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Esmerai Sanchez

Mrs. Angulo

AP English 11 Period 6

9 December 2016

Brothels with Walls

She was seen to be a betrayer of her faith, leaving trace of sin in every one of her

movements. She was disowned, ridiculed, utterly destroyed and left to her demise by society

until her eyes no longer reflected happiness. She had to work to feed her child but her work was

dangerous; she could be, at any moment, imprisoned. Such story is very common amongst

prostitutes and in this twenty first century where misfortune creaks at every corner a person must

do what they can to survive. Through religious affiliation and customs prostitution has been seen

as sinfully immoral and should not be allowed to be legalized. However, each individual state

has determined their laws on prostitution and only Nevada has legalized it however only in some

areas. Although many claim that the legalization of prostitution will have negative effects, the

benefits of legalization outweigh the opposing arguments because it can help increase the

awareness of sexually transmitted disease, it can increase revenues for the economy, and create

equal labor laws for all people.

Prostitution has been a controversial issue throughout much of history. Although

prostitution is seen as a sin in much of the world's cultures today, it has always been an unshaken

part of society. Wherever there is evidence of human societies there are also signs and evidence

of prostitution (Fanni). The beginnings of prostitution date back early Mesopotamian times

where they were regarded as forms of tasks given by god and goddesses in order to bring
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offerings of payment to their shrines. Usually it was priestesses that had this job and it was a

respectful one as they were giving up their pureness for the sake of their gods (Fanni). In other

sources, such as the Bible, prostitution is shunned upon however it can demonstrate a brides

ability to produce offsprings and condemn the husband for failing in conception. Even in ancient

isolated Japan had prostitution in its history. The earliest prostitutes in Japan were call oiran

(Fanni). They were mostly courtesans for the daimyo or the shogun. However, this work evolved

into one of the most ancient arts in Japan and the first which are the geisha. Rather than selling

their bodies, geisha sell their company and arts. This part of the culture survived through many

wars and was part of important peace treaties and entertaining powerful representatives of other

countries. Overall, prostitution are evidently found in many ancient cultures and it cannot deny

the fact that it is an important part of society such as trade and influence of womens

independence.

Prostitution is seen as a sinful act in part of the worker. The main topics that drive the

debate issues of prostitution are that through legalization of it it can spread human trafficking,

sexually transmitted disease will increase, and the risk of violence such as rape and homicide

will become much greater. Furthermore, many religious affiliated communities seem to speculate

prostitution to be sinfully immoral. For example, it would be outrageously uncommon to spot a

brothel in a community of religious pedestrians rather it is more common to seek out brothels in

places where there is more entertainment, per se. Nevada is politically known to be the only state

in the Unites States to legalize prostitution however, prostitution is regulated to places of

entertainment such as specific parts of Las Vegas, a famous touristic area with different forms of

entertainment. The opposing arguments describe the increase of several medical diseases and the
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risk of more human trafficking (Raymond). It seems that this is because legalizing prostitution

can become a problem when organisations that have not legalized or cooperated with the

regulations want to continue their work. Some people have countered that the legalization of

prostitution can spread STD, violence,and human trafficking (Raymond). Also, prostitution can

be considered sinful immoral to many religions and cultures. However, because we are in an era

that is rapidly changing it not possible to ignore the counter issues of prostitution without a form

of solve it. Many of the risks and issues regarding the legalization of prostitution are capable of

being solved because of the advanced technology.

Today in the 21st century, prostitution is seen as a sinful act in part of the worker.

Prostitution involves the exchange of sexual services for economic compensation. Sexual

behaviour is important to determine in transmitting HIV and STDs. Prostitutes and clients are

often labeled as a "high risk group" in the context of HIV and STDs (Blanco). It has been

documented that female sex workers in particular have an increased in numbers of untreated

STDs and have been hypothesized to affect of the general population (Blanco). People involved

in prostitution are a cause for concern because of the uncertainty of their sexual health. However,

in areas where prostitution is legalized such as Nevada, the awareness of STDs has increased due

to the safety and health of both the client and the worker. Sex workers in Nevada have to go

through a check up once a month to test for syphilis and HIV (Fuchis). Nevada also requires

condoms for all sex brothels, decreasing the risk for the spread of STD; this law is posted outside

of every legalized brothel (Fuchis). Making prostitution illegal can drive prostitutes underground

and they can become less likely to practise safe sex or get checked for STDs. The United Nations

Development Programme published a report last year stating, Criminalization increases

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vulnerability to HIV by fueling stigma and discrimination, limiting access to HIV and sexual

health services, condoms and harm reduction services, and adversely affecting the self-esteem of

sex workers and their ability to make informed choices about their health. (Fuchs) That being

said, the legalization of prostitution not only increases the awareness of STDs but also decreases

the estimated total of affected people.

Legalizing prostitution can benefit the states in accordance to the increase of tax revenue

(Sonntag). Because only a part of the state legalized prostitution, brothels do not pay state taxes

(Fuchs). If brothels were legalized the state would gain a significant amount of tax revenue

(Fuchs). The average income of an employee at a Nevada brothel is $100,000. Based off this

number each legalized sex worker would contribute about more than $20,000 federal income tax

per year (Sonntag). Based off the estimation the legalization of brothels would generate 20

million dollars in tax revenue per year (Sonntag). "Let government share in the revenue, but

otherwise stay out of the affairs of consenting adults," MSNBC political analyst Michael

Smerconish has written (Fuchs). Although sharing the tax revenue but ignoring everything else

that happens in the brothels does not seem as the best possible option it can be a start. Perhaps

using a percentage of the tax revenue to help aid women who wish to leave that type of work can

help the community as a whole(Sonntag).

Legally binded workers of the United States have, at the agreement of employment,

workers rights. Legally employed people in America get rights like a minimum wage, freedom

from discrimination, and a safe work environment and since prostitutes don't work legally, they

don't get any of those rights (Fuchs). The United Nations Development Programme's report on

sex work in Asia and the Pacific highlighted why it's problematic when sex workers don't have
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legal rights; Sex workers in all countries of the region except New Zealand and the state of New

South Wales (Australia) lack the labour rights afforded to other workers, including the legal right

to a safe and healthy workplace and to reasonable terms and conditions of employment ... Labour

laws and social security laws that do not recognize sex work as legitimate work contribute to

stigma and marginalization of sex workers.(Fuchs) Such as the United States many other

countries do not want to legalize prostitution because giving sex workers rights might influence

the work rather than retain it.

In conclusion, prostitution has been a part of human society for a large part of history.

Although the claims that legalizing prostitution can negatively affect a community are very

transparent and difficult to resolve the benefits of the legalization of prostitution can be greater.

Not only can legalizing prostitution create regulations of the preference of citizens but it can

increase the awareness of sexually transmitted disease, it can increase tax revenue, and it can

produce equal labor laws. Although, Americans pride themselves of being democratic and giving

rights to all, they shun prostitutes and sex work due to the immorality that it has been labeled as.

Prostitution is as much a job as an office worker however how someone would get there varies. It

is seen as sin in the eyes of religion, it is seen as profitable in the eyes of the economy, it is seen

as a way to earn money to a prostitute; brothels with walls.

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Works Cited

Blanco, Abigail . "The case for legal prostitution." Daily Journal; Vineland, N.J.. 05 Jul.

2016: A7. eLibrary. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.

Fanni, Zac. A History of Prostitution: How Old Is The Sex Trade? Sabotage

Times. 29 January 2014. 8 November 2016.

Fuchs, Erin. 7 Reasons Why America Should Legalize Prostitution. Business Insider: Law and

Order.13 November 2013. 8 November 2016.

Raymond, James. Ten Reasons for Not Legalizing Prostitution And a Legal Response to the

Demand for Prostitution. Embrace Dignity. 15 November 2016.

Sonntag, Tracy. Case for Legalizing Prostitution. Following the Nevada Model. 2009. 14

November 2016.