“Prostitutes are neither criminals nor victims.” - Ignasi Pons and Victoria Serra
While this statement should be true, the current legal and social situation in most countries does not permit it to be. Most of the laws against the sex trade are targeted at the prostitutes themselves, as opposed to those who purchase sex. It is also true that more female prostitutes than males are arrested for their actions, pointing to a desire to control a specific group of women based on patriarchal ideals and gendered oppression. People, especially women, should be able to control their own body and do with it as they desire, without the risk of criminal prosecution. Prostitution should remain a personal choice.
While this statement should be true, the current legal and social situation in most countries does not permit it to be. Most of the laws against the sex trade are targeted at the prostitutes themselves, as opposed to those who purchase sex. It is also true that more female prostitutes than males are arrested for their actions, pointing to a desire to control a specific group of women based on patriarchal ideals and gendered oppression. People, especially women, should be able to control their own body and do with it as they desire, without the risk of criminal prosecution. Prostitution should remain a personal choice.
Most prostitutes are not victims but because of the illegal nature of the act; some are forced into the sex trade, while others would like to leave but cannot for various reasons. Some may find they are unable to leave due to a violent pimp, others may find they don’t have the skills to work in another industry without retraining. If prostitution was decriminalized the police could focus on helping those who are being forced into selling their bodies. Assistance should be provided to those who want to change industries, instead of many former sex trade workers facing prejudice in a job search.
The only way to achieve the ideal presented by the quote is to decriminalize prostitution and to eliminate the stigma associated with sex trade workers. For the time being, prostitutes should not be seen as “criminals” or “victims” (Pons and Serra, 499).
Works Cited:
Pons, Ignasi, and Victoria Serra. “Female Prostitution in Spain.” Prostitution: On Whores, Hustlers and Johns. Ed. James E. Elias et al. New York: Prometheus Books, 1998. 493-500.
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