Prostitution keeps rape rates down. That's why the Police will usually turn a blind eye to well run brothels.

I really don't think the plight of these women is as simple as "it is caused by the legalization of prostitution."

First off, I am a bit confused because the article said that prostitution was legalized but in your post it says it's decriminalized and that can lead to a few different areas.

But essentially the feeling that I got from the article was that they legalized it, but really don't enforce any worker's rights laws and have not regulated it appropriately. I think if they did a better job, and enforced their worker's rights laws for the hookers you could actually have a decent prostitution market.

(May 31, 2013 at 4:57 pm)plaincents822 Wrote: I really don't think the plight of these women is as simple as "it is caused by the legalization of prostitution."

First off, I am a bit confused because the article said that prostitution was legalized but in your post it says it's decriminalized and that can lead to a few different areas.

But essentially the feeling that I got from the article was that they legalized it, but really don't enforce any worker's rights laws and have not regulated it appropriately. I think if they did a better job, and enforced their worker's rights laws for the hookers you could actually have a decent prostitution market.

It has been legal here for a long time, but it was criminalised, meaning that police could constantly conduct raids without courtorders in brothes, extra tax had to be payed and that prostetutes couldnt sue for wages.

I agree with you on the workers rights part.

To me decriminalization is a double edged sword. It can provide some good in easing a community into a previously illegal substance/act, but at the same time your providing more protection for underground groups while still keeping their market relatively unregulated. It's dangerous territory.

It's why regulation, enforcement and dedicated investigation units devoted to policing things that can be exploited is a high priority.

If it was both decriminalized AND deregulated, then I see the problem there...

The whole point of legalizing a criminalized business (drug selling, prostitution mainly) is so that you CAN regulate it to protect both the customer and the supplier, turning it into a legitimate business instead of an exploitation racket. I am a huge fan of Germany, but they really dropped the ball on that. Let them unionize, get rid of the pimp/brothel system and set up something like the "Red Light" district where they rent their rooms and advertise their wares themselves... but keeping the criminals in the business just fixes nothing.