The current state of prostitution

@Jennifer1984 Said

These arguments have gone around in circles for a very long time.

I would estimate (and this is purely a personal point of view, not backed up by any available figures) that some State licensed form of prostitution would be broadly acceptable in the UK society, both morally and legally, if it were possible to find a government that was willing to bite the bullet and legislate for it.

We all know the arguments both for and against and I think Chaski has summed them up fairly comprehensively. We could go into the fine minutiae of each but I prefer not to... at least, not right now.

To licence prostitution (note: Licence, as distinct from legalise) would inevitably be the defining Act of Legislation for the Home Secretary who passed it through the Commons and I'm not sure that any politician would want that as his major historical legacy.

Perhaps a progressive and courageous Home Secretary might grasp the nettle, but such men are in very short supply in British politics. I can't see anybody currently in Parliament who'd have the guts to do it.

My feminist side sees the issue as one that carries grave risks of exploitation and misery for women. Women must surely be worth more than to sell their bodies in such a way for the gratification of men who care nothing for them and see them only as sex objects. There is an old saying that says, a woman on 'The Game' is feeding one of three things: She's doing it to either feed her pimp, or feed her habit, or feed her kids. For any woman where that rings true, it is a terrible, terrible indictment on the world we live in.


On the other hand, my humanist half tells me that, if the women who work in this industry did so in a system where they had good pay and working conditions, proper health care and were protected from falling into the hands of vicious pimps and other criminals, then surely that would have to be a good thing.... wouldn't it..?

I'm in no doubt that some women choose to work in the sex industry of their own free will. Perhaps some can navigate the minefield successfully and possibly even come out of it sane, wealthy and with their health intact. Their dignity may be gone, but only they would know how they live with that.

But whether prostitution were legalised (by whatever definition you choose to put on that word) at any time in the future, the current situation in the world is that -literally - thousands of women are forced into sex work either by abduction, enforced drug addiction or other criminal methods.

Whatever way I look at it, dealing with the crime of exploitation of women in the sex industry as it is right now, is the overwhelming first priority.

@Jennifer1984 Said

My feminist side sees the issue as one that carries grave risks of exploitation and misery for women. Women must surely be worth more than to sell their bodies in such a way for the gratification of men who care nothing for them and see them only as sex objects.

@Jennifer1984 Said

These arguments have gone around in circles for a very long time.

I would estimate (and this is purely a personal point of view, not backed up by any available figures) that some State licensed form of prostitution would be broadly acceptable in the UK society, both morally and legally, if it were possible to find a government that was willing to bite the bullet and legislate for it.

We all know the arguments both for and against and I think Chaski has summed them up fairly comprehensively. We could go into the fine minutiae of each but I prefer not to... at least, not right now.

To licence prostitution (note: Licence, as distinct from legalise) would inevitably be the defining Act of Legislation for the Home Secretary who passed it through the Commons and I'm not sure that any politician would want that as his major historical legacy.

Perhaps a progressive and courageous Home Secretary might grasp the nettle, but such men are in very short supply in British politics. I can't see anybody currently in Parliament who'd have the guts to do it.

My feminist side sees the issue as one that carries grave risks of exploitation and misery for women. Women must surely be worth more than to sell their bodies in such a way for the gratification of men who care nothing for them and see them only as sex objects. There is an old saying that says, a woman on 'The Game' is feeding one of three things: She's doing it to either feed her pimp, or feed her habit, or feed her kids. For any woman where that rings true, it is a terrible, terrible indictment on the world we live in.


On the other hand, my humanist half tells me that, if the women who work in this industry did so in a system where they had good pay and working conditions, proper health care and were protected from falling into the hands of vicious pimps and other criminals, then surely that would have to be a good thing.... wouldn't it..?

I'm in no doubt that some women choose to work in the sex industry of their own free will. Perhaps some can navigate the minefield successfully and possibly even come out of it sane, wealthy and with their health intact. Their dignity may be gone, but only they would know how they live with that.

But whether prostitution were legalised (by whatever definition you choose to put on that word) at any time in the future, the current situation in the world is that -literally - thousands of women are forced into sex work either by abduction, enforced drug addiction or other criminal methods.

Whatever way I look at it, dealing with the crime of exploitation of women in the sex industry as it is right now, is the overwhelming first priority.

@Ratty Said

.....and tax the f*** out of it.