Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
What should the legal status of prostitution be?
Position1 of 4

Prostitution should be illegal

This position holds that prostitution should be illegal. It argues sex work is inherently harmful—a form of oppression that fuels sex trafficking and violence against women, often driven by economic coercion—and that selling the body is immoral and carries lasting consequences.

Supporting arguments · 7

  1. Prostitution encourages sex trafficking
    Demand for prostitutes is the core driver of global sex trafficking.
  2. The oldest oppression
    Prostitution promotes the degradation of women and hegemonic masculinity.
  3. Economic coercion into prostitution
    Sex workers do not want to enter prostitution, but are forced to due to circumstance.
  4. Prostitution sets the stage for violence against women
    As people all know, most sex workers are women, and the buyers are men. Prostitution is a form of violence against women. Under the unbalanced power and status of gender, the majority of sex workers suffer from violence while working in their lifetimes. Therefore, prostitution is equitable to violence against women.
  5. Prostitution and marginalisation
    The least advantaged people in society are the ones most likely to enter prostitution.
  6. Long-term consequences
    Prostitutes suffer from long-term negative consequences to their mental and physical health.
  7. Sale of the body is immoral
    By selling their bodies, sex workers are losing part of themselves.