expository essay on prostitution

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Essays on Prostitution

Prostitution Examined from a Different Perspective Prostitution examined from a different perspective in the human life pinpoints to different interpretation based on the social norms. Prostitution since the memorial it has been classified as one of the sexual immorality that people participates in to satisfy their sexual desires. Different organization in...

Prostitution and its Definition Prostitution refers to engagement of sexual activities in exchange for favors or money. However, this definition has been criticized as inadequate since there are women who become wives because they want a house and livelihood which can be termed as favors as well (Weitzer 23). Therefore, prostitution...

Overview Over the years, it can be argued that crime has evolved in diverse ways more so due to economic and societal changes. However, there are specific forms of crime that appear to remain more or less the same and only evolving in the manner in which they can be accessed...

Words: 1286

Sex Trade in Canada Sex trade refers to activities involving the provision of sexual services in exchange for money (Sethi 2010). One of the most common activities that fit in this context is prostitution that a stigma attached to the term (Wagner, 2017). Legalization and Challenges Canada has been one of the most...

Words: 1281

The Debate on Legalizing Prostitution The phraseology prostitution refers to the practice or siness of engaging in sexual activities in exchange for money or other valuables. Essentially this assignment is steered at writing an argumentative essay that deliberates on whether prostitution should be made legal or not. Currently prostitution is illegal...

Worldviews about the Global Community Worldviews about the global community have undergone substantial change in the current century. Various organizations have made an effort to advocate for the rights of people who engage in behaviors that society has long viewed as forbidden. These practices could include human reproduction, same-sex unions, abortion,...

Words: 1733

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Various Reforms during the Progressive Era (1890–1920) Various reforms were implemented during the Progressive Era (1890–1920) to improve the social, economic, and governmental conditions of the populace. The campaign for settlement houses was one of the reforms. It intended to make slum dwellers' lives better by giving them access to education...

In Broad Daylight: The Unjust Humiliation of Mu Ying In "In Broad Daylight," Mu Ying, who has earned the moniker Old Whore, is the subject of a tale. She is criticized by the public for having affairs with several different males. The community Red Guards, who are from a different city...

Words: 1345

Unquestionably, some of this music's elements are overtly objectionable while others smell of materialism. Its brutal depictions of street life, including drug selling, drive-by shootings, prostitution, and violence, glorify young people's destructive lifestyles. Furthermore, the misogynistic and sexist depiction of women is obviously troublesome. Sexual abuse and exploitation result from...

The Lover is a tale of how prejudice on both parties keeps two lovers apart to the point where a happy ending is impossible. Unfortunately, the girl s status as a prostitute prevents them from having any other kind of connection. She agrees to perform this task primarily as a...

Words: 1151

One of the key issues: Social Structure and Poverty One of the key issues that the novel 'Here Comes the Sun' vividly brings out is that of the social structure of the island state of Jamaica. The book depicts a world in which life is particularly difficult for poor black women....

Words: 1167

Prostitution: An Overview Prostitution, by definition, is the practice of engaging in sexual behavior in exchange for payment, whereas a prostitute is a practicing party who offers his or her body for sexual activity. The payment can be monetary, services, products, or anything else agreed upon by the parties to the...

Words: 1473

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Essay About Prostitution

This sample essay on Essay About Prostitution provides important aspects of the issue and arguments for and against as well as the needed facts. Read on this essay’s introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

Prostitution forms an age-worn but interesting chapter in the history of civilization and presents an important problem for modern society. All civilized countries have offered solutions, none of which are satisfactory, and only a few of them have even modified its baneful influence. We commonly speak of prostitution as being the oldest of the professions, but in the light of historical investigation, this is hardly in keeping with the truth.

In order to understand the social construction of ‘prostitution’, we begin with common definitions from The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) (1989).

In the English language, the word ‘prostitute’ can be used in several ways. Prostitute can be used as a noun: ‘A woman who is devoted, or (usually) who offers, her body to indiscriminate sexual intercourse, esp. for hire: a common harlot’ (OED, 1989a, p.

673) or a verb: ‘To offer (oneself or another) to unlawful, esp. indiscriminate sexual intercourse, usually for hire; to devote or expose to lewdness (Chiefly refl. of a woman)’ (OED, 1989a, p. 673) Dictionary descriptors of ‘prostitution’, the industry or practice, include ‘whoredom’ and ‘harlotry’ (Oxford English Dictionary, 1989a, p. 74). Prostitution is any, or a combination, or all of the following: a) sexual harassment b) rape c) battering d) verbal abuse e) domestic violence f) racial practice g) a violation of human rights h) childhood sexual abuse i) a consequence of male domination of women j) a means of maintaining male domination of women Dictionary definitions provide only part of the picture.

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Discourses surrounding prostitution have varied greatly throughout time, demonstrating its dynamic conceptual nature.

Prostitution Essays

Despite these developments, particular beliefs have prevailed: for example, nineteenth-century morals have a direct influence upon the worldwide prohibition against prostitution (Perkins, 1991). The definition of a prostitute, as Rey (1851) describes her, as “a woman who allows the use of her body by any man, without distinction, for a payment, made or expected. ” Havelock Ellis says practically the same thing- “One who openly abandons her body to a number of men, without choice, for money. Both descriptions emphasize the fact that it is not the abundance of lovers which makes a woman a harlot, but the nature of her relationship with them- “The sale of the sweet name of love. ” In the suppression of individual inclinations she differs from a mistress, a concubine or a polygamous wife. The Roman jurists held that the fee had nothing to do with prostitution. It was the mingling of the sexes, the lack of an individual bond between man and woman and the universal and unrestrained gratification of sex passion that were its essential features.

The fee is always contra bonus mores and not legally collectable. The mercenary side, so prominent today, is a secondary factor, resulting from the development of civilization. Remuneration is only an inevitable corollary of the consideration that a wife is the property of a man and therefore of definite value. The Profession of prostitution,” says Parent Duchatelet (1836), “is an evil of all times and all countries, and appears to be innate in the social structure of mankind.

It will perhaps never be entirely eradicated, still all the more must we strive to limit its extent and its dangers. With prostitution itself, as with vice, crime and disease, the teacher of morals endeavors to prevent the vices, the lawgiver to prevent the crime and the physician to cure the disease. All alike know that they will never fully attain their goal but they pursue their work none the less, in the conviction that who does only a little good, yet does a great service to the weak man. The earliest discourse, based on theology and philosophy, emphasized the immorality and corruption of female souls. Nineteenth-century religious writers considered prostitution to be a ‘social evil that threatened the family as well as the social order’ (Ryan, 1997, p. 20). Prostitution later entered the closely linked medical–legal domains; criminalization of prostitution was facilitated by conceptualizing prostitution as a public health issue, stressing its role in spreading infectious diseases (Ryan, 1997).

During the 1970s, the prostitutes’ rights movement arose, which argued that prostitution represented a form of labor, comparable to other ‘helping’ professions, such as doctors, social workers or lawyers (Perkins and Bennett, 1985; Perkins, 1991). Moreover, it was also conceptualized as a contract between equals, having the effect of describing it as a commercial transaction: ‘In this view, individuals own their labor power and stand in relation to their property in their body and capacities in the same relation as their property as property owners’ (Jeffreys, 1997, p. 73) This view dominates the current reality of the adult prostitution sex industry. This has been evident by its largely visible status through maintaining ‘an important presence in political and sexual culture over the last decade’ (Sullivan, 1997, p. 201). It is alarming that the age of entry into prostitution is clearly geared toward younger and younger groups. Kathleen Mahoney, a professor of law in Calgary University, Canada argued in 1995, “How do we even conceptualize ‘juvenile’ prostitution, when the age of consent for legal sexual activity is constantly lowered, as in the Netherlands and the Philippines? The prehistoric period can, of course, supply us with little accurate knowledge. The earliest human records, about 4000 B. C. , make reference to it, but for anything of value, we must turn to comparative ethnology, where the customs of primitive people throw considerable light on the early stages. There seems no evidence that the elemental sex instinct, “the ever-raging animal in man”, as Plato called it, has been altered in the slightest degree by all the centuries of culture and education.

The advancing development of mankind in early times, brought sex attraction into close conjunction with the religious impulse, and upon this basis sprang up. A free sexual life, along with the social life, has continued to our own day. The origin of prostitution is closely connected with the rise of brothels and the development of the system of free love. No longer do all the girls, but only a certain few, offer themselves to the frequenters of “houses for men”. These few generally live in selected domiciles and are paid for their sex services.

The “common woman” also offers herself to strangers and travelers, and this may be the origin of the “hospitable prostitute”. In Africa, through the influence of slavery, practically all prostitutes were slaves. A young woman was bought, sheltered in a special hut and required to offer herself to anyone in return for a small present, the owner of the slave receiving the earnings. In Dahomey, the King was the proprietor of all these women- a case of “government control”. In ancient Egypt, Arabia and Israel the courtesan was recruited from divorced and cast-off wives who wandered about from place to place.

A study of racial development shows that prostitution exists among all aboriginal peoples where sexual intercourse is restricted or restrained, and that it is nothing more than a new form for the primitive mingling of the races. In its entire history it is a derivative from the free sexual life of primeval man. As Schurtz says, “In all places where free love is separated from passions and their satisfaction prostitution is found. ” In a civilized society, we should organize that the burden of inequalities, which underlie prostitution, should not be carried by children.

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28 Prostitution and sex work

Teela Sanders is a Professor of Criminology at the University of Leicester.

Barbara G. Brents is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

• Published: 06 July 2017
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This essay discusses the debates about prostitution and sex work in relation to the ‘sex wars’ paradigm, posing questions about its theoretical usefulness in addressing the regulation of commercial sexual activity between adults. The authors map the global trend in accepting the ‘Swedish model’ for managing the sex industry, noting the problems that have resulted with the turn to criminalization that many Western countries have taken in recent years. This ‘turn’ has been influenced significantly by myths about sex trafficking and the belief that all commercial sex is in some ways forced, coerced, or exploitative. The authors discuss the discourses that frame the male client as the ‘offender’ and the female as the ‘victim and offender’. The consequences are reviewed both for individuals engaging in sexual services and for contemporary feminist debates. The human rights perspective can offer useful insights for understanding and regulating sexual behaviour.

Among the more widespread and persistent of sexual ‘offences’ is prostitution. Often seen as a vice rather than a crime, the political and social discourses surrounding prostitution have often been contradictory, reflecting politicized debates about women’s sexuality and women’s sexual agency: Is the prostitute an offender or a victim? Women who break sexual norms can be either knowing offenders, variously publicly flaunting their sexuality and luring men into succumbing to irrational desires, or they are innocent victims of manipulative male desire. Imbued in these are questions of power and control, the meanings of agency, and the controllability of desire. Implicated are questions of just what is the social norm that prostitution violates: Is it an affront to the heterosexual family, women’s sexual asceticism and purity, or visible disorder and irrationality? More importantly, just what are the sexual norms of our late capitalist economy and postmodern culture? Underlying all these questions is the basic observation that to label victims and offenders is to ultimately individualize behaviour. Missing in victim/offender discourse is poverty, inequality, opportunity for resources, and the often quite rational decision to either earn money by selling sex or to break the law and purchase sexual release.

In this essay, we will discuss the development of this discourse and the social policy responses that spring from it—victim, offender, and rehabilitation. We will discuss the debates today and the implications of these models for the construction of appropriate femininity, masculinity, and sexuality.

To summarize the key points of this essay:

During the period of industrialization and the move to modernity, prostitution became the focus of religious and state intervention that focused on controlling wayward female sexuality.

The individualization and feminization of prostitution led to a contradictory discourse of women as both victim and offender.

Moral reformers mobilized rhetoric around white female slavery in the 19th century, locating the origins of the modern-day panics about trafficking and immigrants in relation to the sex industry.

Feminist theoretical debates known as the ‘sex wars’ have informed understanding about the place of prostitution in a patriarchal society, leading to more nuanced post-feminist discourses on gender politics and the rights of the individual.

During the time of neo-liberal politics and values there has been a global trend to use criminalization to regulate prostitution, firmly entrenching the victim/offender contradiction within welfare, criminal, and social policies.

Despite this trend, several effective alternative systems are operating across the world, demonstrating how sex workers’ rights (particularly in relation to safety, health, and right to freedom) can be at the forefront of policy.

Section I of this essay provides a history of state control of prostitution. Here we look at ‘the birth of the prostitute’ alongside industrialization and the changing position of women in society. We flag how the concerns around ‘white slavery’ formed the bedrock of the first laws against prostitution. In section II we outline the theoretical debates since second-wave feminism in the 1970s informing how prostitution and sex work have been conceptualized. Looking more closely at recent reflections in post-feminist thought about the complexities of commercial sex and sexual labour in a time of mass consumption, we chart how the discourses around the ‘victim and offender’ have developed alongside neo-liberal social and criminal justice policy. In section III we look at the trend toward criminalization during the late 20th century, further examining the ways in which the victim/offender discourse has been peddled in politics. In this section we also examine several alternative models beyond criminalization to regulate and manage the sex industry. In section IV we bring together some brief conclusions and discuss contemporary controversies in this area.

I. Historical and Cultural Context

A. modernity and the birth of laws against prostitution.

While prostitution is often labelled the ‘oldest profession’, it was not until the Industrial Revolution that laws specifically targeted prostitution. Whilst either religious institutions or local village norms regulated all sorts of individual sexual behaviour in the cause of enforcing moral codes, being a prostitute was singled out neither as an offender nor a victim in developing English or American common law ( Luker 1998 ; Laite 2012 ).

During the 19th century, however, industrializing cities in Europe, the United Kingdom, and America attracted men and women freed from the village patriarchal familial norms and with the means for economic survival. A class of low-wage-earning, independent women took advantage of the market provided by men delaying marriage, and selling sex became a visible alternative to poverty ( Gilfoyle 1994 ).

The earliest regulations affecting prostitution were directed at regulating a variety of offences to visible social disorder and propriety. ‘Disorderly’ behaviour tended to be the same that violated earlier patriarchal and religious proscriptions, and police enforced rules against the increasing number of poor and immigrants. The 1824 Vagrancy Act in Britain sought explicitly to remove the idle, poor, and other offenders to middle-class values from public view, and allowed women selling sex discovered in public to be fined or imprisoned.

However, as the 19th century progressed, prostitution became a lightning rod for a wide range of social anxieties and conflicts. In 1836 Paris passed laws testing prostitutes for disease. Under the Contagious Disease Acts in England in the 1860s police detained prostitutes (and suspected prostitutes), gave them medical examinations, and kept them in hospitals for up to three months if found to have a disease ( Self 2003 ). Zoning regulations grouped brothels, as well as dance halls, saloons, and other bastions of irrational and disorderly behaviour, into red-light districts. In the United States, between the 1870s and the turn of the century, a few cities followed some European examples, experimenting with regulated prostitution through a formal system of red-light districts, licensed brothels, mandatory medical examinations, and restrictions on mobility, whilst other regions practiced these policies informally (Walkowitz 1980 , 1992 ; Gilfoyle 1994 ; Best 1998 ; Laite 2012 ).

Increasingly powerful feminist organizations, echoing prevailing Victorian views of female asexual virtue and purity, campaigned against these disease-testing policies for perpetuating a sexual double standard, encouraging offensive sexual behaviour in men while punishing women. ‘Social purity’ campaigns, using a medical rhetoric to police moral behaviour, picked up steam throughout the United States and Europe. Middle-class feminists helped repeal the British Contagious Disease Acts in 1886 and campaigned throughout Europe to repeal policies regulating prostitution. In the United States, feminist organizations saw prostitution and drunkenness as contributing to women’s dependence and lobbied for red-light abatement laws fining building owners who rented to prostitutes ( Walkowitz 1980 ; Luker 1998 ).

Feminist organizations and urban missionary societies in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe also launched campaigns to ‘rescue’ fallen working-class women from lives of ruin and instruct them in middle-class rules of piety and respectability. By the turn of the century, these social purity campaigns targeted a wide range of behaviours of young working-class girls, including public recreation in saloons and dance halls.

Not all feminists opposed prostitution. ‘Free love’ feminists in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and Russia, many of whom were also associated with the socialist and anarchist movements of the time, rejected institutions of marriage and sexual repression that limited sexual expression to reproductive sex. They linked prostitution to poverty and the evils of capitalism.

B. Prostitute—Victim or Offender?

These various movements expressed an array of cultural anxieties related to industrialization—anxieties over morality, race, social class, and women’s rights and sexual freedom. Social purity campaigns often blurred the lines between campaigns against violations of women’s rights and campaigns against prostitution itself. There was as much resistance as support for tightened legal control on ‘loose’ women.

As the 19th century progressed, the discourse on prostitution changed. First, these debates and policy shifts individualized prostitution and labelled the participant as a ‘kind of person’, although the prevailing ideology shifted from a sinful to a sick person. Second, debates gendered and feminized prostitution. Prostitution became less a problem of social order and more a problem of appropriate women’s sexuality, a problem of gender relations, regardless of whether the approach was to defend or oppose this. Male prostitutes, while few in number, disappeared completely from the characterization of the ‘problem’ of prostitution ( Luker 1998 ; Laite 2012 ).

Third, this individualization and feminization of prostitution raised an important dilemma: Were female prostitutes victims or offenders? The victim/offender contradictions and complications haunt prostitution policy to this day. On the one hand, the prostitute was an offender. Legal interventions focused on publicly visible prostitutes who flagrantly violated feminine norms. The surrounding markets were social evils, havens of indecent, disorderly behaviours. Propriety dictated that these private behaviours, however immoral, were best contained away from public view. Policing was directed against offenders violating rules of public order. And of course, a sexually active woman was immoral, immodest, flaunting social rules, and in need of punishment. She was an offender, a quintessential ‘bad girl’ and subject to an emerging penal ideology that irregular behaviour must be isolated and controlled. In Europe the embryonic development of the discipline of criminology compounded the turn against women involved in selling sex as ‘deviants’, marking them out as distinctly different from ‘normal’ women. What is now an infamous publication from the Italians Lombroso and Ferrero in 1893, Criminal Woman, the Prostitute and the Normal Woman , set out a pathological approach to understanding why some women sell sex ( Rafter 2004 ). Referring to degenerative physiology and a propensity for evil, the hallmarks of pathologizing women involved in sex work were firmly set out in European criminological thought. During World War II U.S. public health campaigns against venereal disease used posters of swarthy women seducing soldiers to a life of disease.

On the other hand, many defenders of women’s rights cast prostitutes as unwitting victims of male sexual desire. Victorian sexual scripts essentialized the active male/passive female. Womanhood was naturally oriented more to family than sexual pleasure. Men, as the active party to all things sexual, had a sexual nature in need of control. Bad sexual behaviour came not so much from bad women as from sad or confused women, victimized by men exploiting innocent females. If women were virtuously asexual, women who sold sex must be victims of forces beyond their control. As pointed out, these gender ideologies invoked racial ideologies. If white, Anglo men were potential tempters, certainly immigrant and working-class men had fewer mechanisms of self-control.

C. White Slave Trafficking and the Criminalization of Prostitution

In the late 1800s, this additional portrait of women as victims seemed to throw needed public support to campaigns against prostitution. In the United Kingdom, when legislation against prostitution was floundering, a moral reformer/news reporter William Stead wrote an exposé on white slave trade based on a loose reading of fact. Nearly 30 years later, in 1909, U.S. newspapers discovered the profitability in sensationalizing the same panic, only these stories sensationalized unscrupulous immigrant men who took advantage of poor innocent white women and sold them into sexual servitude. In both these cases, the stories were wildly exaggerated, often set up by the newspapermen themselves. But they did draw on enough cultural anxieties to fuel a spate of laws against third-party ‘tricksters’, designed to protect vulnerable women. In England, the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act, passed as the Contagious Diseases acts were repealed, made keeping a brothel, third-party involvement, and procuring for the purpose of prostitution illegal and raised the age of consent—all intended to ‘protect’ women from sexual exploitation. The result was an increased policing of women. Across Europe, Australia, and the United States many municipalities passed laws criminalizing offenders seen as victimizing women and instituted laws against third parties, pandering, pimping, and brothel keeping. In 1910 the United States hastily passed the national law known as the Mann Act, criminalizing the transportation of individuals from one state to another for the purpose of prostitution ( Donovan 2006 ).

These laws against third parties criminalized much of the prostitution exchange. Most nations stopped short of criminalizing female victims. In the United Kingdom and most of Europe, prostitution remained a private affair whilst the public aspects of the trade and third-party involvement were criminalized. The control of public prostitution was intensified in the 1950s as the United Kingdom and Europe tightened laws against prostitution. The Street Offences Act in 1959 prohibited loitering or soliciting in a public place, driving most prostitution indoors but not making the act of selling illegal. Russia in 1917, Argentina in 1936 and 1955, and China after 1949 either ended regulation or outlawed prostitution altogether ( Walkowitz 1992 ; Gilfoyle 1994 ; Luker 1998 ).

The United States, however, criminalized the sale of sex in most regions between the world wars, largely in reaction to the flood of immigrants and a religious tradition oriented more to prohibition, rescue, and reform than protecting civil rights. In the United States Progressive Era municipal reformers felt that prostitution fed corrupt politicians and ward bosses who profited from vice in urban areas. Not surprisingly, investigations found immigrants in charge of most vice operations. Vice commissions in various cities recommended prosecuting keepers, inmates, and patrons of bawdy houses; replacing prostitution fines with imprisonment or probation; and banning women without male escorts from saloons. The late campaign against white slavery combined with the public health campaigns against disease-spreading prostitutes to convince policymakers that criminalizing prostitutes was itself in the public interest. The prostitute as victim was overshadowed by prostitution as a physical and moral threat to the nation’s young fighting men, now entering World War I. A now-powerful public health community joined with the military to launch social hygiene campaigns against venereal disease, and the target of these campaigns was prostitutes. Federal authorities closed most red-light districts near military bases between the world wars ( Luker 1998 ; Brents et al. 2010 ).

However, in Europe and the United States, many of these offences were non-indictable, meaning that arrests were up to the police and punishments were up to judges. In other words, enforcement was haphazard and often arbitrary, reflecting the political and moral agendas of the day. Prostitution became a reflection of images of proper gender, class, and raced sexualities. Missing was any realistic understanding of the diversity of prostitution and the agency of the working-class men and women who participated in it. Historian Julia Laite (2012 , p. 16) characterizes the consequences of this haphazard policy approach: ‘the control of prostitution relied entirely on the woman’s identity, and though the term “common prostitute” was not defined in any statute, it was, and remains, absolutely central to the control of prostitution in Britain’. Historian Judith Walkowitz found that most women probably engaged in sex work on a part-time basis, the average age being 20 to 23. But once they were registered, labelled, or incarcerated, it fixed an identity as prostitute and made it more difficult to reintegrate with the urban poor, dissolving solidarity among working-class women, taking away their agency, and reinforcing women’s silencing. In other words, the contradictory approach to prostitution created the identity of prostitute.

II. Feminism and the Sex Wars

Feminism has been among the most important social movements influencing policies toward women, helping to gender prostitution, focus on individual rights, and solidify the victim/offender contradiction in prostitution policy. Feminist debates in the 1970s and 1980s have had a profound impact on the direction of prostitution policies today.

During the 1970s, a growing consumer economy, a baby boom, and an explosion of social movements focusing on civil liberties and individual rights all stimulated more acceptance of premarital sex, sexual experimentation, and women’s sexual agency. In the context of a growing feminist consciousness, organizations of women in prostitution emerged globally and began to call for rights and the decriminalization of prostitution ( Delacoste and Alexander 1988 ; Kempadoo and Doezema 1998 ). Prostitutes’ rights organizations such as COYOTE (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics) in the United States mobilized prostitutes as sex workers, arguing that laws against prostitution exploit women by punishing their right to work and their rights to control their bodies however they choose ( Jenness 1990 ). Building off an increasing appetite for positive approaches to sexuality and support for individual rights, sex workers’ movements began to argue that prostitution could actually be empowering for women.

In many countries, laws toward prostitution in the 1970s began to relax. Australia, Canada, Sweden, and Finland repealed their vagrancy laws, which had been used against street prostitutes. Spain redefined only forced prostitution as a crime. France redefined laws in ways favourable to prostitutes. The Netherlands and the states of Victoria, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory repealed bans on prostitution and regulated prostitution into the 1990s ( Outshoorn 2005 ).

As some feminists sought to fight patriarchy by celebrating women’s sexual pleasure, freedom, and rights, other feminists saw liberalized sexual values themselves as a potential arena of danger for women. Feminist writers such as Andrea Dworkin, Catherine Mackinnon, and Kathleen Barry attacked prostitution and pornography for representing male domination over female sexuality writ large. These anti-prostitution and pro-prostitution feminists battled quite intensely during the 1980s and 1990s.

Women’s sexuality again became a battleground on a number of fronts as reproductive rights, birth control, abortion, childbirth options, sexual violence (including rape and incest), women’s sexual choices, lesbian rights, and sexual freedom became the subject of public debate. Once again, anti-prostitution activists within the feminist movement found common cause with the ‘religious right’ reacting against the sexual liberation of the 1960s and 1970s. However, while anti-prostitution rhetoric resonated with conservative moral ideologies that equated sex with danger, conservative groups remained unlikely to support broader goals of women’s empowerment and feminists remained unwilling to support the institutions of patriarchal heterosexual marriage. For the most part, there was little change in prostitution policy during these years, but the feminist movement was successful in pushing dramatic changes in attitudes toward women’s social roles.

Underlying these activist battles were two different theoretical approaches to understanding the institution of prostitution and women’s place in it. Second-wave anti-prostitution feminists saw patriarchy as an overarching theory of power. Loosely modelled on the Marxist theories then popular in academia, conflicts between males and females were seen as similar to the class conflicts between the bourgeoisie and proletariat. Indeed, patriarchy as a system was more pervasive and deeper and had a longer history than capitalism. Prostitution was a key institution that perpetuated women’s oppression. Because patriarchy was so deeply engrained in hearts and minds, like the proletariat, many women, especially groups like prostitutes, might not immediately see their oppression and might be complicit in their own oppression ( MacKinnon 1989 ). As such, prostitutes either are innocent victims, so suffering from false consciousness that they must be saved against their immediate will from the oppressive system that chains them, or are knowingly complicit and part of the oppression of all women. Even today, radical anti-prostitution feminists see sex workers as either ‘prostituted’ women, victims, or, for a few, offenders themselves, either pimps or profiting off other women’s oppression.

This view of patriarchy as the overarching system explaining social relations in prostitution was fairly quickly critiqued from within feminism. Feminist scholars worried that ideologies of fear and danger surrounding sex were often used against women and other sexual minorities, and they called for more attention to how these sexual ideologies were themselves socially constructed and used to reinforce powerful groups ( Rubin 1984 ). In focusing on gender as the sole basis for oppression, feminism seemed to overlook differences among women. Foucault (1978) and other writers called attention to more multidimensional views of power. A number of writers began calling attention to class and race as important dynamics that differently affect women’s experiences ( Collins 1990 ; Crenshaw 1991 ). Whereas early empirical studies of prostitution focused on causes of prostitution such as child sexual abuse, trauma, and drug use, by the turn of the 20th century they examined prostitution as women’s labor and sought to understand raced, classed, and gendered construction of women’s and men’s commercial sex and particularly to move beyond the view of women as passive victims ( Chapkis 1997 ).

A. Neo-liberalism and Sexual Values

Today’s cultural climate has heightened contradictory policies toward the prostitute. On the one hand, studies show a dramatic liberalization in attitudes toward sexual behaviour and women’s sexuality, including prostitution, as part of a growing climate of tolerance in cosmopolitan and democratic cultures in Western Europe, America, and Australia ( Stack, Adamczyk, and Cao 2010 ). This is at the same time as international travel and mobility, a consumer economy, more leisure time, and a rollback of regulations against obscenity have made the global sex industry more visible. There has been a mainstreaming of the sex industry and, particularly in more privileged sectors, more public acceptance of women’s right to sell consensual sex ( Brents and Sanders 2010 ).

On the other hand, while societal attitudes are changing, prostitution remains a kind of ‘last bastion’ of ambiguities toward sexual commodification and women’s and men’s irrational sexual behaviour. Prostitution has become a lightning rod for new sets of concerns in the global economy, particularly immigration and border control.

As a result, in a context of a neo-liberal political climate, despite increasing support for individual rights, and especially the rights of consenting adults to engage in sexual commerce, the trend has been toward the criminalization of prostitution and an intensification in labelling prostitutes both victims and offenders ( Sanders and Campbell 2014 ). At the same time, there has been concern about the human rights of sex workers and in some areas decriminalization of sex work.

B. Gender Politics and New Feminisms

Neo-liberal policy toward prostitution reflects both a climate of increasing attention to individual rights and responsibility and a rollback of government regulations and social welfare supports. A neo-liberal culture of control has replaced governments’ function as a provider of social support, with government as punisher for those not fully taking appropriate advantage of neo-liberal freedoms ( Kempadoo 2005 ). There has been a huge growth in prisons and criminal justice institutions, fuelled by an increasing desire to punish those ‘not like us’, including immigrants and marginalized social classes and racial and ethnic groups.

Whilst in the 1970s radical feminist critics of prostitution were ignored at a policy level, in the 21st century anti-prostitution feminism has gained new ground. Feminist ideals of equality and women’s individual rights are more integrated among left-wing and even some conservative politicians. However, coalitions with conservatives tend to promote ideologies of protectionism rather than women’s agency. These groups are also more likely to empower criminal justice institutions to protect those rights rather than social services. As anti-prostitution feminists have become more entrenched in the halls of government and public policy institutions, they have been most successful in leveraging the repressive arm of the state to eliminate behaviour that harms women. A ‘carceral feminism’ ( Bernstein 2010 ) has resurrected modernist notions of power and essentialist notions of gender to mobilize support for policies of punishment and an individualist ethics of justice seeking. These policies ‘advocate for the beneficence of the privileged rather than the empowerment of the oppressed’ ( Bernstein 2007 , p. 127). Their views of gender are similar to the essentialism of the Victorian era positing the ideal woman as white, heterosexual, middle-class, and monogamous, against which all other female bodies are criminally aberrant. But in this era, the ideal woman is also one who ‘appropriately’ takes advantage of opportunities for professional employment and middle-class consumption as individual freedoms.

Most significantly, these carceral feminist approaches have found common ground with traditional religious organizations. Conservative Christians are much more likely to embrace middle-class women’s rights and anti-prostitution feminists are more likely to accept egalitarian heterosexual family values.

In this context, the contradictions of victim/offender have intensified. The moral panic against trafficking has become a public issue once again, as we will discuss below, and in this context the female prostitute as victim, particularly the young innocent female child, has become emblematic of the struggle for women’s freedom. The offender, as before, is male sexual predation in the form of third parties, pimps, and panderers, most likely male and people of colour, but also adult female prostitutes who refuse to turn in a trafficker. But this time, male sexual predation also now takes the form of the male client.

III. Contemporary Approaches

The historical legacies of modernist and more recent postmodern neo-liberal efforts to control women’s sexuality and the use of their bodies is key to understanding contemporary approaches to managing (or attempting to eradicate) prostitution and sex work. In this section we unpack how the criminalization of the sex industry has become a strong global trend, yet at the same time we see in other countries alternative models of regulation.

A. The Trend Toward Criminalization

1. neo-liberal policy and individual responsibility.

As noted above, a key piece of the ‘victim/offender’ discourse has been the growth in criminal justice and welfare-based criminal justice approaches to prostitution. This form of neo-liberal governance displaces responsibility from the state to the individual, at the same time introducing welfare conditionality and moral authoritarianism. U.K. community protests against ‘anti-social’ and prostitution activity in their neighbourhoods helped justify criminal justice involvement and constructed sex workers through the victim/offender paradigm ( Scoular et al. 2007 ). Research has found that community reactions to sex work are often more complex than the policy response ( Pitcher et al. 2006 ). Governments respond to community safety, ignoring complaints about violence and crime against sex workers.

British New Labour governments from 1998 onward have instituted changes designed to ‘eradicate’ prostitution and introduce what has come to be known as the ‘Swedish model’, discussed below (see Phoenix 2009 ). Including sex work in this New Labour ‘anti-social behaviour’ and individual responsibility agenda ignores deep-rooted and widespread structural issues (e.g., poverty and drug addiction) that often explain sex industry involvement ( Scoular and O’Neill 2007 ). The rhetoric of social inclusion fostered a focus on exiting prostitution as the main strategy. Programs tried to ‘reach out’ to women who had lost their way, providing various carrots to leave the life of prostitution. If they would accept rehabilitation, renounce their ‘bad ways’, and conform to the script of the active and appropriate citizen, women could receive drug treatment, housing, and welfare assistance outside the criminal justice system ( Sanders 2009 a ). A new rehabilitation mechanism (called an Engagement and Support Order) was introduced in the Policing and Crime Act of 2010, demonstrating yet again the use of the criminal justice system to control the sexual behaviour of individual women ( Scoular and Carline 2014 ).

2. The Swedish Model

Sweden in the late 1990s turned the focus onto male clients, and in 1999 buying sex was criminalized while selling sex was decriminalized. ‘Tackling demand’ was as much a symbol of the Swedish state’s goal of gender equality as it was about controlling prostitution. This radical feminist construction of prostitution as violence against all women was intended to abolish prostitution and initiated a strong discourse against the purchase of sexual services. Recent research finds the law has increased dangers for sex workers, removed vital harm-reduction services, and infiltrated the attitudes of service providers, resulting in a hostile and dangerous environment for sex workers ( Levy and Jakobbsen 2014 ).

Other jurisdictions began to ‘tackle demand’, importing the Sexkopslagen law and depicting buyers as dangerous, exploitative, ‘bad’ citizens ( Sanders 2009 b ). The United Kingdom has been steadily increasing sanctions against the ‘kerb-crawler’ since 1985, but in the mid-2000s policy shifted to further sanctioning the purchaser ( Scoular et al. 2007 ). Local councils created ‘Johns’ Schools’, court diversion schemes imported from Canada and the United States that attempted to rehabilitate the male offender through moral education and scare tactics. Such programmes have been criticized for flawed low re-offending success rates, promoting ideological and inaccurate understandings of prostitution, only focusing on street sex buyers, and using ‘shaming’ as punishment ( Sanders 2009 b ). An attempt to introduce the Swedish model entirely was defeated in Parliament in 2009. Instead, a law passed criminalizing the purchase of sex from anyone who is forced, coerced, or deceived. An All-Party Parliamentary Group of Prostitution (2014) continued to recommend that the way to tackle the ‘global sex trade’ in the United Kingdom was by adopting the criminalization-of-demand perspective.

Whilst the U.K. prostitution policy presents a criminalization model at the central government level, with more nuanced and creative ways of managing the sex industry taking place at a local level, there is still a strong appetite for the Swedish model across Europe. The Nordic countries of Norway and Iceland (the latter banning strip clubs from 2010) soon followed this model, with variations of the model occurring in France, Finland, Israel, South Korea, Northern Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Whilst there is of course resistance to such sweeping, uninformed political manoeuvring from the sex workers’ rights lobby and academics committed to evidence-based policy, the Swedish model continues to convince some politicians that this is a workable option for managing the sex industry.

B. Alternative Models to Criminalization

Despite a trend toward increased criminalization and discourses of women as victims, globalization and neo-liberalism spurred alternative models that emphasize individual freedom and promote a human rights–based approach that considers sex work as work and prostitutes as legitimate labourers.

The most successful of these reflect a unified goal of worker protection. Often, even these alternative approaches reflect political compromises that combine goals of reducing the industry’s size and visibility and enhancing safety and improving working conditions. The less unified the goal, the less successful the policy.

Most nations’ laws do not criminalize the act of selling sex but do criminalize third parties, soliciting, and other public-order offences. As noted above, beginning in the 1970s, a few nations began relaxing laws or enforcement against prostitution, and by the turn of the 21st century a broad array of nations and locales began to experiment with licensing brothels, regulating red-light districts, instituting alternative policing, eliminating laws against third parties, and putting into place other registration and public health policies. These include the Netherlands, various states in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark, Austria, and Switzerland. Prostitution is legal in 13 of Mexico’s 31 states. Major cities with red-light districts include Amsterdam, Bangkok, Frankfurt, The Hague, Hamburg, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, and several municipalities in Belgium have de facto legal red-light districts. Many Spanish-speaking Latin American countries have red-light districts (see Weitzer 2012 for a good overview).

Most recently, even the United States has begun to recognize a human rights discourse in some areas of government. The United States made it official policy in March 2011 to accept Recommendation 86 of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s UPR that ‘No one should face violence or discrimination in access to public services based on sexual orientation or their status as a person in prostitution’. However, while the U.S. Department of State (2011) has this policy, it has not translated into legal changes for state and local governments in the United States.

1. New Zealand

New Zealand has among the most liberal of prostitution laws. Reform began in 1978, mandating indoor parlour workers to register with authorities and allowing police to monitor parlours for drugs and organized crime. However, the laws were restrictive enough that many chose to work unregistered in the streets or as escorts. New Zealand’s sweeping prostitution reform in 2003 was based on the argument that existing laws against third-party involvement and public prostitution (which were similar to those in the United Kingdom) did not protect victims but rather exposed workers to a range of harms, including preventing access to public health and the ability to protect themselves against violence (see Abel et al. 2010 ). The New Zealand Prostitutes Collective played a key role in writing the law and was consulted before and during debates surrounding the law’s passage and consistently during implementation. The law was designed to reduce exploitation and to give workers labor rights, eliminate work by minors, reduce related crimes, and decrease illegal immigrants. The law removes restrictions against third parties and decriminalizes all adult prostitution, soliciting, brothels, and escort agencies. It also imposes laws against exploitative management practices. It allows police as well as health and social services to inspect prostitution premises.

Public and legislative support for the law has increased since its passage, and attempts to recriminalize sex work have failed in Parliament by increasingly larger majorities. Scholarly research has shown the law to be successful in reaching its goals of protecting the health and safety of workers. Easier access to the criminal justice system has helped in prosecuting crimes against sex workers. Sex workers can take work-related issues to the disputes tribunal, even as independent contractors. Surveys show that 90 per cent of sex workers are aware of their legal and employment rights ( Abel 2014 ).

Opposition to the law in New Zealand, as in most places in the world, has largely been about the most visible aspects of the industry, particularly street prostitution. Most of the opposition to the law has revolved around public nuisance and visibility, with relatively little concern about indoor prostitution. While local authorities were purposely limited in powers, some have attempted to limit the size and visibility of the industry through zoning and brothel restrictions. Despite concern about increasing visibility, studies find that decriminalization has not increased the number of sex workers or street workers.

2. Netherlands

The Netherlands, like many European nations, had criminalized third-party involvement but never prostitution itself. However, prostitutes retained an array of rights, including rights to vote, old-age pensions, and basic state benefits. These liberal approaches allowed the development of ‘window prostitution’ in a central red-light zone.

Beginning in the 1980s it was Dutch feminists who criticized prostitution policies and sought to treat sex work as work. They were also vocal about the need to distinguish forced from voluntary prostitution. Along with the prostitutes’ rights organization Red Thread, these groups helped lift a ban on brothels as part of a reform strategy to recognize prostitution as work and to grant prostitute rights. According to Outshoorn (2012) , the perspective drew on discourses of tolerance and individual rights as well as sexual liberalism from the 1960s.

The 1999 law allowed prostitution in brothels, designated prostitution as labor and subject to labor law, created protections against forced prostitution, and gave local authorities much leeway to impose regulations and licensing. While the reform was motivated by a human rights agenda, these local regulations were often motivated to control the size and visibility of the industry and largely prohibited street work. Recent legal changes have made it more difficult to engage in home-based work.

Most recently, concerns about immigration have complicated the distinction between forced and voluntary prostitution. Instituting protections for forced workers has resulted in categorizing sex workers, with Dutch and EU sex workers receiving the most rights, while workers from new EU states, including those from countries in Eastern Europe, are only permitted to work as independent workers, not as employees. Non-EU sex workers are not granted work permits, and this has driven these workers underground.

Subsequent research by the Red Thread has found that conditions in brothels are not good and current regulations have not enforced basic labor rights. Debates on brothel regulation revolve around labor rights for independent contractors versus employees. There is also concern about a growing illegal sector working outside restrictive regulations. In current debates, sex workers’ rights discourses face challenges from law-and-order discourses.

3. Australia

While the laws in Australia’s five states and three territories were fairly uniform and similar to those in most of Europe, during the 1970s a number of states began to liberalize their policies. These policies were motivated by a wide range of factors, including individual rights to buy and sell sexual services, but also out of a concern with the corruption and criminality increasingly visible in the prostitution trade. These policies allowed more spaces for legal prostitution but used a wide range of different approaches.

New South Wales was the earliest state to change its prostitution laws. In 1979 the state decriminalized soliciting and most prostitution-related offences. Police continued to prosecute brothels, and in 1995 brothels were taken out of criminal justice codes and placed under the jurisdiction of local planning councils. These local planning districts regulate brothels like any other businesses. New South Wales remains the only state allowing street prostitution, although there are few places where street soliciting is allowed.

Over the next several years, several states, including Victoria, Queensland, the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, and Western Australia, began allowing brothels and various levels of indoor prostitution in a wide variety of approaches. Sullivan (2010) argues that whilst concern for individual rights has motivated much of the change in these policies, the desire to contain the ‘undesirables’ and other marginalized social groups remains. Sex workers and increasingly men who pay for sex remain marginalized in moral codes of appropriate behaviour and are subject to policing. The various laws all have some level of protections for workers, but the cost and severity of their licensing varies, depending on local desires to contain the industry. In cases where there is strict licensing, there is also a larger underground industry consisting of those without the resources to become legal.

The Bedford v. Canada case, which struck down some of the anti-prostitution laws in December 2013, was fought mainly on a rights-based approach. While Canada did not expressly prohibit prostitution, several key provisions of the criminal code essentially prohibited the practice. The legal challenge was brought amid concerns about high levels of violence against sex workers. The courts ruled that laws force sex workers to work secretly, thereby preventing them from the right to security. The court found that laws against living off the earnings of a prostitute, while intended to prevent pimping and exploitation, prevent a prostitute from hiring an assistant or bodyguard, which can help make the work less dangerous. Laws against communicating in public about an exchange prevent street prostitutes from screening clients early in the transaction, putting them at an increased risk of violence. How these changes will be implemented remains to be seen.

IV. Conclusions

A final key controversy in understanding prostitution and sex workers as ‘sex offences and sex offenders’ is sex trafficking (debated in Chapter 30 of this volume by Lee). Even though the majority of human trafficking activity has been in non-sex sectors, sex trafficking has become a rallying point for faith-based and secular activists, human rights advocates, and a wide range of feminist, evangelical, and religious institutions, plus conservative and semi-conservative politicians ( Musto 2010 ). As noted above, previously opposed movements have rallied to incarceration as a common ground in a fight for gender justice. Trafficking efforts globally have fuelled a human trafficking rescue industry that focuses mostly on sex trafficking ( Doezema 2000 ; Agustín 2007 ; Bernstein 2010 ; Cheng 2011 ). Concern with trafficking has inflamed debates about the prostitute, threatening to override other crucial issues such as access to health, safety, and security for all sex workers. Globally, anti-trafficking initiatives are firmly grounded in neo-liberal governance and are inflamed by populist campaigns, racial and nationalist fears, culture wars, and sex panics that justify the repression of those who are outside the norm. Moral authoritarianism, individual responsibility, and justice seeking have defined the parameters around victims and offenders as well as efforts at rehabilitation.

Whilst many groups take care to distinguish trafficking from consensual prostitution, the consequence of the global anti-trafficking crusade has been to equate trafficking with prostitution itself ( Lerum et al. 2012 ). Much research has found that the execution of anti-trafficking policing and social services, just as in the first wave of the trafficking panic, polices and punishes sex workers and migrant workers in the name of ‘protection’ rather than providing social services ( Cheng 2011 ). Police raids, arrests, detainments, prosecutions and deportation, and social service rehabilitation efforts are often couched as ‘for their own good’. A study of Canadian media stories from 1980 to 2004 found that the media predominantly portray sex work through risk, enslavement, and entrapment prisms ( Hallgrímsdóttir et al. 2008 , p. 130).

While sex workers’ rights politics is occupied with disentangling trafficking rhetoric from prostitution/sex work, there has been progress in advancing sex workers’ rights as human rights. U.K. activists seek use Article 8, the right to a private life in the Human Rights Act of 1998, to challenge some of the prostitution laws ( Graham 2015 ). Thinking ahead, litigation based on a human rights approach poses promise in furthering workers’ rights, particularly in the face of the continual violence and harassment faced by sex workers who are forced to work in dangerous conditions because of the current criminalization laws.

Scoular and others note that even with a wide range of policies variously criminalizing or regulating prostitution, it is street prostitution that attracts the most attention, and where sanctions, stigma, marginalization, and exclusion are most likely to occur. The visibility of street work remains an arena where society can project social class, racial, and ethnic biases as well as moral concerns about sexuality and about women’s proper place.

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Home — Essay Samples — Law, Crime & Punishment — Prostitution — My Arguments For The Legalization Of Prostitution

My Arguments for The Legalization of Prostitution

• Categories: Prostitution Sexual Health Society

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Published: Sep 1, 2020

Words: 1038 | Pages: 2 | 6 min read

Works Cited

• Dalla, R. L. (2006). Legalizing prostitution: From illicit vice to lawful business. New York University Press.
• Farley, M., & Barkan, H. (Eds.). (2013). Prostitution, Trafficking, and Traumatic Stress. Routledge.
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• Levine, P., & Walcott, S. (2011). Prostitution, harm, and gender inequality : Theory, research and policy. Routledge.
• Maher, L., & Daly, G. (Eds.). (2011). Trafficking and prostitution reconsidered: New perspectives on migration, sex work, and human rights. Paradigm Publishers.
• O'Connell Davidson, J. (Ed.). (2008). Sex, tourism and the postcolonial encounter: Landscapes of longing in Egypt. Berghahn Books.
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• Sanders, T. (2016). Paying for pleasure: Men who buy sex. Routledge.
• Weitzer, R. (2009). Sociology of sex work. Annual Review of Sociology, 35, 213-234.

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107 Prostitution Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on prostitution, 🌶️ hot prostitution essay topics, 👍 good prostitution research topics & essay examples, 🎓 most interesting prostitution research titles, ❓ research question about prostitution.

• Legalizing Prostitution: Arguments For and Against
• Prostitution Being Deviant: History and Theory
• Tourism and Children Prostitution in Bahamas and Asia
• Child Prostitution in Modern Society
• The Chicken Ranch, a Prostitution Facility
• Prostitution: The Non-Deviant Behavior
• Prostitution as a Social Behavior
• Legitimization of Prostitution There are many reasons why people enter prostitution and some of them are age, early home leaving, childhood sexual abuse, drug abuse and poverty.
• Prostitution: The Non-Deviant Social Phenomenon The key reason why prostitution should be reclassified as non-deviant is to provide people involved in the job with protection, equality and reduce social injustice.
• The Moral Value of Prostitution Criminalization prostitution can cause more havoc to the society, both emotional and physical as compared to almost no damage as reflected in a well organized prostitution setup.
• Prostitution from the Moral System Perspective Prostitution degrades the integrity of women in society, promotes gender-based violence, and increases the risk for sexually transmitted infections.
• Human Trafficking and Forced Prostitution Human trafficking and its connection with prostitution remain a controversial topic, as do their perception and possible remedies.
• Is Prostitution a Victimless Crime or Not? Because victimless crimes involve two contentious issues of morality and liberty, the legalization of this category of crime is always disputed on many grounds.
• Deviant Behavior and Prostitution This provides an annotated bibliography of the six articles which aim to discuss the topics of deviant behavior and prostitution.
• Theodore Roosevelt Reform Movements on Prostitution Theodore Roosevelt’s reform movements on prostitution have been inspired from the time he was still an undergraduate student at Hard University.
• Human Trafficking and Prostitution: Religious Perspective The implementation of an ideal religion is possible in the context of human trafficking and forced prostitution.
• Sex Trafficking and Prostitution in Tennessee Similar to any part of the world, sex trafficking in Tennessee is not unusual. Being illegal, it may be provided in places, such as massage and therapy parlors and nail salons.
• Prostitution vs. Human Trafficking Many people believe that making prostitution a legal activity will help raise the status of prostitutes and promote their protection.
• The Damage in Permitting Prostitution There are many risks for women who practice prostitution which include STD and AIDS, unplanned pregnancy, physical violence, rape, and mental trauma, among others.
• Educational Plan for Prostitution as Health-Related Issue Prostitution is a health issue since exposure to commercial sex often leads to sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. This paper discusses this problem in Miami.
• Prostitution in the United States The paper discusses the causes of prostitution in the United States. Prostitution is a situation whereby a woman decides to practice sex with the aim of being paid in return.
• Legalization of Marijuana and Prostitution Every state should develop ways of controlling the influence of selling marijuana and prostitution before establishing a conclusion on legalizing it.
• Radical Feminism Explains Prostitution Radical feminists reject the idea of mental differences but see prostitution as social and economic oppression only.
• Prostitution Legalization in Canada Although legalization reduces the attractiveness of prostitution, in reality it motivates men to overindulge in the procurement of sex in a socially acceptable setting.
• Various Dimensions of Child Prostitution in Thailand An in-depth analysis of various dimensions of child prostitution in ‘ Baan Nua’ a slum community of Thailand. Some of the areas explored include economical and social problems
• Senate Bill 5: Change Penalties for Promoting Prostitution This paper aims at analyzing the Senate Bill 5 that will be enacted in Ohio and discuss its objectives, implications, and main concepts.
• Decriminalization of Prostitution in Canada The paper discusses the negative effects of prostitution and provides an insight into the advantages of decriminalizing prostitution in Canada.
• The Nature and Characteristics of Prostitution in Ancient Rome and Pompeii
• Badges and Brothels: Police Officers’ Attitudes Toward Prostitution
• Causes, Effects, and History of Prostitution
• Female Prostitution and Women’s Rights in the Late 19th and Early 20th Century
• Economic Challenges and Drug Abuse as the Main Causes for Women’s Remaining in Prostitution
• Law Enforcement and the Perception of Prostitution in the United States
• Human Trafficking vs. Prostitution: Is There a Difference?
• Gender Perceptions and Prostitution During the Victorian Age
• Prostitution and Its Long History as a Profession
• Decriminalizing Indoor Prostitution: Implications for Sexual Violence and Public Health
• Analysis and Cross-Cultural History of Prostitution
• Sex and Prostitution Among Troops During the American Civil War
• Legal Prostitution: Turkey and Thailand
• Christianity and Prostitution in the Middle Ages
• Pain and Prostitution: The Evolution of Female Chastity in Ancient and Late Imperial China
• Explaining Teen Prostitution Using Sociological Theories of Deviance
• Prostitution and the Social Welfare Program for Children Affected by the Illegal Profession
• Legalizing Prostitution and the Decriminalizing Illicit Drugs to Benefit All Canadians
• It’s Time for Society to Accept Prostitution
• The Ashley Alexandra Dupre Story: A Look at Female Prostitution in the Twenty-First Century
• Prostitution: The Oldest Profession Known to Humanity
• Early Sexual Experience and Prostitution
• Local Community Attitudes Towards the Impact of Tourism on Prostitution
• Factors Determining Entry Into the Prostitution Lifestyle
• Child Pornography and Prostitution: A Question of Economics
• Prostitution: How Do the Current Law and Society Treat Women Who Are Prostitutes?
• Analyzing Social Behavior: Prostitution
• Regaining Independence and Power Through Prostitution
• Social Classes, Prostitution, and Jack the Ripper in 19th-Century England
• Sociological Theories and the Deviance of Prostitution
• Historical and Cross-Cultural Controversy About the Issue of Prostitution
• The Benefits of the Legalization of Prostitution
• Expanding Global Awareness to Regulate Prostitution
• Moving Prostitution Through the United States
• Illegal Drug Use, Illegal Prostitution, and Money Laundering
• Prostitution: Sexual Intercourse and Strong Religion Conviction
• Legalizing Prostitution and Other Sexually Oriented Business
• Causes and Issues Faced by Prostitution
• Prostitution and Ethical Values Related to It
• Decriminalizing Prostitution and Legalizing Brothels in the United States
• Factors for the Increase of Prostitution
• Child Prostitution and Pornography in Southeast Asia
• Organized Crime: Profits From Pornography and Prostitution
• Legal Prostitution and Its Effect on Society
• Patriarchy and Prostitution: Sex Trafficking in South Korea
• Human Sexuality and Abstract Prostitution
• Military Prostitution During Japan’s Imperial Rule
• Prostitution and Its Effect on Public Health
• Introspect Into the Lives of Aboriginal Women: Prostitution in Western Canada
• Feminist Theory and Women’s Prostitution
• Why Is Prostitution Illegal and Pornographic Films Are Not?
• What Was the Protestants’ Approach to Prostitution?
• What Are the Arguments in Favor of Legalizing Prostitution?
• Is Prostitution a Threat to Marriage?
• Does the Country’s GDP Change After the Legalization of Prostitution?
• Do Alcohol and Drugs Affect the Spread of Prostitution?
• What Is the Status of Prostitution in Us?
• What Is Society’s Attitude to Prostitution?
• Is Prostitution Really the Oldest Profession in the World?
• Should There Be Different Laws Concerning Male Prostitution and Female Prostitution?
• What Do You Think About Making Prostitution a Criminal Offence?
• What Are the Dangers to Society of Prostitution?
• Can Prostitution Be Considered a Profession?
• What Are the Dangers to Prostitutes of Not Legalizing Prostitution?
• How Can Governments Stop Prostitution?
• What Should the World Do to Stamp Out Child Prostitution?
• Is Prostitution a Matter of Personal Choice?
• Are There Any Benefits to Society of Prostitution?
• Why Do So Many Politicians and Movie Stars Get Involved in Prostitution Scandals?
• What Are the Different Types of Prostitution?
• Is Prostitution a Victimless Crime?
• Would Legal Prostitution Better Protect Prostitutes From Violence?
• What Is the Difference Between the Decriminalization and Legalization of Prostitution?
• Is Legal Prostitution a Legitimate Business?
• Should the Government Collect Taxes From Prostitution?
• Is Prostitution Psychologically Harmful to Prostitutes?
• Would Legal Prostitution Decrease Sexually Transmitted Diseases?
• Does Legal Prostitution Lead to Human Trafficking and Slavery?
• Is Prostitution Immoral or Demeaning?
• Is Legal Prostitution an Aspect of Sexual Liberation?

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Male and female prostitution: A review

• Published: March 1989
• Volume 2 , pages 5–28, ( 1989 )

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• Christopher M. Earls PhD 1 &
• Hélène David DPs 1  

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The literature on male and female prostitution includes research from such diverse areas as law, medicine, psychology, sociology, and women's studies. However, one of the major efforts throughout this interdisciplinary area of study has been to describe the psychosocial characteristics of prostitutes. The assumption underlying these efforts is that such descriptions will lead to a better understanding of the general phenomenon of prostitution. The present review suggests that conclusions based on the currently available literature are limited by major methodological and conceptual problems such as: a) the failure to operationalize or to agree on the criteria for defining subtypes of prostitutes; b) faulty subject selection methods; c) the absence of appropriate comparison groups; and, d) an almost complete separation of research and theory according to the sex of the prostitutes studied. Nevertheless, there appears to be a number of variables that differentiate between prostitutes and nonprostitutes. Each of these factors is discussed and some suggestions for future research are outlined.

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Introduction. Moving Beyond Perceptions: Unveiling the Complexities of Female Offenders in a Rapidly Changing World

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Adams, R. (1987). The role of prostitution in AIDS and other STDs. Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality, 21 , 27–33.

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Earls, C.M., David, H. Male and female prostitution: A review. Annals of Sex Research 2 , 5–28 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00850677

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Essay on Prostitution

January 15, 2018 by Study Mentor Leave a Comment

The act of prostitution basically means to offer sexual services provided in order to gain monetary or other benefits in kind, in exchange of the same.

The word is generally used with a negative connotation presently, but this certainly has not always been the case. If we are to analyse etymologically, then the origin of the word ‘prostitution’ can be traced way back to the Latin word ‘prostituta’.

The actual meaning of this word has been debated upon, but the usual consensus points at the combination of ‘pro’ and ‘stature’- which can be translated as ‘to place forward’, or ‘to cause to stand’.

Image Credit: Source (prostitute seeking customer)

But in the modern scenario, prostitution is often considered to be violence against women, and can take many different forms- physical, digital, etc.

Examples of the same will include pornographic acts, pole dancing, and other such instances. Whether prostitution should be legalised or not is an important and controversial question in many of the developing nations today.

Prostitution can inevitably be the cause and the effect of human trafficking and sex slavery, and therefore it is also a really grave issue which we shall necessarily look into.

Table of Contents

Historical development

Prostitution is present in almost all the historical accounts of different civilizations, all across the world. For instance, prostitution is evidently a part of the civilizations which had thrived in the ancient east, ancient Greece, Rome, and in Asian and Hebrew culture.

This can be proven through the presence of various shrines or temples dedicated to certain deities, which had evidences of some sort of sacred prostitution. This is an example of how prostitution was viewed differently in the past than it is now, commonly.

In the code of the famous Babylonian emperor Hammurabi, there existed certain provisions which upheld the rights and liberties of sex workers, who can be seen as prostitutes.

There are also instances of keeping records of and registrations for prostitutes in ancient Roman culture, as has been displayed by certain remaining found in Pompeii. Other marked instances were found in the countries like Greece, Japan, and India (the Mughal tradition of having tawaifs).

It is well inscribed in the Urdu literature as well as in the well-known Geisha tradition of Japan and its surrounding nations.

Over the middle ages, this tradition saw some changes, as the terms used to define a prostitute started to become more and more ambiguous and abstract; although, in spite of the same, certain legislative provisions are found scattered over the historical remnants of this period.

However, by the time of the advent of the sixteenth century, prostitution was being treated with a stiffer attitude and certain restrictions were started to be imposed accordingly.

Various types of prostitution

The following can be said to be the main categories of prostitution as it is being practiced in the present world- brothels, escort services (male and female), street prostitution, sex tourism, and virtual prostitution (mostly in digitalised forms of sex).

Brothels: these are specific establishments or settlements dedicated to mass scale prostitution, and are frequently referred to as the infamous ‘red light areas’.

Escort services: these are services where sexual partners can be escorted at one’s will in exchange of payments and the sexual acts often take place at rented hotel rooms or other such settlements. Prostituted who function through escort services are often referred to as call girls and gigolos.

Street prostitution: this is a form of prostitution where prostitutes wait for customers whom they approach at certain street corners.

Sex tourism: these occur through organised trips solely for the purpose of one’s indulgence in various sexual activities.

Virtual prostitution: the main form of virtual prostitution is forced pornography, but also includes phone sex and sex through online chat rooms or websites.

Legal perspectives

In all of its essence, legal perspectives regarding prostitution include the following areas of concern- victim hood, ethics, freedom of choice, and whether it causes any benefit or harm to the society.

Otherwise, legal perspectives on this topic also revolve around feminist theories of how prostitution should be looked at and dealt with. Mostly, the question which arises most often is whether prostitution should be legalised or not.

This has both advantages and disadvantages- for example, some experts on this matter say that because women (or men) choose sex work freely and on their own, there is no harm in giving their professional an official recognition.

On the other hand, it is also arguing upon that since prostitution inevitably brings upon whoever engages in it some sort of sexual violence, it cannot be necessarily legalised.

Also, one cannot possibly overlook the probable health hazards which prostitution can cause, especially several sexually transmissible diseases (for example, HIV and AIDS).

This adds on to the argument of prostitution not being legalised. The question of morality is also important in this context and should also be examined if we are to make sense of the matter completely.

Socio-economic concerns

The main concern which arises out of the socio-economic perspectives regarding prostitution is child prostitution. According to a recent survey conducted, it has been discovered that over 45 percent of all prostitutes in our country are underage and this poses a grave threat to the sustainable development of an entire generation.

The fact that survival has become so important among the underprivileged and they need to resort to prostitution for the sake of the same is an important consequence of one of the most pressing questions- population explosion.

Since we do not have enough jobs or opportunities to feed all the people in our country, they have to resort to such an extent that they have to engage in prostitution to feed themselves.

This is indeed a significant and sad socio-economic problem of India. On the other end of the spectrum, prostitution among the elderly is also a serious concern, health-wise as well.

Violence against women is also rising in prostitution, and the homicide rates have been ever increasing among the same practitioners, especially in the United States.

Another important concern is human trafficking, which refers to selling off people forcefully against their will to engage them in prostitution in a way that the seller makes some profit out of the victim’s sexual acts.

Prostitution is a very commonplace act and I personally believe that a lot of problems relating to it can be solved if a proper recognition can be given to both the act and the people who engage in it.

Therefore, a proper sensitization programme is required in order to stabilise the situation regarding prostitution, especially in India. The rate of violence is also a serious issue and can be probably curbed perhaps only through appropriate legislation and police actions, as sexual violence is an alarming criminal act.

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Why Is Prostitution A Crime?

Nabeel ahmad.

• November 17, 2020

Prostitution today is always referred in the most negative and demeaning connotation, widely viewed as a profession that deserves no respect. But Prostitution in the US is a $14.5 billion a year business, wonder how? Because the same people, especially men who are condemning prostitution, are also the same ones giving money to prostitutes.

Table of Contents

What is Prostitution?

Prostitution is widely known as a sexual engagement of one gender with another in exchange for money. Historically, the gender ratio has been the same; with women as prostitutes and men as clients. Prositution is the sexual intimacy practised between two ‘strangers’- not friends, not spouses- in exchange of immediate payment.

The rate of prostitutes depends on the agency and on the girl herself, as to what she’s offering in what amount of money. The prostitutes can be male, female and even transgenders, thus the act can be both heterosexual and homosexual.

Types of Prostitution

Prostitution takes up many forms and happens in various ways- but the end goal is always the same: charging money for sex. Basically, there are six types of prostitutes.

Call Girl/Escort

These girls work privately by engaging clients online, and escort their services in private hotel rooms or guest houses. They charge a very high rate and keep all of it to themselves because there is no third party involved.

Escort Agency Employee

Like independent call girls, employees of escort agencies work in private locations or hotels and charge relatively high prices. This is because they are employees of an agency and are therefore sharing their profits with them.

Brothel Employee

Brothels are dedicated locations where people pay for sex and can include saunas and massage parlors. Since these are proper brothels, charges are often moderate. Brothels are legal in the state of Nevada.

Window Worker

This type of prostitution is prevalent in Amsterdam, enticing passersby to enter houses of prostitution by prominently displaying the women in windows. The women are displayed in single windows of each room, and when a client catches their eye, they can come and meet with the window worker.

Bar or Casino Worker

These sex workers make initial contact with men at a bar or casino and then have sex at a separate location. Usually in some bars in Thailand, men pay a bar fee if they’re leaving with a woman. They can also have a couple of days with her, but of course all expenses of the girl are paid by the client.

Streetwalker

Streetwalkers earn relatively little money and are vulnerable to exploitation, because they don’t have an agency or an organization backing them or providing them security. Streetwalking is also notoriously dangerous. One study found prostitutes in Colorado Springs were 18 times more likely to be murdered than other women of a similar age. They also don’t earn a lot as compared to brother workers or private escorts.

What is the main reason for Prostitution?

According to numerous surveys and studies that have been conducted over the course of decades, it has been cited by 85% of prostitutes that their driving force is money. While some may earn money to pay bills or take care of their children, others fund their drug abuse and debts and there are also some who just want a weekend getaway or a nice holiday somewhere in the country’s peace.

In the late 19th century an assortment of changes in Western social orders resuscitated endeavors to stifle prostitution. With the ascent of feminism, many came to see male libertinism as a danger to women’s status and physical health. Likewise religion was another strict based moralism in Protestant nations. Antiprostitution crusades thrived from the 1860s , frequently in relationship with restraint and women’s rights movement.

Global collaboration to end the traffic in women with the end goal of prostitution started in 1899 . In 1921 the League of Nations built up the Committee on the Traffic in Women and Children, and in 1949 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a convention for the concealment of prostitution.

Should Prostitution be legal?

In generally Asian and Middle Eastern nations, prostitution is unlawful however broadly endured. Among prevalently Muslim nations, Turkey has legalized prostitution and made it subject to an arrangement of health checks for sex laborers, and in Bangladesh prostitution is notionally lawful however related practices, for example, soliciting are disallowed.

Prostitution is considered a crime because it is illegally practised in the world, and for numerous other reasons too. For example, this act objectifies women and forces them into unconsented acts which nullifies the whole discourse of feminism.

Legalizing prostitution has its own sets of pros and cons; and many people engage in a heated debate on this topic. Legalizing prostitution means normalizing it, and when something is normalized, it is easily accessible. This creates a fake image of what an intimate moment looks like, thus creating rifts between normal relationships of husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend.

There are a lot of disadvantages of prostitution, like promoting the abuse and control over women and children, and prostitution has also been linked with child sex trafficking and pedophilia. Even though one of the oldest professions of the world, prostitution heavily reflects on the concept of female objectification- being treated and ‘sold’ as mere objects to men for money. If the women who sell their bodies are immoral, then the men who engage with them are equally immoral too.

Legalizing prostitution will also create a widespread in sexually transmitted diseases as well as AIDS, which will burden the country’s healthcare system and endanger lives of young men and women. This is one of the biggest problems of prostitution. Even though today, in a few states and few countries today, prostitution is deemed legal, however, there are lots of cultural, social and feminist values that are being targetted.

Prostitution started centuries ago, and though in a different shape than today, it has gained its popularity over time. Many prostitutes today are offended when being called that, and prefer to be called ‘sex workers’ instead, because this is also their profession. There will always be a debate whether it is right to legalize prostitution or not, and there will always be a backlash to this profession.

Nabeel Ahmad is the founder and editor-in-chief of Legal Inquirer. Apart from Legal Inquirer, he is a serial entrepreneur, and has founded multiple successful companies in different industries.

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It is not an overstatement to say that things continue to degenerate everyday in all aspects of human life, especially the social aspect. This social life of man is full of transgression and corruption which have led to moral degeneration in the society. These societal evils have extended their tentacles to educational life of man, the Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria especially the Universities, which are to provide the needed man power, acquisition of skills and refinement of moral for the future leaders of the country, have become the breeding grounds for ignoramus, hoodlums, cheaters, rapists, prostitutes, etc. The study adopted historical, descriptive and phenomenological methods in carrying out the research. The paper revealed some notable immoralities which are the order of the day in the Nigerian Tertiary Institutions and are posing threats to educational developments in the nation. The paper concluded that religious universities are alternatives in controlling the rate at ...

AIPGG Journal of Humanities and Peace Studies

The paper examines the nexus between poverty and the rise in social vices in Nigeria since independence. These vices include, Prostitution, Drug Abuse, Cultism, Kidnapping, etc. The paper is of the view that there is ferminization of poverty in Nigeria, where it affects more women than men. This is due to gender inequality in employment, education, land ownership and other economic opportunities. There is also increased number of households headed by women. Thus the impoverished women are faced with no choice but to turn to prostitution which has social, economic and health consequences. The paper therefore recommends government's provision of social protection services for single mothers, female house heads, as well as make poverty alleviation programmes more gender sensitive. Data for the study was obtained from secondary and tertiary sources. Introduction: Nigeria is enormously endowed with both human and material resources. However, the country is facing many socioeconomic and political challenges such as serious poverty, unemployment, infrastructural decay, insecurity and social vices amongst others. These challenges impinge on the national development for decades after the independence. According to Ayo;

paul azuakor

The present author was prompted to undertake this research because of the apparent pervasiveness of immorality in Nigeria irrespective of the evident high religiosity of Nigerians. A lot of research was done using methodic and impartial observation as well as by library research. The causes of this malaise are attributable to hypocrisy, non-imbibing of proper moral tenets of the existing religions and culture, inefficient moral education and preference of ethnicity over objectivity. The following constitute some recommendations proposed to effect the required good change: moral education should be made a compulsory subject at all levels of education, questionable characters should not be installed chiefs or given titles so as to teach the value of integrity, churches should refuse donations from perceived criminals as to discourage impunity, indiscriminate spraying of money at social events must be discouraged so as to forestall greed and encourage hard work, parents should encourag...

Research in Social Change

chinonso okoro

The impact of the problems of destitution and prostitution on the moral fabric of society cannot be overemphasized and thus calls for the attention of the relevant stakeholders (the government, civil society, and professionals) in restoring moral values and decency to our societies. This study is centered on the psychological, social, and economic impact that the activities of the destitute and prostitutes have both on the individual and the society at large. The study found that many individuals resort to begging on the streets because they are either physically challenged, lack basic necessities for decent living, have many dependents, or are the breadwinners of their families while at the same time receive little or no support from family and friends. While the above was the case for the destitute, others engaged in prostitution due to peer pressure, financial pressure from family and friends, greed, and marital issues, etc. It was also found that the problems of destitution and ...

Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Clifford Odimegwu

Emmanuel Nwakanma

People have different views on the subject of prostitution. A lot of arguments have been raised to explain the social concerns of the sex business. Proponents of legalizing prostitution believe that it will go a long way to reduce crime, improve public health, increase income, help people out of poverty and allow consenting adults make their own choices. Social psychological paradigms posit that there are psychological and social factors that serve as predisposing factors and precipitating factors to people who end up choosing prostitution as an option. The problematic of this paper is to probe into the causes and consequences of prostitution in Nigeria, and to what extent legalizing it will resolve the socio-psychological question of why people choose prostitution.

BMC Women's Health

Fred Gbagbo

Background Despite its criminalization in Ghana, commercial sex work dates back to ancient societies and occurs in various forms within communities. The authors examined commercial sex work in selected public Universities in Ghana to inform policy and program decisions for safer sex at the universities in Ghana. Methods The study was an exploratory-mixed-method design. Respondents were identified using purposive and snowballing techniques while semi-structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews were used for data collection between 2017and 2019. Quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23 and qualitative data analyzed thematically. Results Findings show that there is a proliferation of commercial sex work on university campuses in Ghana for financial, material, and emotional gains. Student sex workers have devised various strategies to combine academic work and sex work. Prospective customers are solicited by hanging out in drinking b...

Babatunde Omotosho

chioma uche

Moral education is the informed process of inculcating enduring values and virtues that would mould good personality and garden the mind towards good character faces a setback due to moral decadence made manifest in different spheres of life in Nigeria. Moral decadence poses serious challenges to the sustainable growth in moral education due to the lack of moral fiber in the conscience of many Nigerians irrespective of class, religion, socio-economic and political standing in Nigeria. This study is to examine the various ways moral decadence has been a setback to moral education in Nigeria that the study adopted Anomie in examining the causes, effects and possible solutions to the scourge of moral decadence in Nigeria. The research engaged majorly secondary data obtained from documentary sources such as journals, textbooks, magazines, dailies, thesis, dissertations and internet materials. They were complimented by primary methods which include interview and observation methods. They...

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• THE EFFECTS OF PROSTITUTION ON THE NIGERIA CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

• BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
• In every society where human beings inhibit, every change is possible and this is possible only when it affects the advancement to the perfect and ideal life. The changes in the moral world of man today suggest the opposite; it seems we are wrongly rationalizing abnormality into normal rejecting noble ordinances of nature and promoting human acts that are immoral. One of the contemporary issues that are finding way into the fabric of our moral life is prostitution which is the act of engaging in sexual acts for hire (Anyam 132).  Every society is against prostitution. It is one of the dangerous trends causing harm and damage to both young and adults (especially girls). This act is scandalous and abnormal to humanity; one of the dangerous trends which are operating carelessly in our society today is the act of prostitution causing harm and damage to young girls or women in general. The act of prostitution is universal throughout all levels of societal organization due to the document recorded concerning it.
• This act existed longtime ago as far back as during the ancient period and prostitution is practice up till date. Most young girls are into prostitution because of the interest ladies practicing get, others join to test and see how it is, some youth join out of ignorant others  for pleasure. Been as it is, morality is the key principle needed for this to be eradicated because at times this act begins at home where parents fail to train their children morally, and also to check if this act can be put to stop since it has no good reputation on personalities practicing it and also ruin the integrity of a nation, country or state.    
• STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
• Prostitution among young women has laid to death especially beginners, most of them are taking to various places for rituals some are taken out side countries as sex servant or sex traders. Most people practicing this act are infected with STDs such as HIV/AIDS and other diseases, some in the cause of prostituting they commit a lot of abortion which lead to their death or removal of their womb some give birth to bastard whom they dont know their parents. Prostitutes in Nigeria have no place as their permanent office, they stand on the streets for people to pick them or in small rooms, the places in which prostitutes stand for people to pick them are unsecured, or unprotected, and open places; increasing the level of death among girls and women since no one knows the particular place to which they are been taking to for sex or other things.
• With all these bad effect prostitution is increasing day by day. It is from this point that most people turn to ask why women go into prostitution? is it because of moral breakdown or lack of job opportunities or mere misbehavior? and what is the effect of prostitution on girls and women? Should we accept the act of prostitution as legally? And what are the effects on contemporary society? It is base on this that we human being do not appreciate the gift of life and body which God has given us for free? It is on this ground that this research work wishes to encourage morality and also examine the effect of prostitution among Nigerian youths.     
•  AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main aim of this study is to examine the effects of prostitution on the people within the people of Benue State.

The following are the objectives;

• To examine the concept of prostitution
• To identify and evaluate the cause of prostitution among girls/women of Nigeria
• To educate the ignorant on how prostitution lead to so many health hazard so as to find other means of been self-employed instead of indulging in prostitution.
• To investigate the effect of prostitution
• To propose how the problem of prostitution may be resolved 
• SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
• The significance of this study is to enlighten people on what prostitution is and how it affects the Nigerian contemporary society.
• This research work is significance as it will throw more light on the factors responsible for the continuous practice of prostitution among people of Benue or Nigeria as a whole.
• It is hoped that this research work will educate people concerning the dangerous phase of prostitution and will also serve as an academic material or reference to other researchers or student who will wish to undertake similar studies.
•  SCOPE OF THE STUDY
• There are so many illicit practices that people indulge themselves, some of these include armed robbery, smoking, drinking of alcoholic substance etc. but this research work focused on the effect of prostitution among girls/women of the 21 st century in Nigerian society, where people who get involved end up been dead or useless. However, references will be drawn from our Nigerian societies Benue State to be precise.
• METHODOLOGY
• The researcher uses expository method to expose the existing knowledge and literature on the topic of discourse, analyzing relevant literature, therefore bringing out relevant information to the study. This is to enable the researcher to have an in depth effectiveness into the study. The researcher made use of both primary and secondary source.  In the primary source, oral interviews are used where appropriate, while the secondary source are from books, encyclopedias, internet, journals, and any other literary work that has relevant information to the topic under study which will be used to get information in this research work. The researcher will make use of existing literature and oral interview including happenings within Nigeria due to the fact that prostitution is an act that is practice within Benue State and Nigeria as a whole.  
• ORGANIZATION OF CHAPTERS
• The work is organized in five chapter, in the first chapter, the general background upon which the is study based is been presented, the second chapter reviews related existing literatures on the topic of discourse, chapter three deals with the causes or factors responsible for prostitution, chapter four looks at the effect of prostitution on the Nigeria contemporary society, chapter five is the summary, conclusion and recommendations of the work.
• DEFINITION OF TERMS
• Under this study, the researcher wishes to defined terms which are used in the research work for more clarification. Some of these terms include;

S.T.D: This simply means sexual transmitted disease which includes HIV/AIDS (Acquired immune Deficiency Syndrome) http://wwwnews-medical.net>health.

Abortion: is the removal of the non-viable human being from the mothers womb by human intervention, whether by killing him before removal from the womb or by exposing him to a certain death outside the womb (Harring Qtd Anyam 157).

Prostitution: Anyam defined prostitution as the act of engaging in sexual acts for hire (132). The New Encyclopedia Britannica defined prostitution as the practice of engaging in an unlawful sexual activity and general with any individual rather than a spouse or friend in exchange for money or other valuables (737). Dagin Sylvester sees prostitution as a human sexual intercourse which carries with commercial appearances and this act is carried out by both male and female (2).

Human Trafficking: Is a trade of humans most commonly for the purpose of force, labour, sexual slavery or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others.

 (www.en.wikipedia.org/¦human-trafficking)        

Other topics you might be interested in:

• A CRTIQUE OF JOHN LOCKES THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE
• PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH PRE-MARITAL SEX AMONG YOUTHS: A CASE STUDY OF VANDEIKYA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BENUE STATE
• RELIGIOUS PERSECUTIONS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR THE GROWTH OF ANGLICAN CHURCHES IN MAIDUGURI DIOCESE, BORNO STATE, NIGERIA
• MORAL DECADENCE AMONG THE YOUTH: THE WAY FORWARD IN GWER-WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BENUE STATE

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Academic Essay Writing Made Simple: 4 types and tips

The pen is mightier than the sword, they say, and nowhere is this more evident than in academia. From the quick scribbles of eager students to the inquisitive thoughts of renowned scholars, academic essays depict the power of the written word. These well-crafted writings propel ideas forward and expand the existing boundaries of human intellect.

What is an Academic Essay

An academic essay is a nonfictional piece of writing that analyzes and evaluates an argument around a specific topic or research question. It serves as a medium to share the author’s views and is also used by institutions to assess the critical thinking, research skills, and writing abilities of a students and researchers.  

Importance of Academic Essays

4 main types of academic essays.

While academic essays may vary in length, style, and purpose, they generally fall into four main categories. Despite their differences, these essay types share a common goal: to convey information, insights, and perspectives effectively.

1. Expository Essay

2. Descriptive Essay

3. Narrative Essay

4. Argumentative Essay

Expository and persuasive essays mainly deal with facts to explain ideas clearly. Narrative and descriptive essays are informal and have a creative edge. Despite their differences, these essay types share a common goal ― to convey information, insights, and perspectives effectively.

Expository Essays: Illuminating ideas

An expository essay is a type of academic writing that explains, illustrates, or clarifies a particular subject or idea. Its primary purpose is to inform the reader by presenting a comprehensive and objective analysis of a topic.

By breaking down complex topics into digestible pieces and providing relevant examples and explanations, expository essays allow writers to share their knowledge.

What are the Key Features of an Expository Essay

Provides factual information without bias

Presents multiple viewpoints while maintaining objectivity

Uses direct and concise language to ensure clarity for the reader

Composed of a logical structure with an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion

When is an expository essay written.

1. For academic assignments to evaluate the understanding of research skills.

2. As instructional content to provide step-by-step guidance for tasks or problem-solving.

3. In journalism for objective reporting in news or investigative pieces.

4. As a form of communication in the professional field to convey factual information in business or healthcare.

How to Write an Expository Essay

Expository essays are typically structured in a logical and organized manner.

1. Topic Selection and Research

• Choose a topic that can be explored objectively
• Gather relevant facts and information from credible sources
• Develop a clear thesis statement

2. Outline and Structure

• Create an outline with an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion
• Introduce the topic and state the thesis in the introduction
• Dedicate each body paragraph to a specific point supporting the thesis
• Use transitions to maintain a logical flow

3. Objective and Informative Writing

• Maintain an impartial and informative tone
• Avoid personal opinions or biases
• Support points with factual evidence, examples, and explanations

4. Conclusion

• Summarize the key points
• Reinforce the significance of the thesis

Descriptive Essays: Painting with words

Descriptive essays transport readers into vivid scenes, allowing them to experience the world through the writer ‘s lens. These essays use rich sensory details, metaphors, and figurative language to create a vivid and immersive experience . Its primary purpose is to engage readers’ senses and imagination.

It allows writers to demonstrate their ability to observe and describe subjects with precision and creativity.

What are the Key Features of Descriptive Essay

Employs figurative language and imagery to paint a vivid picture for the reader

Demonstrates creativity and expressiveness in narration

Includes close attention to detail, engaging the reader’s senses

Engages the reader’s imagination and emotions through immersive storytelling using analogies, metaphors, similes, etc.

When is a descriptive essay written.

1. Personal narratives or memoirs that describe significant events, people, or places.

2. Travel writing to capture the essence of a destination or experience.

3. Character sketches in fiction writing to introduce and describe characters.

4. Poetry or literary analyses to explore the use of descriptive language and imagery.

How to Write a Descriptive Essay

The descriptive essay lacks a defined structural requirement but typically includes: an introduction introducing the subject, a thorough description, and a concluding summary with insightful reflection.

1. Subject Selection and Observation

• Choose a subject (person, place, object, or experience) to describe
• Gather sensory details and observations

2. Engaging Introduction

• Set the scene and provide the context
• Use of descriptive language and figurative techniques

3. Descriptive Body Paragraphs

• Focus on specific aspects or details of the subject
• Engage the reader ’s senses with vivid imagery and descriptions
• Maintain a consistent tone and viewpoint

4. Impactful Conclusion

• Provide a final impression or insight
• Leave a lasting impact on the reader

Narrative Essays: Storytelling in Action

Narrative essays are personal accounts that tell a story, often drawing from the writer’s own experiences or observations. These essays rely on a well-structured plot, character development, and vivid descriptions to engage readers and convey a deeper meaning or lesson.

What are the Key features of Narrative Essays

Written from a first-person perspective and hence subjective

Based on real personal experiences

Uses an informal and expressive tone

Presents events and characters in sequential order

When is a narrative essay written.

It is commonly assigned in high school and college writing courses to assess a student’s ability to convey a meaningful message or lesson through a personal narrative. They are written in situations where a personal experience or story needs to be recounted, such as:

1. Reflective essays on significant life events or personal growth.

2. Autobiographical writing to share one’s life story or experiences.

3. Creative writing exercises to practice narrative techniques and character development.

4. College application essays to showcase personal qualities and experiences.

How to Write a Narrative Essay

Narrative essays typically follow a chronological structure, with an introduction that sets the scene, a body that develops the plot and characters, and a conclusion that provides a sense of resolution or lesson learned.

1. Experience Selection and Reflection

• Choose a significant personal experience or event
• Reflect on the impact and deeper meaning

2. Immersive Introduction

• Introduce characters and establish the tone and point of view

3. Plotline and Character Development

• Advance   the  plot and character development through body paragraphs
• Incorporate dialog , conflict, and resolution
• Maintain a logical and chronological flow

4. Insightful Conclusion

• Reflect on lessons learned or insights gained
• Leave the reader with a lasting impression

Argumentative Essays: Persuasion and Critical Thinking

Argumentative essays are the quintessential form of academic writing in which writers present a clear thesis and support it with well-researched evidence and logical reasoning. These essays require a deep understanding of the topic, critical analysis of multiple perspectives, and the ability to construct a compelling argument.

What are the Key Features of an Argumentative Essay?

Logical and well-structured arguments

Credible and relevant evidence from reputable sources

Consideration and refutation of counterarguments

Critical analysis and evaluation of the issue 

When is an argumentative essay written.

Argumentative essays are written to present a clear argument or stance on a particular issue or topic. In academic settings they are used to develop critical thinking, research, and persuasive writing skills. However, argumentative essays can also be written in various other contexts, such as:

1. Opinion pieces or editorials in newspapers, magazines, or online publications.

2. Policy proposals or position papers in government, nonprofit, or advocacy settings.

3. Persuasive speeches or debates in academic, professional, or competitive environments.

4. Marketing or advertising materials to promote a product, service, or idea.

How to write an Argumentative Essay

Argumentative essays begin with an introduction that states the thesis and provides context. The body paragraphs develop the argument with evidence, address counterarguments, and use logical reasoning. The conclusion restates the main argument and makes a final persuasive appeal.

• Choose a debatable and controversial issue
• Conduct thorough research and gather evidence and counterarguments

2. Thesis and Introduction

• Craft a clear and concise thesis statement
• Provide background information and establish importance

3. Structured Body Paragraphs

• Focus each paragraph on a specific aspect of the argument
• Support with logical reasoning, factual evidence, and refutation

4. Persuasive Techniques

• Adopt a formal and objective tone
• Use persuasive techniques (rhetorical questions, analogies, appeals)

5. Impactful Conclusion

• Summarize the main points
• Leave the reader with a strong final impression and call to action

To learn more about argumentative essay, check out this article .

5 Quick Tips for Researchers to Improve Academic Essay Writing Skills

Use clear and concise language to convey ideas effectively without unnecessary words

Use well-researched, credible sources to substantiate your arguments with data, expert opinions, and scholarly references

Ensure a coherent structure with effective transitions, clear topic sentences, and a logical flow to enhance readability 

To elevate your academic essay, consider submitting your draft to a community-based platform like Open Platform  for editorial review 

Review your work multiple times for clarity, coherence, and adherence to academic guidelines to ensure a polished final product

By mastering the art of academic essay writing, researchers and scholars can effectively communicate their ideas, contribute to the advancement of knowledge, and engage in meaningful scholarly discourse.

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