Women Trafficking and the Industry of Prostitution Research Paper

Women Trafficking and the Industry of Prostitution - Research Paper Example It is now a fiercely debated topic within the academic, legal, and social communities. This paper discusses and analyzes the debate over the legalization of prostitution. The argument of the paper is not to legalize prostitution. The points of the debate that the paper focuses on are the issue of ‘professionalizing’ prostitution, protecting the sexual wellbeing of prostituted women, and making a rational decision to engage in the industry of prostitution. But according to a large number of empirical findings, legalization of prostitution brings more harm than benefit to sex workers. A discussion of studies conducted in countries where prostitution is legalized is carried out in order to determine the actual nature and consequences of legalization of prostitution. Further research is needed on this subject in order to conclusively determine the merits and disadvantages of the legalization of prostitution. More country-specific studies are needed in order to decisively det ermine the universality of the harm prostitution brings to its victims. Introduction Prostitution is the ‘world’s oldest profession’. For centuries, women and children are dragged into a world that does not respect individual dignity and morality. Today, millions of women are trafficked into prostitution all over the world. Women trafficking and prostitution have been a challenging and complex issue for policymakers, the academic community, feminists, and social activists at the international, regional, and national levels. The problems posed by women trafficking and prostitution concern not just the abuse of women’s body by profiteers, but also the commodification and denigration of female dignity. The discourse on women trafficking and prostitution has spurred a rigorous debate on the legalization of prostitution as a solution to the growing problem of women trafficking. Prostitution should not be legalized. Prostitution will always be a form of ‘v ictimization’ because it is damaging to those who are involved in it. Legalization of prostitution will only further encourage women trafficking and prostitution. And prostitution could never be an unforced or voluntary form of labor because victims are not able to make a rational decision to take part in prostitution. The choices of these women are limited to economic survival only, which prevent them from making rationally based decisions. Prostitution is always involuntary and coerced because it is rooted in universal supremacy of men over women and is naturally and essentially a contemporary kind of sex slavery that is abusive, demoralizing, and damaging. The Debate Prostitution is widely described as a ‘crime without a victim’, particularly by those who argue that it should be legalized. But the truth is prostitution is a form of ‘victimization’: it is damaging to those who are involved in it, and it is usually coerced on an individual by severa l factors, mostly by poverty. Legalizing prostitution does not raise the status of the women; it merely professionalizes the industry of prostitution (Kara, 2010). Ditmore (2011) explains that the supporters of legalization of prostitution generally do not understand that legalization implies decriminalization of the entire industry of prostitution, not only the women trapped in it. But supporters of legalization respond to this by arguing that if the sex industry is legalized, it â€Å"would be subject to standard labor and occupation safety regulations, and it would be easier for women to fight the abuses and crimes that accompany their work† (Flowers, 2011, p. 49). Majority of prostituted women view legalization of the