Prostitution

Clinic indicated that sex addiction was a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder rather than a true addiction.

PROSTITUTION

Prostitution is a commercial industry in which a person engages in sex for some type of payment. A prostitute is a type of sex worker who participates in this type of activity for money. It is legal in some parts off the world and illegal in other parts. In some places, it is highly regulated, while in others, it is illegal but the laws are not enforced. It is a subset of commercial sex, along with stripping, erotic dancing, and pornography. A prostitute can work in a brothel or be an escort. Still others can be street prostitutes.

There are more than 40 million prostitutes in the world, with some countries taking part in sex tourism. About $100 billion USD are spent on prostitution in the world. Most prostitutes are female and have clients who are male. It becomes an even more questionable behavior when it involves children, violence against women, and human sex trafficking. Some international organizations are in favor of completely decriminalizing prostitution. Activist groups prefer the term “sex worker” to refer to these individuals.

The different terms used to describe sex workers other than prostitutes include sex trade worker, commercial sex worker, hooker, escort, call girl, streetwalker, hustler, ho, or gigolo, which as a male sex worker. Again, while each of these terms is used, most are considered derogatory other than sex worker or commercial sex worker. People who organize prostitution are called pimps or madams. Clients are called tricks, punters, or johns. In some parts of the world, these are called kerb crawlers. Janes or sugar mamas refers to a female who wishes to solicit a prostitute.

Prostitution has been around for millennia. The ancient Greeks commonly made use of prostitutes. In that culture, both boys and women were prostitutes, who were highly regarded. Prostitution was considered legal and common in Ancient Roman culture. Prostitutes were sometimes slaves or were abandoned children raised to be prostitutes. It was outlawed in Muslim countries that instead believed in temporary marriages. It was widespread in early Japan but is illegal in today’s time.

Attitudes in the 1500s around prostitution changed, in part because of outbreaks of syphilis that occurred in Europe. Brothels were outlawed as was prostitution in general. The churches of the time indicated that, while prostitution was inevitable, it should be condemned, with prostitutes encouraged to be repentant. In the 1700s, most masseurs were men who also engaged in sex work, particularly in the Ottoman Empire. By the 1800s, some European countries began to regulate prostitution.

By the twentieth century, prostitution was once legal in most states. In the UK, prostitution itself was not illegal but running a brothel was considered illegal. Soliciting sex was declared illegal. There was the development of penalties by the 1980s against HIV-positive prostitutes. Sex tourism was developed in the late twentieth century. Nowadays, prostitution is common among Eastern European countries, although the women are not always consenting participants.

The attitudes around prostitution vary in today’s society. There are those who believe prostitution should be decriminalized or simply regulated. In places like Nevada and Australia, prostitution is regulated. Others indicate that prostitution should not be tolerated. Abolitionists think that prostitution itself is okay but activities related to prostitution are illegal, such as operating a brothel or being a pimp. Neo-abolitionists believe that prostitution is nothing more than violence against women. Prohibitionists believe that all prostitute behaviors are immoral. This is the attitude throughout the US, except in some areas of Nevada.

The issues related to the legality of prostitution include the potential for the prostitute to be victimized, the ethics or morality of prostitution, the freedom of a woman to choose, and the possible harm or benefit to society because of prostitution. In some places, it is considered to be part of the exploitation of women, which leads to the illegality of buying sex but not selling sex. In other countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands, prostitution is legal but regulated. It is greatly prohibited in most Muslim countries.

The prostitution of children below the age of consent is illegal in almost all parts of the world. In India, however, about 40 percent of all prostitutes are children. In some parts of Asia, child prostitutes take dexamethasone in order to “fatten them up” so they

appear bigger and older. This can be dangerous because it can be addictive, can raise blood pressure, and can cause diabetes. Parts of Asia participate in sex tourism that allows people to have sex with children that cannot happen in their home country. In South Korea, some elderly people become prostitutes to make money.

Prostitutes are at a greater risk of sustaining injuries from violent crime, particularly if they are street prostitutes. About 200 out of 100,000 prostitutes are murdered. Prostitution is also linked to dangerous and illegal activities. It is controversial as to whether the legalization of prostitution can help these problems.

Sex trafficking is linked to prostitution and involves forcing or coercing individuals into prostitution or other sexual activities through their transport to another area. About 80 percent of human trafficking is for sex purposes. It is a crime that is increasing in incidence. Up to half of all people trafficked are children. Some children are sold by their families, kidnapped, or orphaned in order to be sold into the sex trade. This is more prominent in parts of Asia. Eastern Europeans are also more often trafficked.

The different types of prostitution include street prostitution, in which the person waits for tricks on street corners. These are called “streetwalkers”. Sex is done in a rented room, an alley, or in the john’s car. There are open markets for prostitutes in Russia and there are prostitutes that are stationed around truck stops. Window prostitution involves a woman renting a workspace for a period of time during the day.

Brothels or bordellos are places that are used specifically for prostitution. Some massage parlors and barber shops offer prostitution services. Escorts or call girls are those who make appointments for sex using the phone or internet. There can be independent call girls or escort agencies that offer these services. The use of the internet is much more common than it used to be. Sex tourism involves travel to another area for sex, which is legal except when a child is involved. Virtual sex involves phone sex, webcam sex, or other cybersex.

One of the biggest risks of prostitution is the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. This is especially true in Africa, where prostitution leads to 84 percent of new HIV cases in some parts of the continent. Education and regulation have been used to