Prostitution in Britain - Essay Example

? PROSTITUTION IN THE UK Prostitution is by many accounts the world's oldest profession. And for as long as it has been around, it has been scorned and often made illegal. But why? What is about prostitution that encourages such strong opinions and the full force of the law? Prostitution is usually a consensual activity between adults. Sex is exchanged for money. What is about this service that is beyond the pale? The answer is that throughout history, governments have tried to legislate morality. As the years, have passed many of their efforts to do this have been thwarted. Prostitution is one of the last bulwarks of this way of thinking. In the course of this essay, prostitution in the UK will be examined and it will be argued that it should be legalized. Prostitution in the UK is a dangerous business. Female prostitutes are more likely to be assaulted and murdered and to have shorter lives (Castillo, 126). Prostitutes are often the victims of serial killers as we can see from the Ipswich murders in recent years. We need to find a way to regulate in order to keep sex workers safe. The truth is that under the current law, sex workers are at risk. They must conduct their business under cover of night and have little time to communicate with potential johns due to law prohibiting communication. As such, they are placed at higher risk. Indeed, the very fact that prostitution is not in itself illegal, is an indication of how society thinks it should be dealt with by police. Instead, the various ancillary crimes such as living off the avails of prostitution and communicating for the purposes of prostitution are illegal. This is hypocritical and endangers the lives of sex workers. For this reason, these laws should be struck down. They threaten the human rights of UK sex workers. It is easy to imagine scenarios where the current laws have been responsible for higher crime rates (Phoenix, 52). Take for instance an example of a lonely man who yearns for sexual interaction or intercourse and cannot find a woman who is easily willing to fulfil his sexual needs. It is possible his behaviour may lead him to rape or other illegal behaviour. This need not be the case if prostitution is effectively legalized. Or suppose a married man has a high sex drive then his wife and sometimes his wife is not always available to meet his sexual desires, his behaviour may lead him to abuse her. This too can be avoided if there is a legal outlet. Once prostitution is regulated, sex workers will have more health checks and will be safer. We should follow the lead of our European neighbours and regulate prostitution (and take the tax revenue from it) rather than continue to criminalize it and force it into the darkest corners of society, where sex workers are most at risk. The very idea that prostitution is effectively illegal stands in the face of political freedom. The truth, in my opinion, is that the freest society is the best one. The government creates lots of laws in order to prevent people from making the most of their lives. Of course, some laws are necessary, such as murder is wrong, but many other laws serve no purpose: in the end they just create a “nanny state.” Libertarianism stands against needless laws and in favour of freedom. The government should play only the smallest role in our lives and should not tell us who we can and cannot sleep with. Libertarianism is a political philosophy that idealizes personal freedom and non-judgement (Nozick 32). More than ever before, people in the UK living in a Nanny State. A Nanny State is one that uses excessive state controls, for example, lots of unnecessary laws, to restrict its citizens’ freedom. It believes that it knows best and that citizens should follow its morality. Of course, there is a general feeling that certain things are wrong and should be discouraged or criminalized, but for proponents of the Nanny State, the government should seize control of actions and issues where there is no consensus and unilaterally impose its view of morality on these issues. We don't need or want a government that interferes in our lives. We certainly don't one that is so clumsy that it's laws endanger the lives of sex workers. The truth is that people need space in their lives to function and be happy. If someone wants to buy sex from another consenting adult, on what ground should the government be able to stop him? No one is being harmed in this transaction. It is beyond the purview of the lawmakers, a libertarian would rightly say. No one wants a boss standing over their shoulder each minute of every day. People do better work when they have a some space. The same is true of citizens—they need freedom from the government in order to live good lives. The government seems to think that many people these days believe their lives are too complicated for them to take responsibility. This is a very sad state of affairs. We need to support libertarians who oppose such measures and want to free us from unfair laws. If a prostitute wants to put her body in danger, and degrade herself then it is fine as long as her actions do not harm others. Another philosophical approach to take to this question comes from utilitarianism. This was one the most significant ethical systems devised in the 19th century. This idea comes from a philosophy founded by Jeremy Bentham. He believed that only pain and pleasure values to be reckoned with in the world and that morality was less significant that these two schemes. He came up with what he called the rule of utility: good is whatever brings the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people. Bentham would probably argue to legalize prostitution on these grounds as it would make people more happy in a general sense. Those already involved in prostitution would be safer and more healthy. There would be less people in jail for simply fulfilling their physical needs. Furthermore, ordinary citizens would be happy because they would receive tax revenue from prostitution which could be used to build new roads and schools. Indeed, this has recently occurred in the Netherlands. “Amid budget cuts and falling revenues, the Dutch government has warned prostitutes who advertise their wares in the famous windows of Amsterdam's red light district to expect a business-only visit from the taxman . . . Janneke Verheggen, spokeswoman for the country's Tax Service, said now was the right time to "increase compliance". In a sign of the times, few prostitution advocates are protesting - though many are sceptical that tax law can be enforced in an all-cash industry “ (Mirror). This same kind of scheme could be put in place in the UK which would also see the revenue as a way to reduce the deficit and debt, something that is in a dire state. Only a few people, mainly religious folks, would be made unhappy by the change in the laws, and their unhappiness would be outweighed by the happiness achieved by the others. It is clear that the rest of the world is changing. In many countries prostitution is no longer illegal and is instead regulated. In recent months Canada has moved closer to legalizing prostitution. A judge in that country recently said that the prostitution laws, which are very similar to the ones in the UK, violated sex workers right to security of person without an appropriate justification (Torstar). As the judge said in this case: “By increasing the risk of harm to street prostitutes, the communicating law is simply too high a price to pay for the alleviation of social nuisance. I find that the danger faced by prostitutes greatly outweighs any harm which may be faced by the public.” The UK needs to follow the example of countries with similar values. It is more than time to drop the restriction on peoples personal liberties and instead allow people to act as they see fit. It is important to take into account a potential argument against legalization. The rise of human trafficking continues to be a disturbing trend. Many women from other countries are sold as virtual sex slaves. This is a problem in the UK which we must deal with (Buckley). This should absolutely continue to be illegal and subject to the harshest penalties. However, regulated the consensual sector of the sex economy may well lead the police to learn more about this seedy underbelly and give them the information and the skills to dismantle these kinds of criminal operations. Prostitution will always be present in our society. It is important to stop fighting it and to find a way to control which will make it safer for everyone involved. Safe and regulated prostitution can be a revenue boon for the government. There is also a philosophical argument. We should not accept the idea the governments are permitted to regulate our bodies and our morality. So long as no one is being harmed, prostitution should not be interfered with by the government. It is time to make this change and legalize prostitution. Work consulted Buckley, Martha. (28 Nov. 2005). “Baltic girls forced into sex slavery” BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4287432.stm Castillo DN, Jenkins EL (February 1994). "Industries and occupations at high risk for work-related homicide". J Occup Med 36 (2): 125–32 McCall, Andrew (2004). Medieval Underworld (Sutton History Classics). Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing. Mirror. (Jan. 12, 2011). “Dutch prostitutes must now pay income tax.” http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/01/12/dutch-prostitutes-must-now-pay-income-tax-115875-22843766/ Phoenix, J. (2001). Making Sense of Prostitution, Basingstoke: Palgrave Torstar News Service. (Sep 28 2010). Judge strikes down Canada’s prostitution laws. The Spec. http://www.thespec.com/news/canada/article/262482--judge-strikes-down-canada-s-prostitution-laws Read More