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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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Full decriminalisation risks more violent and abusive clients approaching sex workers

Fully decriminalising sex work will also provide legitimacy to the buyers, therefore attracting all kinds of clients, including the violent and abusive ones who will bring harm to the sex workers.
Inna Shevchenko Ane Mathieson
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The Argument

Decriminalising sex work also allows the purchase of sex. Whereas making prostitution illegal is more likely to demotivate men from even considering seeking out sex.[1] Legalizing sex work will not reduce violence. Prostitutes will face difficulty in proving that their client sexually abused them since it will be a part of their “working conditions.” [2][3] It will also become difficult to prosecute the perpetrators because the sexual exploitation will be legitimized. They can easily discredit anyone in the sex industry who tries to get legal support. Legalizing prostitution will also normalize it as labor and increase the market potential for the “business.” Capitalism will become a driving force, with brothel owners coercing prostitutes into forms of sex they might not be comfortable with, to increase their own profits.[4] In the regulated sex work industry in Nevada, women face horrible working conditions. The brothels, instead of protecting its employees, cover up the rapes and assaults of their customers.[5]

Counter arguments

The legality of sex work can play a crucial role in shaping patterns of violence towards sex workers. In settings where sex work is criminalized, workplace-related violence is not monitored by any legal authority, and no legal protections are provided to the sex workers.[6][7] Violence against sex workers is not registered as an offense by the police. In some cases, the violence is even perpetrated by the police. This can prevent sex workers from even reporting such crimes or seeking help.[8][9] Additionally, laws and policies that discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals will make them even more vulnerable to abuse since they are not likely to come forward to report such crimes out of fear of being persecuted for their sexual orientations.[10]

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://theconversation.com/heres-why-the-uk-should-make-it-illegal-to-pay-for-sex-54500
  2. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/inna-schevchenko/amnesty-international-pol_b_7980920.html#:~:text=The%20human%20rights%20organisation%20Amnesty,on%20the%20decriminalisation%20of%20prostitution.&text=Legalisation%20or%20decriminalisation%20doesn't,and%20enriches%20pimps%20and%20criminals.
  3. https://www.feministes-radicales.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mary-Sullivan-CATW-What-Happens-When-Prostitution-Becomes-Work...-An-Update-on-Legalisation-of-Prostitution-in-Australia.pdf
  4. https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sjsj/vol14/iss2/10/
  5. https://www.questia.com/magazine/1G1-16709484/legalization-the-profession-would-sanction-the-abuse
  6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20713573/
  7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20682941/
  8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19144087/
  9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2492575/
  10. https://www.who.int/hiv/pub/sti/sex_worker_implementation/swit_chpt2.pdf
This page was last edited on Thursday, 10 Sep 2020 at 03:29 UTC

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