Catarina Migliorini, one of the many reasons why I think that prostitution and other forms of sex work between consenting adults should be legal.
By legal, let me say that I also mean regulated. Working in the sex industry, for many, most even is a horrible job, one which rots the soul. In the process of my work, I have encountered sex workers, most of which have had issues with addiction. Some have managed to do quite well, but I have yet to meet one without scars. But the thing I have noted that with many (but not all) of those I have encountered, they have had issues with addiction. Regulate the industry and you can offer those people help. But then I also think that many of the drugs that people use should be made legal, and again regulated.
Some people I have met have admitted to using sex workers, one being a lady my wife and I met when we were on holiday! Some were people who would be very unlikely to have a meaningful relationship, others were in a relationship but needed for one reason or another to have sex elsewhere. Just looking at men who use sex workers, there are many reasons for doing so. Some men are going to find it hard to have sex due to physical disabilities, mental health issues or just due to issues with their personality. Other men who are in relationships are going to seek sex outside the relationship due to mismatched sex drives, sometimes due to problems with the health of their partner, at times as well due to their partner not being able to meet some sexual need that they have. Some of the reasons for a person to use a prostitute are going to be more acceptable than others, but this is the oldest profession in the world, and it is so for a reason.
Criminalising this act also makes it easier for people to be exploited. Far too many people are trapped into remaining in prostitution due to drug addition, but also there are others who have been forced into it and others who are subject to human trafficking. Through regulation sex workers can be helped to leave the job is they so wish. Without this, there will be a market, one which will be exploited and people will suffer. Lots of sex workers face violence at the hands of customers, those they work with, or more often for as well as physical and mental health problems. In addition to this, it encourages people to travel abroad where there are even less restrictions, more exploitation and more harm to workers and customers.
There are those who have worked as a sex worker as a 'positive' choice and have left that, but too many do not have that choice. In addition, there is a line between a formal exchange of money for sex, and an informal one. Why ban one and not the other?
What is important to do, if sex working is to be legalised and regulated is to learn from what has happened abroad, to prevent people being forced into the industry, to try to reduce demand, but most of all, to help those who work in it, leave it.
