“The reality is that sex work continues, regardless of the regulatory challenges, corruption, discrimination, stigma, criminalisation or social marginalization”.

Then introduce tougher penalties. This is tapping the exploitation industry on the wrist. No one seriously believes the Swedish are tough on crime. Their jails are like hotels.

In any case, would we legalise rape? Hey, it happens anyway. Would we legalise other forms of slavery? Hey, it happens anyway. It seems like someone has a financial motivation, and is therefore throwing out red herrings.

By the way, so-called sex workers often live in fear of their sex slave masters, and have different opinions when they escape the body flesh trade. So please, stop promoting a false consensus.

Ah I love this feminist logic . If a girl marries a rich guy or
gives it away for free, then that is seemingly fine.

If she wants to be paid for her efforts, then it must be a crime.

Whilst you people try to deny the laws of nature, you will continue
to fail to undertstand this world and our species, let alone
other species.

Whatever consenting people wish to do between them without hurting others cannot be a crime.

BPT describes a non-consensual situation - masters and slaves. That of course is not on and has to be stopped by all means, not just in relation to prostitution, but also in any other area of employment.

I would think the Sweedish sex worker laws are worth investigating.

The majority of sex workers are exploiting men, and also placing men under risk of STD's.

Let the women get a proper job, earn money and pay tax like everyone else.

Good article. Vanna - sex workers are exploiting their customers in exactly the same way that all merchants selling goods or services that people want to buy are exploiting their customers. i.e. not at all. Men can choose to pay for sex or not. It it their decision. The same applies to women who sell sex. They can choose to do so or not. The government should simply not be interfering in the choices made by consenting adults that effects no one but themselves. It seems bizarre that a person can have sex with whom ever they choose, but this becomes illegal if there is a price attached to it.
Of course the same logic applies to drug prohibition. In a free and liberal society the only grounds for government intervention in the choices of citizens should be to prevent harm to others. Unfortunately we do not live in such a free society, but rather a paternalistic one where such regulation of personal behaviour is not only accepted but has a certain popularity amongst large protions of the population.

...This article resurrects an old issue relating back to decriminalising Prostitution, first in Victoria, which is usually the focus when needed.

...A survey commissioned by the Scottish Government in 2003, and undertaken by the University of London analysed outcomes of prostitution policies in other countries which included Australia, Ireland, and the Netherlands as representative of legalised and regulated prostitution, as opposed to the approach of criminalised prostitution (US model), concluded:

•A dramatic increase in all facets of the sex industry, (including Child prostitution and paedophilia).

•A dramatic increase in the involvement of organized crime in the sex industry,

•An explosion in the number of foreign women and girls trafficked into the region, and

•Indication of an increase in violence against women.

...This research flies in the face of the “furfies’” in Jefferies article above. But a huge amount of research points to the compounding of problems by decriminalising prostitution.

...The Swedish system is very successful in assisting Women to remove themselves from the industry.

Rhys Jones,
There is a major difference between a prostitute selling their body and someone in business developing a product for sale.

A prostitute doesn’t have to do much or think much, they have to undergo no education or training programs or pass exams, they don’t have to show much initiative, they do not have to invent anything new, they do not have to seek loans from the bank, or repay loans etc.

In fact, by selling their bodies, prostitutes are using no brains at all, while the rest of us are required to think.

Prostitution is a seedy life and a mentally lazy life.

But if you like prostitutes, have a group of them standing on every street corner where you live, and see what it does to the house prices in your area.

*In fact, by selling their bodies, prostitutes are using no brains at all, while the rest of us are required to think.*

Ah Vanna, clearly you have never thought much about this topic.

That may well be the case for your common housewifely kind of pro
that you are used to, not so for high class working girls, so lets
look at the evidence.

The Italian PM showered his girls with 10'000$ gifts, when he
used their services. Eliot Spitzer, the well known US identity
caught out with call girls, was paying 2500$ or so an hour for their
time.

Now I put to you that nobody has ever paid you that kind of money
for cleaning toilets, as you claim to have done for a good portion
of your working life.

Clearly it takes a fair bit of talent and thought, to extract that
kind of money from the marketplace. Give credit where credit
is due!

If a girl can extract that kind of money for her time, good luck
to her. But don't call her stupid, for unlike you, she does not
have to clean toilets for a living.

Dear Vanna,

The topic at hand is not whether prostitution is good or bad, moral or immoral, intelligent or stupid, nice or ugly, etc. That indeed may be the subject of another topic.

The question we face is, what's the state/government/authorities got to do with it at all. Further, the state being itself an immoral entity in essence, what possible right has it got to dictate moral behaviours?

People ought to decide for themselves how they are going to live, whether they be nice or ugly, intelligent or stupid, wise or foolish, good or bad, etc. The only time when a state has a right to intervene is when non-consenting parties are adversely affected. Even if two people decide to kill each other (which I don't recommend), that's only their problem and nobody else's business.

But let's look at it from a different angle:

When one is faced with the option of doing good or doing bad, and makes the conscious choice to do the right thing, that has merit, that's courageous, that's meaningful, that's uplifting, that's spiritually advancing. On the other hand, if one is forced to do the right thing without being allowed the opposite, then there is no goodness in it, no merit, no value, nothing but an empty superficial action made out of fear or weakness, nothing but humiliation of spirit, nothing but violence. Take away our choice for life, our choice to display our goodness and reject evil, and there is no point left to live for, we might as well be dead already.

If consensual prostitution is bad (for the prostitute and/or for the client, as opposed to 3rd-parties), then give people the chance to show their goodness and wisdom by staying away from it. Some might stray of course, to their own detriment, but that would be the only way to allow the rest of us to exhibit our personal commitment to good values.

It is a mistake to attempt to control the world, to create outcomes. Our only responsibility is to make choices, as outcomes are in the hands of God alone.

A prostitute isn't selling "her body", she's selling services. The client has no resulting property right in her body. It is true that she needs her body to perform her services, but so does everyone else. A prostitute is no more selling her body than is a dentist or physiotherapist or waitress or parliamentarian.

Yabby,
I was a cleaner for about 6 months, and I was maily doing it at night while I did other things during the day, including some study and building a small business that now exports software.

I have lived in appartment buildings in some cities in other countries that had prostitutes in them, and I wouldn't recomend living with a prostitute next door.

They use their bodies and not their brains, and many are just mentally lazy individuals who contribute little to society while seldom paying their share of tax.

Basically, they are lazy parasites that feed off society while contributing very little of worthwhile value.

Considering recent attempts to apply a "surprise sex" charge that is able to operate against overwhelming evidence to the contrary, coincidentally, against someone who leaks embarrassing government scandals to voters;

I'd say Sweden has lost a profound amount of credibility in the "Democracy and rule of law" department- let alone 'combating sex slave industry' department

"Basically, they are lazy parasites that feed off society while contributing very little of worthwhile value"

So, I presume, you identify laziness with the deadly sin of sloth and therefore support the incarceration of lazy people, who do not contribute to society as much as they could, in hard-labour/re-education camps.

"I wouldn't recomend living with a prostitute next door"

I also wouldn't recommend living in the first floor with a dentist operating in the second floor, or even worse - a vet. It definitely disturbs the peace by having too much traffic on the stairway. Fortunately there are enough detached houses in Australian suburbs and it is quite common for neighbours next door to have no idea what goes on in the next house.

"They use their bodies and not their brains"

And so are the people who put asphalt on our roads.

"while seldom paying their share of tax"

That's obviously wrong. Prostitutes should pay their fair share of tax like everyone else. Keeping prostitution legal should help fight avoidance, and of course, clients should request proper GST receipts.

Yuyutu makes some very valid points. But its these broad judgemental
statements of yours Vanna, that I have a problem with.

*while contributing very little of worthwhile value*

Hang on Vanna, that is clearly up to the girl or bloke and their
customer. Toyboy working boys, to keep old rich dears happy, are
becoming more common these days btw.

The value of what they contribute, is decided by those paying
for the services, not by you.

Clearly their contribution is highly valued, or some people would
not be showering them with 10'000$ gifts or paying some 2500$ an
hour, as in the case of the examples I have mentioned.

I am not aware of these people paying you anything like that amount,
so clearly some people value their services far more then what you
can provide. So don't be so judgemental.

Swapping resources for sex goes right back to our primate ancestors,
chimps and bonobos. Pair bonding or marriage as some call it,
is based on the same evolutionary strategy.

It was also common amongst our hunter gatherer ancestors.

A working girl simply uses the resources that she has available,
to make a living. Just like the rest of us, including you.

How worthwhile or not her efforts are, is decided by the marketplace,
not by you.

This is a good and timely article, given there's increasing interest in adopting the Swedish system in Australia and that would not be a good move IMO

Vanna it's interesting to hear you slagging off at another group of humanity instead of academics.

Briar rose,

I would consider prostitutes as extremely similar to feminists, and it does appear most academics have to declare themselves feminist to get a job.

Prostitutes only value men for their money, and when was the last time a group of prostitutes ever supported men in some cause, or praised the male gender.

Feminists only value men for their money, and when was the last time a group of feminists ever supported men in some cause, or praised the male gender.

The ultimate is that prostitution makes women believe that men have to pay for sex, or makes women believe that men have to pay for everything and anything.

Ah Vanna, it seems to me that you have been watching too many
Hollywood movies, rather then David Attenborough documentaries :)

Fact is, like it or not, biology rules!

Its only in species where lots of resources are required to
raise the offspring, where females pairbond. When there is
no need for those resources, females simply pick out the
best and most rugged looking individual, to gain their
bit of required sperm.

So the swapping of resources for a bit of nookie, is the
basis of your pairbonding relationship. Your freebies
are but a dream :)

OTOH, without that bit of nookie, there would be no good
reason for males to stick around and provide resources.

The two individuals would simply be friends, with no
commitments.

Now you can try and dress all that up in religion or
some wierd philosophy, but that is the basis of the
biology, as much as some don't like to face it.

Yabby,
I think you have been going to too many prostitutes, and now, all you can think of is prostitutes.

It is true that in our feminist and almost loveless society, there may not be a great deal of difference between normal women and prostitutes.

However, this does not mean that prostitution or feminism needs to be encouraged.

The author states that prostitution is “work” , but where is the career path.

And does the prostitute have to start as a trainee prostitute, then show sufficient demonstrable skills to become a level one prostitute, then a level two prostitute, then a level three prostitute etc, until finally they can gain a masters level in prostitution.

Prostitution is not “work”, nor is it a “profession”.

Prostitution is a scam developed by lazy women who can’t think of another way to make money and pay their way.

Pay money to a woman for sex if you like, but eventually be prepared to pay money to a woman for just about anything.

Dear Vanna,

Do I understand correctly that you consider it a crime to not have a career?

Should every occupation that has no long-term prospects of "climbing the ladder" be criminalized?

Should people (like me) who have no ambition to climb some corporate (or equivalent) ladder be incarcerated in a mental-hospital?

Do you consider it a crime to be content and happy where you already are?

Yuyutsu,

Have you been going to too many prostitutes also?

Do you think that sex is "work" as stated by the author?

Do you think that you have to pay a woman money if you have sex with her?

If so, what else do you pay a woman money for?

*Prostitution is not “work”, nor is it a “profession”.*

Of course its a profession. People can make a living any
way that they choose to. Its a profession if it pays the
bills. Given that many of these girls are far better paid then
you are, in economic terms they are clearly valued more then you
are.

*I think you have been going to too many prostitutes, and now, all you can think of is prostitutes.*

Fair enough Vanna, once again you are a bad judge of character.
I happen to live in the outback. No working girls out here lol. So
do I chat up somebody's wife? Or go to the pub and tell some bird
that I love her, to get in her pants? You have never really thought abut this too deeply, it seems.

All I can assume is that you are a cheapskate who wants something
for nothing, or just prefer dating yourself :)

You ignore the laws of nature at your peril.

Working girls have a job just like anyone else and contribute to
society just like anyone else.

Perhaps you simply have a chip on your shoulder about sex,
which is of course quite normal and natural. Is religion the
cause perchance?

Dear Vanna,

I think that there are much worse professions than prostitution, for example advertising - harassing people in the pursuit of seducing them to waste their money on things they don't really need.

Now again, this specific discussion is not whether prostitution is good or bad, or whether it is "work" or otherwise, or whether I ought to be paying for sex or for any other services rendered by women (that may well be the topic of another thread), but whether or not the government should make it illegal to practice.

The Swedish-style proposal suggests that people should be put in jail for doing something which they agree on and does not hurt anyone else. Whether that "something" can be considered "work" or not, or whether it should be paid for or not, is all besides the point.

There are many other activities that I personally consider unwise (including most competitive sports and car-racing for example, gambling, drinking, etc.), but I will never condone using violence against people who participate in such activities. Why should the government then be allowed to use violence against people who have hurt no one? Yes, placing people in jail is certainly a form of violence. It is unacceptable!

Yabby,
"People can make a living any way that they choose to"

Well I hope when someone breaks into your house and steals something, they leave a note that says "Just a making a living the easiest way I can think of"

But you pay women for sex (or want to pay women for sex), so what else are you prepared to pay a woman to do?

If history is anything to go by, they won't stop at sex.

"Well I hope when someone breaks into your house and steals something"

That is a non-consensual activity. Prostitution is consensual.

"they won't stop at sex"

So what? If the man is so stupid that he wants to pay and pay and pay, then it is his problem and his alone, not the government's.

*If history is anything to go by, they won't stop at sex*

Vanna, last time I checked you wanted to be paid for any work
that you did. Why should women be any different?

We are all entitled to make a living, one way or another.

My problem here is your intolerance. These days, I'm
intolerant of the intolerant.

Yabby,
"These days, I'm intolerant of the intolerant."

Well, have lots of prostitutes (or should I be using the more watered down term "sex-workers") working in your street, and see what type of people they attract, and also see what it does to the house prices in your street.