Wise governments will accept that paid sex is ineradicable and concentrate on keeping the business clean, safe and inconspicuous. Prostitution is not going to go away and it needs to be taken care of. Many people know that prostitution is illegal, but they find that they have sexual needs. They know they can't get a prostitute, so they try and pick up fellow workers, which brings up sexual harassment. The United States holds a huge sexual harassment problem.
Sexual harassment is one of the fastest expanding areas of American law.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which handles sexual harassment complaints, in 1991 handled over 6,000 cases, and in 1997 close to 16,000. The answer is simple. If prostitution is legalized, then the government would be in charge, and there would be great protection from diseases and violence. Also, there wouldn't be any unprotected prostitutes on the streets, and they would get paid, not the pimps. History suggests that it might.