Until
recently, I, like many other Americans who I know, never imagined I could view
sex work in a positive light. I thought of myself as the type of person who
adamantly promoted self-respect among women, assuming that under no
circumstances would sex work be the best possible solution in anyone’s life. Reading
Paul Farmer’s Women, Poverty, and AIDS
started to open my mind to the possibility that sex work, although it is
undesirable, does have some positive attributes. The illegalization of sex work denies
both women and men the rights that they have in the use of their bodies, the
freedom to make money in ways that may seem like their only choice, and makes
the field a more dangerous profession.
A number of places in the world, such as the
United Kingdom, Ireland, and Chile, deem prostitution as legal, but acts
surrounding prostitution as illegal. Other countries, such as the majority of
the United States, Cuba, and Egypt, regard prostitution as fully illegal. On
this website created to debate the pros and cons of prostitution, http://prostitution.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000772, 100 countries
from across the world and their policies on prostitution are listed. This is an
interesting source to view when considering the countries’ major religions,
which tend have a large impact on the laws mandated in those areas. Religious
beliefs and morals are often at play in the stigma that surrounds sex workers.
However, contrary to popular belief, the world does not share one moral
compass; some people view sex work as a rewarding job that helps make ends
meet. In this video, http://bcove.me/hdoda3dg, a fairly
successful sex worker from Great Britain describes the satisfaction sex work
has brought them as a career. In all aspects of life, it is important to be
open to new thoughts and ideas, and sex work is a matter that must not be
disregarded.
The
legalization of sex work has many positive and negative effects. In Women, Poverty, and AIDS, Farmer
illustrates a negative situation where a young woman was sold into prostitution
and worked as a prostitute in Bombay to stay alive. Sex slavery is a completely
unacceptable occurrence that happens far too often in many regions of the
world. Sex slavery, however, is different from sex work. In sex slavery, human
beings are forced to partake in sexual activities with others for a
compensation that they will likely never see. In sex work, however, the workers
are deciding to solicit sexual encounters to clients. Most people who end up
becoming sex workers are women living in poverty, without much of a choice for
other forms of financial income. As addressed by Farmer, these women are often
caretakers for many people other than just themselves, and they strive to
support their families financially to provide adequate meals and healthcare
when necessary. As a result of putting their loved ones first, they often ignore
their own health and wellbeing, attempting to care for the ones who mean more
to them than their own lives. To some, this is visible in their choice to
become sex workers. To others, that decision was simply a survival mechanism.
In
areas where sex work has been made illegal, there are also both positive and
negative consequences. The main issue that dejects illegalization of sex work
is that it removes an opportunity for many women living in poverty to obtain a
job within the boundaries of the law. Although sex workers may not receive a
full benefits package like many other legal employees do, they pay their taxes
and are offered some form of legal protection in many areas globally where it
is considered to be a legalized career. While making sex work illegal may seem
like a beneficial plan of action because it may encourage women to look for
other jobs, it will not put an end to prostitution in that area. As Farmer
points out in Women, Poverty, and AIDS,
in regions of the world where prostitution is illegal, a large number of female
sex workers have been reported to have contracted AIDS. Legally, these women
should not be working in the sex industry, but data is still being collected
for them. Creating laws may lessen the number of women who ultimately decide to
become sex workers, but it will never eradicate the job field.
Although
there are many female sex workers in the world who are in their line of work
because they see no other viable option, there are some who live in wealthier
areas where prostitution is legal who chose sex work as their career because
they enjoy it. In this blog, http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/im-a-sex-worker-in-a-legal-brothel-here-are-the-five-biggest-misconceptions-about-what-i-do-10460454.html,
a female sex worker from Nevada, the only state in the United States where sex
work is legal, discusses her love for this career choice and points out some
‘common misconceptions’ that people make about her job. As sex workers are
human beings, even though others who do not understand or support the job
oftentimes dehumanize them, they come from many different backgrounds, each
with a unique story to tell. Sometimes it is one of great misfortune, and other
times it is one of curiosity about a job at which many scoff. Making sex
work illegal, overall, takes away women’s rights to do what they want with their bodies
and create a source of income for themselves. In a world where it is necessary
to learn to take care of yourself, sex work is a way for some to gain
independence and make money. It does not positively contribute to the wellbeing
of women to make sex work illegal.
References:
Farmer, Paul. Women, Poverty, and AIDS. United States: Common Courage Press,
2011. Print.
Greenmore, Sarah.
"I'm a Sex Worker in a Legal Brothel – Here Are the Biggest Misconceptions
about What I Do." The Independent. Independent Digital News
and Media, 18 Aug. 2015. Web. 8
Feb. 2016.
Hilton, Elise.
"Amnesty International Supports Legalized Prostitution; Trafficking Victims
May Pay
The Price | Acton PowerBlog." Acton Institute PowerBlog.
12 Aug. 2015. Web. 8 Feb. 2016.
"The UK’s
Best-paid Sex Worker - London Live." Article Player. Web. 8
Feb. 2016.
"100 Countries
and Their Prostitution Policies - Legal Prostitution - ProCon.org." ProConorg
Headlines. 1 Apr. 2015. Web. 08 Feb. 2016.
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