dscott8 wrote:Well said. Many countries allow it only as self-employed individuals, and forbid pimping or otherwise profiting off the sex providers. Combine that with mandatory health checks and it works well in many places.
cthia wrote:I certainly agree, especially as someone who has frequented Amsterdam's Red Light District on several occasions during Spring Break in my college days. And a few times since.
However, oftentimes this type of clientele is the Pavel Young type who has performance issues solved only by the domination/overpowering psychological factor an older client would have over young girls. Intuitively, the concern then becomes whether legalization will simply fuel a more expensive niche market for the younger inexperienced girls which legal prostitution cannot supply.
dscott8 wrote:Exploitation would still be a criminal act, and the law enforcement resources now expended on policing those who would be legalized could be used to target exploiters more vigorously.
It would certainly be a welcome byproduct if that turned out to be the case. But I seriously doubt it. First the government has to care enough about the welfare of these innocent kids that are trafficked to divert suddenly available funds to that cause. They don't. The proof is in the fact that they aren't doing anything about it now. And the obvious fact that a lack of funding is not, should not and can not be the excuse of failing to protect the innocent. There is no price on the priceless.
I still agree that prostitution should be legalized. It would solve many a problem. At the base of those problems would be those of the prostitute herself, and if such a law is passed the welfare of the prostitute and the citizen at large - who is possibly "affected" - would be the driving point and not the trafficked child.
IOW, the powers that be would never be simultaneously altruistic and consciously intelligent so as to look two chess moves ahead and say "Let's legalize prostitution so it will loose funds to battle trafficking."
