Legalizing Prostitution

1180 Words3 Pages

Prostitution (Commercial Sex Work Among Consenting Adults) Should Be Legalised
Sanjana Rajasekar
BAE15023

Prostitution is the exchange of sexual services for renumeration in the form of money or goods. For the rest of this paper, prostitution will be replaced with the term 'sex work' in order to remove the seemingly moral bias that the term prostitution connotates. Sex work, for the purpose of this paper, refers only to the commercial sex activities that take place in brothels, massage parlours, or by prostitutes that are street-based, or self-employed. It is commonly believed to be the world's oldest profession. Though sex work (in some form or the other) is outlawed in most countries, it still takes place under various guises, and there …show more content…

If sex work is legalized, it is easier for the government to prescribe policies to regulate the sector. It can be made mandatory for the sex work sector to operate by certain safety guidelines, that protect the sex worker and the client. Besides, mandatory use of condoms will prevent the risk of HIV. One of the main arguments against the legalization of sex work is that is that sex workers are one of the primary sources and greatest sufferers from sexually transmitted diseases. By legalizing sex work, this issue can be effectively dealt with through policy intervention. Sex workers will also have easier access to contraception and mandatory health check ups. Legalizing sex work will also protect the sex workers from sexual assault. Presently, if sex workers are assaulted or abused, they do not seek redressal because of the fear of legal repercussions. When legalized, laws can be formulated to protect the sex worker from physical danger and mechanisms can be put in place to screen the client. On the off chance that a sex worker gets assaulted despite the law protecting them, it will be easier for her to report the incident and seek redressal without the fear of legal ramifications, because sex work has been decriminalised. The current system, where sex work is illegal, has a higher risk of pushing sex workers …show more content…

Sex workers have to have mandatory health check ups every three months in order to screen them for HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases. They have control over the prices, the choice of clients and for how much time they work. Sex work gives them enough money not just to survive on the bare necessities, but to be able to afford luxurious consumer goods too. Finally, the legalization of sex work has given them more control over their own bodies and lives and given a boost to their self-esteem. It is highly possible that if India legalizes and regulates the sex work industry, these benefits will be seen here as

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