. Sex workers refers to prostitutes, adult video performers, dancers in strip clubs, and others who provide sexually-related services. The back and forth argument over sex work is characterized as an women’s rights issue, especially by those who argue that prostitution is naturally unjust, but there are also males and gender non-binary individuals involved in offering sexual services. The

majority of those involved in sex work would rather not be labeled as criminals, and tend to view laws against prostitution, pornography, and other jobs of the sex industry as a violation of their human, health, and labor rights.
“Sex workers are one of the most marginalized groups in the world who in most cases face constant risk of discrimination, violence, and abuse (2015).” In a lot of countries, including those where sex work is legal, sex workers of all kinds feel that they are defamed and ostracized, and that this prevents them from seeking legal reparation for discrimination, non-payment by a client, assault or rape.

On another note, activist also believe that clients of sex workers can be targeted, chances are that it could be them more so than sex workers. “For instance, in Sweden Norway and Iceland, it is illegal to buy sexual services, but not to sell them; it is said that the client has committed a crime, but not the prostitute.”

During the 70’s and 80’s, the primary topics in feminist discussion on women’s sexuality were that of pornography, sex work, and human trafficking. This led to the need of the enlistment for sex worker rights in America. Around the 80’s, pornography was a prominent argument among feminists campaigning for women’s rights. The feminists involved held contrasting views on how to eliminate sexual violence against women, and the feminists involved were either classified as liberal or radical. The final group of feminists described as “pro-sex”, views are considered the true feminist defense of

pornography.
Pornography debates opened the doors for the rise of the “Sex Wars.” “Sex Wars” is a term used to refer to collective debates amongst feminists considering a number of issues relating to sexuality and sexual activity. These debates began in the 1980’s and centered upon ways women were depicted in heterosexual sexual relations. “The sides were characterized by anti-porn feminist and pro-sex feminist groups with disagreements regarding sexuality, including pornography, erotica, prostitution, lesbian sexual practices, the role of trans women in the lesbian community, sadomasochism and other sexual issues.” The feminist movement was divided as a result of these debates. The main hypothesis of the anti-pornography movement relies on the argument that pornography is degrading and violent towards women, and encourages men to behave violently towards women. On the other hand, “liberal feminists argue that this hypothesis does not take into account the pleasure that women can experience, stating that these arguments could backfire against women and actually subject them to a greater degree of subordination.” This lead to the debate of the role that dominance plays in heterosexual relationships and how it is conveyed in other areas of women’s lives. Such theories of female objectification and sexuality are heated because they outlined later debates about human trafficking.
“Human trafficking is the trade of humans, most commonly for the purpose of sexual slavery, forced labor, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others.” In reference to human trafficking, workers that are forced are distinguished from voluntary workers. Human trafficking has become a prominent discussion in the 21st century due to the sex workers’ movement. Current debates focus on whether the best way to protect women would be through criminalization, decriminalization, or legalization of the sex work industry.
Those who advocate for sex workers, who are also pushing for decriminalization of prostitution, believe that “criminalizing consensual acts among adults creates a black market which worsens the problem of forced human trafficking rather than reducing it.” They belittle the protective attitude of what they judgmentally call “rescue missions,” law enforcement raids that regard all sex workers are in need of ‘rescuing” fail to separate the small amount of sex workers who are forced from the majority who engage in sex work voluntarily. These feminists argue that this can create backlash because it does not protect women who voluntarily enter into sex work.
Those who “oppose the sex workers’ rights movement, such as Melissa Farley and Janice Raymond, argue that sex work should be criminalized and abolished because legalization can increase incidences of human trafficking.” ‘New UN Trafficking Protocol’ by Janice Raymond argues that many victims are trafficked to countries where sex work is legal, and due to them being trafficked under the appearance of migrants they are not secure.

Raymond also states that “it is impossible to separate the exploitation experienced by local prostitutes from the exploitative experiences of trafficked prostitutes, as they are very similar (2002.)” To end sex slavery, reports say that everyone involved in sex work needs to be criminalized so that the industry can be abolished. Similarly, Melissa Farley claims that “engagement in voluntary sex work is a decision made by women in the absence of alternative choices, and that it therefore cannot accurately be described as a voluntary and freely made choice

(2006.)”
Most activists campaigning for the establishment of policies that protect sex workers from violence fall into two main categories: criminalization, and decriminalization. “Early reformers identified the key problem with prostitution as male lust that lured innocent women into a depraved life as prostitutes