Anyway. Now here's my disclaimer to this post. First let me explain why i chose it. In our class we had to do a group presentation on a topic of our choice. I was with my husband and another guy. We chose Sex Trafficking and Prostitution. There were some things we researched, and some comments made that, not necissarily, got my mind really going, but made me stop to think a little. Other than my research for my powerpoint i have not scoured this topic. I am NOT an expert. I don't know that i even have a solid opinion for myself. I am merely JUST throwing out some thoughts that have been on my mind since Saturday. Comprendo? Please please please leave your comments, but PLEASE don't scream at me and think i am a terrible person. I DO NOT fully agree with every thought i will be throwing out. Oh goody. Lets go.
Now, everyone has biased towards the thought of prostitution, prostitution itself, and prostitutes. I can see you shaking your head right now thinking "Oh no, not I. I would never judge." Stop. I do, you do, i'm sure we all somewhat do, but now i'm speaking for someone other than myself (the only person i can truly speak for) so if you don't GOOD FOR YOU! Moving on. I did. I do. The thought of the act, and person(s) involved just, i don't know quite how to put it, quite litterally makes me want to throw up. When i hear the word prostitute i don't think of Pretty Women all "gussied" up and becoming a lady. No. Who really does? I think of other movies/tv shows i've seen. Intervention. Anyone heard of it? Crack addict, scrawny, nasty women is the biased i have. Wrong? Maybe not. One statistic we found claims that over 90% of women in both street and off-street activities increased their drug or alcohol usage during prostitution.
What, then, you ask, changed my bias (every so slightly) about these women AND men? These statistics:
*The average age of entry into prostitution is from 12-16. 12-16! Really? How many of you out there, at 12 years old, would truly FULLY understand what you were getting yourself into?
*Many girls are started into prostitution because of a pimp scouting them out and coercing them into it. We watched a clip from a document of two pimps who started home videoing their "job" thinking they would someday have a cable television show{PIGS}. The opeing scene? One pimp stating to the camera "Gunna go fin' me sum bitch ho to make me sum money." Hmmmm.... Real winner right there {PIG}. They then stop, no stalk is a better word, a, yes you guess it, TWELVE year old girl. They flirt with her and tell her "she's sure got a thang going on", they're 29 mind you {PIGS}. One pimp then, for the next two weeks, completely "woo's" this girl, gosh they sure are good. After two weeks he tells her his job AND if she loves him she will go out and make more money for them. Hmmmmmmm.......
*57% of Prostitutes were abused as children.
*When asked if they would leave prostitution if they could 90% of them said YES.
Does it not, reading some of these statistics, seem that these individuals may somewhat be unstable? Do we as a society have the accountability to take care of, assist, and protect these individuals? Maybe. Maybe not.
The last thought i guess i want to throw out is in relation to my post. Any of you that put yes i would really like to hear an explanation if you feel comfortable. I'm hoping it wasn't just to be funny.... The end of our presentation, and our class, my teacher closed with the thought that she believes prostitution should be legal. Why? Not because she likes the act anymore than i do. No she believes that (and Professor if i am misrepresenting you i deeply apologize! feel free to comment and set me straight) in legalizing prostituion if will create some regulation and protection for all those that choose to participate. She believes as such drug usage would also go down. Interesting, yes? I thought so.
Anyway. If you made it this far thank you for reading AND commenting ;D It really is greatly appreciated!
Love,
♥Alex♥
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6 comments:
Okay. I have for a long time thought that prostitution should be legalized largely because what two consenting adults choose to do (for money or for free), as long as it is not infringing on the rights of another, I feel should be allowed. I don't think the government has any right to dictate morality.
That being said, legalizing prostitution could potentially protect those 12-year-old as they would be illegal prostitutes. Now, legalizing the career (which is said to be the oldest career there is), could also open the market for new prostitutes (hey, it is a business with a very low start-up cost so if the threat of being thrown in the slammer was eliminated, there might be a more saturated market of hookers, and less need for pimps victimizing young girls).
Another interesting thing you could look into is how countries where prostitution is illegal punish the culprits, whether they go for the "joes" or the prostitutes. In Italy, for example, the laws tend to protect the "joes."
France also has recently talked about legalizing/has legalized(I can't remember) prostitution. But one French professor I heard speak on this issue talked about how when in parliament the topic of french hookers was broached a representative asked what percentage of hookers in France were french, and then when given the figure asked, "but how many are 'franco-french'?" meaning how many are of white, purebread french stalk. There you encounter the issue of race in the sexual politics of prostitution.
But, I've already written a lot (part of me wants to go on about the theory that Western culture has relaxed its sexual mores in order to distinguish itself from the Orient and modern sexual politics is related to anti-immigrant sentiment...a tricky topic, but according to French Professor Eric Fassin there is a connection and it is a fascinating topic...)
Anyway, good luck with your project.
Hi Alex,
Great post. Very thought provoking. I'll throw in my two cents.
Any pimp who is scouting out young women is doing nothing different than a pedophile. They are scouting for weakness, insecurity, lack of acceptance. They are predators. Pure and simple sexual predators, no different than a pedophile. Confident, strong, self-assured young women would likely not be targets for a pimp. People with strong, respectable authority figures at home or school would not fall victim to a pimp's smooth talking. Young women who are victims of physical or sexual abuse are certainly candidates, but also women who are victims of emotional abuse. Those who have no respect for themselves, who do not see their bodies as a gift, are not going to treat themselves well. They will continue to keep themselves in abusive relationships (with pimps and johns).
The issue of legality is tricky. I'm not sure I want the government in the sex business, but like so many vices, it's going to be there whether or not it's regulated. Maybe regulation is the key to saving 12 year olds from this awful fate.
Yes, the mere concept of prostitution makes my stomach churn. But I was also lucky enough to grow up in a home with strong, respectable parents, a loving support network, and in turn, I grew up with a positive self image. Sex and love were intertwined, and I didn't treat it lightly. Someone who is the vicitm of abuse (the first act of prostitution is abuse) views sex, and learns about sex, through a completely different lens.
Good luck, Alex!
In some ways I agree with your teacher! When Cyle was in France he said that there were "papered" and "non papered" prostitutes. The "papered" prostitutes have to be inspected at regular intervals so that they are not passing around diseases and such. I believe that the drug abuse would go down because with a regulated "job" they would be able to screen for that stuff as well. I do not agree with prostitution on a moral level but whether I agree with it or not it happens. If it was regulated then maybe some of the horrific things that come along with it would become less prevalent and more regulated as well!
I don't know if this is true, but I thought it might make an interesting comment for your blog (from mylifeisaverage.com):
"Today while watching a documentary over animals I learned that humans were not the only ones who practiced prostitution. Monkeys also did in exchange for bananas. I then proceeded to inform everyone I knew of this fact. Apparently, that is something people don't want to know. MLIA"
Roni, I think you mean "john," not "joe."
Furthermore, the monkey/prostitution study is detailed in the book "Superfreakonomics," which is pretty interesting.
There are economic incentives for legalizing prostitution. Illegal industries cannot be taxed. As Roni said, oversight would also be easier, as the trade would be more overt. The problem with our current prostitution system is that it hinges on coercion and a heck of a lot of illegal human trafficking.
this is very interesting. i have to agree with what roni first said: what two consenting adults do--money or no money--is their business. and if legalizing prostitution will save any young girls (or boys for that matter) from that fate, i am all for it.
i have long thought that prostitution was a result of preying on insecurities, lack of self-confidence and many types of abuse. many women or girls, especially in poor countries, really have no other options than to sell their bodies to survive. they are raised to know no different.
a sad dilemma for sure.
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