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Should sex work be decriminalised? Should sex work be decriminalised?
Sex work should be fully decriminalised Sex work should be fully decriminalised
Sex work should be partially decriminalised Sex work should be partially decriminalised
Sex work should not be decriminalised Sex work should not be decriminalised
Removing penalties for soliciting and kerb crawling gives workers more time to screen out potentially violent clients Removing penalties for soliciting and kerb crawling gives workers more time to screen out potentially violent clients
Legalising brothels provides sex workers with safety in numbers Legalising brothels provides sex workers with safety in numbers
Reduces the number of 'sex tourists' travelling abroad to use brothels/services that disproportionately exploit children and force them into sex work Reduces the number of 'sex tourists' travelling abroad to use brothels/services that disproportionately exploit children and force them into sex work
Sex workers can access healthcare without fear of arrest Sex workers can access healthcare without fear of arrest
Sex workers won't have to work in dark isolated areas where they are more at risk of becoming victims of a crime Sex workers won't have to work in dark isolated areas where they are more at risk of becoming victims of a crime
Criminalising consensual sex in any form impedes on the human right to bodily autonomy Criminalising consensual sex in any form impedes on the human right to bodily autonomy
Allows the continuation of clients with disabilities who rely on sex workers to fulfil their sexual health Allows the continuation of clients with disabilities who rely on sex workers to fulfil their sexual health
Legalising the profession allows sex workers to access healthcare and support without fear of arrest Legalising the profession allows sex workers to access healthcare and support without fear of arrest
Criminalising the act of using/seeking out a sex worker greatly reduces the pool of potentially violent patrons Criminalising the act of using/seeking out a sex worker greatly reduces the pool of potentially violent patrons
Removes the likelihood of increased sex tourism with the UK Removes the likelihood of increased sex tourism with the UK
Can provide further support for sex workers while tackling the reasons they entered sex work Can provide further support for sex workers while tackling the reasons they entered sex work
Can be used to combat reasons why patrons use sex workers Can be used to combat reasons why patrons use sex workers
Keeping brothels illegal reduces the number of sex workers abused and/or exploited by pimps Keeping brothels illegal reduces the number of sex workers abused and/or exploited by pimps
Legalising sex work opens the door for loopholes relating to sex trafficking and exploitation Legalising sex work opens the door for loopholes relating to sex trafficking and exploitation
Decriminalisation opens the door for sex tourists travelling to the UK and increasing child sexual exploitation Decriminalisation opens the door for sex tourists travelling to the UK and increasing child sexual exploitation
Decriminalisation means sex worker specific support services will have their budgets cut and many will be closed Decriminalisation means sex worker specific support services will have their budgets cut and many will be closed
Normalising the act of purchasing sex reinforces the cultural narrative that women's bodies are a commodity that can be bought and sold Normalising the act of purchasing sex reinforces the cultural narrative that women's bodies are a commodity that can be bought and sold
Decriminalisation opens the door to increased use of sex workers, leading to a culture that enables and encourages sex addiction Decriminalisation opens the door to increased use of sex workers, leading to a culture that enables and encourages sex addiction
Full decriminalisation risks more violent and abusive clients approaching sex workers Full decriminalisation risks more violent and abusive clients approaching sex workers
Should not be decriminalised Should not be decriminalised
The majority of sex workers opt for this work in case of a financial crisis The majority of sex workers opt for this work in case of a financial crisis
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Should sex work be decriminalised?
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Sex work should not be decriminalised

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Decriminalisation means sex worker specific support services will have their budgets cut and many will be closed

Due to sex work's current illegal status in many countries, sex work support clinics have been essential in supporting the workers where the law will not. If sex work is decriminalised, those support networks will be invalidated.
Norma Hotaling
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The Argument

Sexual exploitation and criminality will exist within the sex work industry regardless of the legal status of prostitution, and sex work support services are essential to providing a barrier between sex workers and the social and legal consequences of their occupations. These services are frequently underfunded and stigmatized. Decriminalising sex work would call into question the necessity of these organisations. Theoretically, these organisations could lose their few supporters, who may believe their money should be directed towards organisations helping those who are unfairly criminalised.[1] Already, Amnesty International is being taken to task over its support of decriminalising sex work in legislation, which proves that even well-intended services can be taken to task over the complex nature of prostitution and its legality.[2]

Counter arguments

The existence of those support services indicates that sex workers are not employed in a safe environment. Continuing to expose them to that environment by denying legality in the name of the organisations meant to protect them is, at the very least, deeply ironic.

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/uploads/045e12f7-4389-4460-9c4d-48a38bece3cd/where.pdf
  2. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-33850749

In the Wild

This page was last edited on Friday, 18 Sep 2020 at 01:48 UTC

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