Prostitution Should be Legalized

The Legalization of Prostitution is one of my faviorte debate topics. I wish my opponent good luck! ;) C.1 "Legalization/decriminalization of prostitution and the sex industry promotes sex trafficking" By legalizing prostitution, we are saying that prostitution is okay. It makes it much easier when legalized, to commit sex-trafficking. Not only women are used for these actions, but children as well. [1] One argument for legalizing prostitution in the Netherlands was that legalization would help to end the exploitation of desperate immigrant women who had been trafficked there for prostitution. However, one report found that 80% of women in the brothels of the Netherlands were trafficked from other countries (Budapest Group, 1999)(1). In 1994, the International Organization of Migration (IOM) stated that in the Netherlands alone, “nearly 70 % of trafficked women were from CEEC [Central and Eastern European Countries]” As you can read, the statistics hold at 70% of trafficked women. Can we not agree that there are better way for these women to make money then to sell their bodies to men? But don't take my word for it, it has been proven, that countries or states with legalized prostitution have a higher rate of sex-trafficking. [2] A study of the impact of legalized prostitution has found that countries where prostitution is legal experience larger reported human trafficking inflows than countries in which prostitution is prohibited. .. . Professor Eric Neumayer of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and a team of researchers analyzed data on human trafficking from a global sample of 116 countries in order to determine what effect a country’s domestic policy on prostitution has on trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit or destination for victims. The authors described international human trafficking as “one of the dark sides of globalization,” where the victims, the vast majority of whom are women and girls, end up being sexually exploited through prostitution. " Many people want to argue that most prostitutes are grown women whom can take care of themselves. Even this is false. Many women are held against their will by their employers to work for them and to get money. But human trafficking brings in more children who are unable to take care of themselves and defend themselves. They are taken advantage of because they are young, unknowing and vulnerable. [2] “Most victims of international human trafficking are women and girls coerced into the sex industry abroad,” said Professor Neumayer. “We wanted to find out if legalized prostitution increases or reduces demand for trafficked women. ”The researchers considered two opposing economic theories that could come into play to support their findings: the “scale effect” where legalized prostitution leads to an expansion of the prostitution market, thus increasing human trafficking, and the “substitution effect” that reduces demand for trafficked women as legal prostitutes are favored over trafficked ones. " As a government, their job is to not only protect a citizens' rights, but to ensure the safety of the citizens. Given the statistics of human-trafficking, legalizing Prostitution only leads to a major increase in human-trafficking. Facts about Human Trafficking: [3] Globally, the average cost of a slave is $90. Trafficking primarily involves exploitation which comes in many forms, including: forcing victims into prostitution, subjecting victims to slavery or involuntary servitude and compelling victims to commit sex acts for the purpose of creating pornography. According to some estimates, approximately 80% of trafficking involves sexual exploitation, and 19% involves labor exploitation. There are approximately 20 to 30 million slaves in the world today. According to the U. S. State Department, 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year, of which 80% are female and half are children. The average age a teen enters the sex trade in the U. S. is 12 to 14-year-old. Many victims are runaway girls who were sexually abused as children. California harbors 3 of the FBI’s 13 highest child sex trafficking areas on the nation: Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego. The National Human Trafficking Hotline receives more calls from Texas than any other state in the US. 15% of those calls are from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the U. S. each year. Human trafficking is the third largest international crime industry (behind illegal drugs and arms trafficking). It reportedly generates a profit of $32 billion every year. Of that number, $15.5 billion is made in industrialized countries. The International Labour Organization estimates that women and girls represent the largest share of forced labor victims with 11.4 million trafficked victims (55%) compared to 9.5 million (45%) men. It's obvious, Human Trafficking is immoral. Why on earth should be legalize it knowing the major consequences, especially to children who have no choice. C.2 Violence and Abuse When women don't wish to be a prostitute anymore, they can just leave. This is very incorrect. They may be able to leave if they are half beaten to death, or they may just be killed. [4] A prostituted woman might also be afraid of what her pimp will do to her and afraid for her life if she tries to leave. For many women, prostitution and sexual exploitation might be the only life they know. The average age for girls entering prostitution is between 12-13. ** And studies show that 75 to 95% of all prostitutes were sexually abused as children. *** Prostituted women are often victims of intimate partner violence by pimps and customers, often called “johns. ” The methods of control that pimps and johns use are similar to the methods used by abusers. Some examples include: physical violence; sexual assault; economic abuse or manipulation; isolation; verbal abuse; threats and intimidation; and minimization and denial of physical violence. "Women in prostitution have a death rate that is significantly higher than women who are not involved in prostitution. * One small study of 130 prostitutes found that 68% of the prostituted women interviewed met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which was in the same range as combat veterans and victims of torture. " Knowing the consequences for being involved in Prostitution only goes to show that it's okay for women to be abused, killed and held against their will by their pimps. As a government, as stated before, the government should be ensuring citizens safety, not encouraging violence. Explore Campaigns Sources: [1] . http://www.embracedignity.org... [2] . https://www.lifesitenews.com... [3] . https://www.dosomething.org... [4] . http://www.womenslaw.org...