Legalized Prostitution is a Failure

In the past decade or so, several countries, including the Netherlands and Germany, have toyed with legalizing prostitution. They did so because it was argued that legitimizing the industry would lead to greater health regulations and protections for sex workers. It was thought that legalization would lessen the stigma to sex work, reduce human trafficking and result in a win-win-win: prostitutes, customers (“johns” or “punters”) and society would all be better off.

Ten years into the experiment and none of those things have come to pass, according to a detailed (read: lengthy) article in Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine. The article is here and well worth a read. But as it spans five pages, I’ll try to sum it up as best I can.

/ Feminism, Human Trafficking, Liberal Feminism, Men, Prostitution

Legalized Prostitution is a Failure

In the past decade or so, several countries, including the Netherlands and Germany, have toyed with legalizing prostitution. They did so because it was argued that legitimizing the industry would lead to greater health regulations and protections for sex workers. It was thought that legalization would lessen the stigma to sex work, reduce human trafficking and result in a win-win-win: prostitutes, customers (“johns” or “punters”) and society would all be better off.

Ten years into the experiment and none of those things have come to pass, according to a detailed (read: lengthy) article in Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine. The article is here and well worth a read. But as it spans five pages, I’ll try to sum it up as best I can.

/ June 1, 2013 / 4 comments