Prostitution should be legalised

"This, however, is untrue. There are always two parties involved, the prostitute and the client. The client has no way of knowing who the prostitute had slept with previously so the client also shares a risk of contracting various STD's just as the prostitute does. " --> Every transaction carries a risk. For prostitution, there are ways of preventing STD's spreading, mainly through the use of condoms. Clients are fully aware of the chance of getting STD's through sex, as a builder, for example, is fully aware he may be injured on a building site, even if he has all the correct safety equipment. There is no intent on behalf of the prostitute to give their client an STD. "For example, in Vietnam it is estimated that 49% of sex workers who inject drugs are also HIV positive(8% for those who do not inject drugs). There are similar trends in India with 8% of sex workers being infected with HIV, which is estimated to be a rate nine times higher than those among Indian adults. " --> It is clear to note that there is connotation between drug use and HIV rates prostitutes who do not use drugs have a HIV rate of 8%. It is therefore clear measures for prostitutes to not use drugs which utilise needles should be put in place. Indeed, in a prostitution market, HIV and AIDS rates will want to be kept as low as possible for increased client satisfaction. Despite this still high rate, it is important to note that prostitutes would, in my previously discussed Nevada model, be checked regularly for HIV and AIDS, and if detected to be positive, be barred from legally practising prostitution. It is important to further note that while we are not discussing any country specifically, examples of developing (Senegal) and developed (Nevada) areas have low to non-existence HIV and STD's rates. Evidence of effective HIV lowering methods have occured in Thailand through "100% Condom programmes", foudn in my opponents link "In the early 1990s, they implemented the now famous ‘100% condom programme', enforcing mandatory condom use in brothels throughout Thailand, which helped to significantly reduce the spread of HIV. " [. http://www.avert.org...] Wile Indians sex workers have a HIV\AIDS rate roughly 9 times higher than the average Indian adult, it doesn't refer to drug use, and does not make a distiction between drug using and non-drug using prostitutes. It is conceivable that there would be a gulf between the two, as in Vietnam. "Even if the sex industry is legalized there would be little stopping these pimps from abusing prostitutes. If a person wants to engage in criminal activity then they will. It's like how criminals choose to get guns despite the fact they're illegal. If prostitution became legal there would also have to be stricter laws implemented in order to protect the people involved. This would include implementing stricter laws against rape as a prostitute should have a right to choose who to have intercourse with. " --> Let us then, under a similar train of logic, ban any form of economic activity which involves managers and workers, because if managers against to abuse workers, hell, they will. Of course the issue with this is that labour lws exist to prevent workers being abused. It would be easy transfer these laws to prostitutes, and prosecute any 'pimps' for mistreatment of prostitutes. This woul quickly deter 'pimps' from abusing their workers. Although criminals get a variety of illegal things, the difference is that in illegal transaction, both parties benefit. If a prostitution is being absued by a pimp, there is a suffering party, that can go to the police, get real legal recourse without fear of prosecution, and have their abuser punished. As for the stricter rape laws, like all workers, prostitutes will have to sign a contract detailing their working hours and form of work, which they, and their employer have to abide by. No special laws are required. While prostitutes are certainly in a unique trade, they have to abide by a contract. Factory workers can't claim they are being held captive if they have to do something that's in the contract, but they don't want to do. "Lastly, while there are men who work as prostitutes it is almost exclusively a female trade with only about 20% being males. . http://www.bayswan.org...... This can pose a problem as females are usually more vulnerable to violence and abuse. These female prostitutes could be misused. " --> That lists the proportion of prostitutes arrested, not the actual ratio of male to female prostitutes. However, taking those numbers as approximate, it does show prostitution contains roughly 1 male prostitute for every 4 female ones. While this does mean women dominate the trade, it also means all safeguards do not have to be made with females in mind. Also keep in mind female 'pimps' exist as well. As I have mentioned before, workers rights exist that would easily facilitate prostitutes.