In most countries where prostitution is illegal, the prohibition of sex trafficking is the subject of debate and controversy among some individuals and organizations, with some voices claiming that the fact that prostitution is illegal increases criminal activity and negatively affects prostitutes. In 1975, Thailand, with the help of World Bank economists, introduced a National Tourism Development Plan, which specifically addressed the sex industry. Without directly subsidizing prostitution, the Act [the Entertainment Places Act] has repeatedly referred to the personal services sector. According to Thai feminist Sukyana Hantrakul, the law was enacted to pave the way for the legalization of massage parlors, bars, nightclubs, tea rooms, etc. See Aaron`s Sach, “A prostitute at nine,” The Times of India Sunday Review, 22 January 1995. With regard to children, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child creates specific obligations. Section 34 states: To fill this gap, Levitt and Venkatesh reviewed data from the Chicago Police Department. They found that women who worked on the streets earned $27 an hour, but less than $20,000 a year (they don`t work many hours). The risks of trafficking are serious: “an annual average of a dozen violent incidents and 300 cases of unprotected sex.” There was also a “surprisingly high prevalence of police demanding sex from prostitutes in exchange for evading arrest.” This sounds like another argument against banning prostitution – presumably women wouldn`t fall into this trap if they didn`t have to worry about going to jail. Levitt and Venkatesh also offer this statistic: prostitutes are arrested about once every 450 turns, and clients even less frequently. Two lessons to be learned here: 1) A law that is not much enforced may not be worth leaving; and 2) Eliot Spitzer looks really, really unhappy. When tippelzones, or areas where street prostitutes could legally work, opened in areas of the Netherlands` major cities, the researchers found a 30 to 40 percent drop in reports of rape and sexual abuse in the first two years after the start. In Dutch cities that have allowed sex workers who can legally work in these areas, rape and sexual abuse have dropped by up to 40 percent.

[47] In some countries (or administrative units within a country), prostitution is legal and regulated. In these jurisdictions, there is a specific law that explicitly allows the practice of prostitution if certain conditions are met (as opposed to places where prostitution is legal only because there is no law prohibiting it). This new law in the Netherlands has decriminalized both sex workers and businesses. Local authorities monitor the conditions under which prostitution is permitted. Industry standardization implements mandatory health and safety regulations such as running water, access to condoms, and fire escapes. Most importantly, these reforms grant prostitutes all the legal, social and labour rights that meet many, but not all, requirements of sex workers` organizations to work under legal and satisfactory conditions. Illegal street prostitutes could be pressured by pimps and clients to stop using condoms. But states that legalize prostitution can force sex workers to use condoms and get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. We legalize and regulate many morally controversial businesses – such as gambling, alcohol, tobacco, knee dancing and pornography. Yes, women can be forced into prostitution. But we are not helping them by criminalizing sex work. The benefits of legalizing prostitution do not extend only to those involved in the sex industry.

Keeping brothels legally and publicly operated also generates significant revenue for the state. The situation of many sex workers in the Netherlands has improved considerably since the implementation of new reforms and regulations. The legalization of sex work requires sex industry businesses to comply with labor laws. The desire to protect women from sexual abuse will always be valid, and if anything is a desire that should be more prevalent in the United States. What is dishonest is the rejection of legalized sex work on grounds that claim to be women`s safety, but actually stem from a place of discomfort towards women who openly engage in sexual interactions for financial gain. If you are not comfortable with the idea of women having sex for money, then you should also have a problem with pornography, exotic dances, and dating for money. If you don`t have a problem with all these socially accepted practices, but a problem with prostitution because it is “morally questionable,” then you have lost your right to any forum where decisions about women`s safety and rights are made. Calls for the legalization of prostitution as a way to reduce exploitation in the sex industry are now supported by organizations such as the UN and the Supreme Court of India.

[52] Proponents of legalizing prostitution believe it would reduce crime, improve public health, increase tax revenues, lift people out of poverty, lift prostitutes off the streets, and allow consenting adults to make their own decisions. They say prostitution is a victimless crime, especially in the 10 counties in Nevada where it remains legal. Nevada only allows prostitution in licensed brothels that workers regularly test for sexually transmitted infections.