Prostitution: The unfairness of Punishment for selective Participants.

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A prostitute
A Prostitute
Prostitution is one of the oldest and widespread trades in the world. Its origin can be traced to the origins of mankind. It is found in every country of the world including Moslem, Hindu, and Christian nations. Prostitution also has the reputation for being one of the most outlawed activities in the world. Like other laws, the legislation regarding prostitution tends to be applied to both female prostitutes and their male clients. However, this will change in the UK as soon as the new law on prostitution is promulgated.

Under the new law, the prosecution of individuals participating in prostitution will be selective. Male clients will face prosecution but female prostitutes will not. This is due to the assumption that all female prostitutes tend to engage in prostitution against their will. They are either coerced into prostitution by male criminals who tend to profit from the business or forced into prostitution due to the domestic abuse they have suffered at the hands of their ex-partners. It will therefore be secondary victimisation according to advocates of the new law to punish women under these circumstances.

It is true that some female prostitutes tend to engage in prostitution against their will. This can be supported by testimonies of freed young girls and women who claimed that they were held hostages and forced to engage in prostitution. It is also possible that some women who had been subjected to horrendous abuse by their ex-partners may engage in prostitution as the last resort.

However, arguing that all female prostitutes fall into this category will be missing the point. I think many women who had experienced abuse do not necessarily need to engage in prostitution to survive. Instead, they tend to engage in other activities which are not illegal. I believe a woman can go into prostitution regardless of whether she has experienced abused in the past. The motivating factor for engaging in prostitution seems to be the quest for quick money rather than the last resort for the abused victims.

In fact, the implication of a blanket amnesty for all female prostitutes on the assumption that all of them were subject of abuse can be far reaching. It will mean that people who have experienced other forms of abuse can also engage in illegal activities such as drug dealing without facing prosecution. After all, these people also suffered abuse like those prostitutes who claim to have been abused by their ex-partners.

Prostitution is a crime. Like other crimes, the decision to prosecute participants of the activity should be based on the involvement of the participants. A blanket amnesty for all female participants even before they commit the crime is not fair.

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