What can we do to end prostitution?

[mr.guy]

I don't know, but I don't think legalizing it will make it any better.

You're welcome to subscribe to what anecdotalisms you please; i'll not rip your "guts" out for that. But before we criticize european policies as failures, i should like to see some facts in deference to those sneaky foreigners.

 

[Bishka]

You're welcome to subscribe to what anecdotalisms you please; i'll not rip your "guts" out for that. But before we criticize european policies as failures, i should like to see some facts in deference to those sneaky foreigners.

You know what? That whole sentence confused me. I'm either drunk, tired or stupid..I think it's the latter.

 

[Tigress]

I agree with egroen that nothing can be done to eliminate prostitution. Furthermore, I don't regret that fact; I have no interest in eliminating prostitution.

Child prostitution, and all forms of involuntary servitude, definitely should be eliminated. Decriminalizing prostitution seems like an obvious first step to me. Why should the authorities waste their time arresting prostitutes, who do, like it or not, perform a valuable service and who are more likely to be victims than victimizers? Decriminalizing prostitution would provide for greater transparency, and might make it easier to gather information about pimps and others who force women and children into prostitution or make it difficult for them to walk away when they want to. At the very least, it would free up personnel and resources for the task.

I completely agree. :clap

 

[mr.guy]

You know what? That whole sentence confused me. I'm either drunk, tired or stupid..I think it's the latter.

Sorry Becky...the wine is mixing with the caffeine for one awkward come-down, i guess.

What i meant, simply, was i thought if we're to discuss the evidenced failure of european legislation, we'd all be best served with some specifics.

To the best of my knowledge, most of the grievences in the netherlands revolve around illegal migrant trafficking and exploitation. The question is, does this problem explode under legal prostitution plolicies, or is it be consistant with worldwide immigrant exploitation?

 

[Polaris]

prostitutes ... like it or not, perform a valuable service

What!? For who... perverted men? How do they perform a valuable service to anyone other than the perverts who solicit them?

Prostitution is dangerous only where it's illegal.

I don't buy that for a second. It may be true percentage wise, but I'd guarantee you if we legalized prostitution there would be an increase in total number of related abuses.

 

[MaddLlama]

What!? For who... perverted men? How do they perform a valuable service to anyone other than the perverts who solicit them?

Who says that men who enjoy sex are perverts? The only difference between a man who picks up a woman at a bar to have sex with her and never see her again, and a man who solicits a prostitute, is that at the end of the night, the prostitute made a few hundred bucks. Are men who solicit women for one night stands also perverts?

I don't buy that for a second. It may be true percentage wise, but I'd guarantee you if we legalized prostitution there would be an increase in total number of related abuses.

Guarantee? Really? Nevada has legal prostitution, so I will challenge you to find for me any reliable statistics and information that proves such a theory. Of course, factoring in all of the abuses and rapes that can go unreported in states where it is illegal, because the prostitute cannot go to the police for help since they'll just arrest her, instead of helping her.

I'll wait patiently.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

I'm guessing that prostitution is legal in India and Russia, and the situtation of prostitutes in both countries is utterly revolting and inhuman. It seems to me that most women who resort to prostitution are poor and destitute, leading me to question the value of their consent.

 

[MaddLlama]

I am talking specifically about in the US, where it is fully regulated by business laws and the government where it is legal. In other countries they may not have laws to protect people whether or not they are doing something legal. India only recently abolished it's dowry laws, so I don't expect them to have the same kind of standards when it comes to operating prostitution as a business.

 

[Polaris]

Who says that men who enjoy sex are perverts? The only difference between a man who picks up a woman at a bar to have sex with her and never see her again, and a man who solicits a prostitute, is that at the end of the night, the prostitute made a few hundred bucks. Are men who solicit women for one night stands also perverts?

You bet, I would argue that anyone who sees sex a simply some sort of self-gratifying activity that bears no commital responsabilities whatsoever is perverted.

Guarantee? Really? Nevada has legal prostitution, so I will challenge you to find for me any reliable statistics and information that proves such a theory. Of course, factoring in all of the abuses and rapes that can go unreported in states where it is illegal, because the prostitute cannot go to the police for help since they'll just arrest her, instead of helping her.

I'll wait patiently.

According to Crime State Rankings 2006 (www.morganquitno.com), Nevada has once again earned the title as the "Nation's Most Dangerous State" and has actually held that honor for 3 years running. "Nevada struggles with crime and other problems... Its violent crime rate was up nearly 18% in the five years from 2000 to 2004, while nationally, violent crime rates have decreased 8%." And I'm sure that legalized gambling and prostitution have absolutely nothing to do with it... right?

 

[MaddLlama]

According to Crime State Rankings 2006 (www.morganquitno.com), Nevada has once again earned the title as the "Nation's Most Dangerous State" and has actually held that honor for 3 years running. "Nevada struggles with crime and other problems... Its violent crime rate was up nearly 18% in the five years from 2000 to 2004, while nationally, violent crime rates have decreased 8%." And I'm sure that legalized gambling and prostitution have absolutely nothing to do with it... right?

Until you can show me that the connection is anything more than coincidental, then yes. Considering that most prostitutes are not out walking the streets looking for buyers, I don't think that it has much of anything to do with the violent crime. The gambling, maybe (though, I've yet to hear about a huge influx of violent crime in Jersey undeniably due to the presence of Atlantic City, but hey). Prostitutes? Probably not.

Besides, I could just as easily say that the concentration of Christians is much higher in the southern states, especially in Louisiana where the murder rate happens to be twice the national average. The fact that it's the part of the "Bible Belt" has absolutely nothing to do with it, right?

 

[Polaris]

Until you can show me that the connection is anything more than coincidental, then yes. Considering that most prostitutes are not out walking the streets looking for buyers, I don't think that it has much of anything to do with the violent crime. The gambling, maybe (though, I've yet to hear about a huge influx of violent crime in Jersey undeniably due to the presence of Atlantic City, but hey). Prostitutes? Probably not.

Besides, I could just as easily say that the concentration of Christians is much higher in the southern states, especially in Louisiana where the murder rate happens to be twice the national average. The fact that it's the part of the "Bible Belt" has absolutely nothing to do with it, right?

Louisiana's being one of the poorest states in the nation likely has a lot to do with the crime there. Nevada doesn't have the same excuse. I'm sorry but it seems quite obvious that Nevada's legalization of gambling and prostitution is definitely not helping its crime situation like you claim it should.

 

[Ody]

Louisiana's being one of the poorest states in the nation likely has a lot to do with the crime there. Nevada doesn't have the same excuse. I'm sorry but it seems quite obvious that Nevada's legalization of gambling and prostitution is definitely not helping its crime situation like you claim it should.

Nice... no data :yes:

 

[MaddLlama]

Also, according to the same website, Detroit is more dangerous than Vegas (and Vegas only showed up in the Metro rankings - no other time did any city in NV make the list). Must be all those white rappers.

 

[MaddLlama]

Louisiana's being one of the poorest states in the nation likely has a lot to do with the crime there. Nevada doesn't have the same excuse. I'm sorry but it seems quite obvious that Nevada's legalization of gambling and prostitution is definitely not helping its crime situation like you claim it should.

Sure, because your mind made the connection. However, you have yet to provide anything more than purely circumstantial evidence of that, so you'll pardon me if I don't agree with you.

Besides, you can say it's because the state is poor just as easily as I can say it's because it has a high population of Christians, or someone else can say it's because it has a high population of black people. However there is just as much evidence for all of those things as there is for your theory that it's because of legal prostitution.

And, it does bring crime down. There is a whole class of criminal (being a prostitute) that is completely eliminated from the states crime data. It simply gives the police other criminals to focus on, you know, like the ones who are actually doing harm to other people.

 

[Polaris]

Nice... no data :yes:

Sorry Alan, I thought it was pretty well-known that Arkansas was among the poorest states. Here's your data... http://www.census.gov/statab/ranks/rank29.html

 

[MaddLlama]

Sorry Alan, I thought it was pretty well-known that Arkansas was among the poorest states. Here's your data... http://www.census.gov/statab/ranks/rank29.html

But we're not talking about Arkansas.

 

[retrorich]

What can we do to end prostitution?

Put a sales tax on it?

 

[EnhancedSpirit]

I responded to the OP, which is atrocious. But I would like to comment on the title of the thread.

1. It is legal to sell services. (ie, labor, clergy, laundry, maid)

2. It is legal to have sex . . . .
​

so why is it illegal to sell or buy this service?

I am not talking about extra marital, and I'm not talking about sick sexual purversions. I'm not talking about child abuse, or abusing women. I'm talking about healthy release of tension. Does any body remember The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas?

What exactly is wrong with that? I mean it's obvious that it's going to happen, and the 'war on prostitution' has not gotten any where in the last couple hundred years, except to push it into the streets, the alleys, and the backs of cars.

 

[Ody]

Sorry Alan, I thought it was pretty well-known that Arkansas was among the poorest states. Here's your data... http://www.census.gov/statab/ranks/rank29.html

And your proof that this is due to prostitution? :sarcastic


And since when where we discussing Arkansas?

 

[Smoke]

What!? For who... perverted men? How do they perform a valuable service to anyone other than the perverts who solicit them?

Not everyone who goes to a prostitute is a pervert. I suspect a lot of them are just lonely, and there's nothing perverted about that.

You bet, I would argue that anyone who sees sex a simply some sort of self-gratifying activity that bears no commital responsabilities whatsoever is perverted.

I think everybody has responsibilities toward the people they interact with, sexually or otherwise. However, the notion that sex ought to be forbidden in the absence of a lifetime commitment is arbitrary and unfair, and strikes me as far more perverted than most of the sexual behaviors I've heard of. In other words, prostitution is easily more natural and less perverted than chastity.