Prostitution: is it really what it seems?

1. Prostitution: is it really what it seems? Meg Newburg

2. Disclaimer! • I do not want to be a prostitute. • I do not encourage/approve of human trafficking. • I chose to write about this topic because I was curious about the specifics of it.

3. Thesis Making prostitution legal will make the practice safer for sex workers, help eradicate human trafficking, and allow women and other sex workers to choose their professions for themselves.

4. It will make it safer… • The government can enforce health screenings and the use of condoms. • Prostitutes will be more willing to report violence and abuse to the police. • Help stop the spread of disease.

5. It will make is safer… • “Troublingly, Sweden’s sex workers report that criminalization has simply driven the sex industry underground, with dangerous consequences: Clients have more power to say when and where they want to have sex, inhibiting workers’ ability to protect themselves in need be. Evidence shows, too, that criminalization of sale or purchase (or both) makes sex workers-many of whom come from marginalized social groups like women, minorities, and the poor-more vulnerable to violence and discrimination committed by law enforcement.” (Ahmed, A. 2014).

6. “Sex workers, their advocates, institutions like the Global Commission for HIV and the Law, and a growing number of experts in health and law argue for removing all criminal prohibitions for consenting adults. Decriminalization would allow sex workers to access to government and international recourses so they could better respond to violence and trafficking, while also helping to ameliorate the social stigma and prejudice they so often face (Ahmed, A. 2014).”

7. Opposing View • “That side, a group of odd bedfellows frequently called abolitionists, thinks that because all prostitution is inherently degrading and dangerous, it must be eliminated. The group draws from, among others, religious and faith-based organizations, both liberal and conservative political ranks, and some outspoken feminist camps. So strong is the influence of this group that it has shaped the language typically used to describe the global sex industry. This conflation leaves no room for sex workers who make decisions for themselves; they are all just victims (Ahmed, A. 2014).”

8. Work Where You Want • By making prostitution illegal, the government is telling sex workers that they are unable to choose the profession they want to. • Prostitution is dated back to the beginning of time and no law has stopped it, therefore, why not make it legal and safer in general.

9. Thank you