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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 be fully decriminalised

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Sex workers won't have to work in dark isolated areas where they are more at risk of becoming victims of a crime

The high-risk environments and isolated areas where sex workers work lead to many of them being victims of crimes and violence, such as murders, assaults, rape, and abuse.
Andy Hall
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Context

Several sex enterprises operate under the guise of legal businesses such as restaurants, nail salons, mobile trailers, massage parlors, and even warehouses, which is dangerous since the law does not protect sex workers.[1]

The Argument

Decriminalizing prostitution would ensure sex workers have basic rights such as equality, justice, and health care, which would make them less likely to be victims of crimes. Sex workers (those who engage in the consensual exchange of sex for profit) need to be safe while doing their job. They should have access to the protection that the law offers, without the government dictating the terms of how they use their own body. Sex workers tend to work in isolated places and are hesitant to report a crime for fear of facing more abuse or punishment by the government for their line of work.[2] Sex workers from New York, Washington DC, and Los Angeles have reported illegal police behavior, such as extortion for sex, and verbal and physical harassment. Others reported that police would demand sex in exchange for dropping prostitution charges.[2] Sex workers are also subject to a constant risk of death. A study showed that sex workers were 18 times more likely to be murdered than women of the same age who are from the general population.[3]

Counter arguments

Prostitution (sex work) should remain illegal and should not be seen as an acceptable business. If sex work were legal, there would be more crimes, such as human trafficking, pimping, and others. Human trafficking is more common in countries where prostitution is legal.[4] Legalization has proven to be a failed experiment. It results in a higher demand for sex that can not be filled by the limited number of sex workers, which leads to a greater demand for human trafficking. Germany legalized sex work in 2002, which led to a 70 percent surge in human trafficking from vulnerable individuals from foreign countries.[5]

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/187774.pdf
  2. https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/08/07/why-sex-work-should-be-decriminalized
  3. https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/criminology/people/teela-sanders/sex-work-and-homicide
  4. https://ideas.repec.org/p/hhs/gunwpe/0458.html
  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpJPJGYWcgE&t=722s

In the Wild

This page was last edited on Wednesday, 9 Sep 2020 at 17:16 UTC

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