So, in case the main point of that part of my comment wasn’t clear: I agree that legalization gives better opportunities to reduce harm, and that the goal is reduced net harm.
Tldr: legalization makes a substitute for trafficking available, but it also increases demand. Unlike alcohol, you can’t scale the population of willing women on demand, so if demand scales faster than the substitute trafficking can increase past what was there before.
Something being the right way to reduce harm doesn’t mean it doesn’t have downsides, or increase another sort of harm to a lesser degree than what’s reduced.
Being able to acknowledge and address the dual nature of harm reduction mechanisms is important to discussing them frankly.
I like that they threw in that there is a significant increase in trafficking in countries that practice democracy. That would mean to me that trafficking can be reduced by procedures and punishments.
I’m not sure why we think the demand increases when it is legal, I would have assumed the demand was equal, but I can’t imagine the U.S. being the hodgepodge of beliefs, nationalities, and body types it is would have much of a demand for importing sex workers. (But I’m sure I’m wrong there). What stops people now? Like when people sell videos, articles of clothing, and such on sites like Only fans and what not is there policies that somehow punish people for offering more money for someone to meet up?
Can’t say I’ve ever tried to pay someone for sex, and I’m sure many wouldn’t be into it if it were decriminalized, but I do have to say I would feel safer knowing they were affiliated with something that ensured they were tested regularly.
STI test panels we should really figure out how to make cheaper and more available. If counties really cared about falling birthrates you’d think they would promote subsiding such and not be so anti-promiscuity, promote health care availability for mothers and children, daycares, schools. I’d laugh to see a government pushing propaganda that pregnant women are very attractive in mainstream media. Operation MILF media
What stops people now? Like when people sell videos, articles of clothing, and such on sites like Only fans and what not is there policies that somehow punish people for offering more money for someone to meet up?
Most services that are sex work adjacent are extremely paranoid about not becoming associated with prostitution. The website itself can be held liable if they’re found to harbor it.
Additionally, the risk of criminal penalties deters people, as well as the risk of social embarrassment from something coming to light. Legalization removes those concerns, and so demand increases.
To continue with the prohibition comparison: prohibition can never succeed, but it does reduce consumption. There’s a segment of the population who would be willing to partake in whatever is being prohibited, but isn’t interested enough to break the law of work through the criminal connections needed to make it happen.
The import of sex workers isn’t really to do with the physical diversity. It’s more to do with the willingness of the people, or lack thereof. Tricking someone from a poor country into coming to the US and then extorting them into prostitution is unfortunately often more cost effective than charging people more money.
It’s why you see so many billboards and signs around international airports informing potential victims of human trafficking that they have rights and can get help.
It’s why countries with more prosperous economies and democracies have higher levels of trafficking into them. People, on average, have more economic opportunities that don’t involve prostitution and a greater tendency towards self determination.
So, in case the main point of that part of my comment wasn’t clear: I agree that legalization gives better opportunities to reduce harm, and that the goal is reduced net harm.
That being said, there’s empirical evidence that legalization does increase human trafficking: https://orgs.law.harvard.edu/lids/2014/06/12/does-legalized-prostitution-increase-human-trafficking/
Tldr: legalization makes a substitute for trafficking available, but it also increases demand. Unlike alcohol, you can’t scale the population of willing women on demand, so if demand scales faster than the substitute trafficking can increase past what was there before.
Something being the right way to reduce harm doesn’t mean it doesn’t have downsides, or increase another sort of harm to a lesser degree than what’s reduced.
Being able to acknowledge and address the dual nature of harm reduction mechanisms is important to discussing them frankly.
I like that they threw in that there is a significant increase in trafficking in countries that practice democracy. That would mean to me that trafficking can be reduced by procedures and punishments.
I’m not sure why we think the demand increases when it is legal, I would have assumed the demand was equal, but I can’t imagine the U.S. being the hodgepodge of beliefs, nationalities, and body types it is would have much of a demand for importing sex workers. (But I’m sure I’m wrong there). What stops people now? Like when people sell videos, articles of clothing, and such on sites like Only fans and what not is there policies that somehow punish people for offering more money for someone to meet up?
Can’t say I’ve ever tried to pay someone for sex, and I’m sure many wouldn’t be into it if it were decriminalized, but I do have to say I would feel safer knowing they were affiliated with something that ensured they were tested regularly.
STI test panels we should really figure out how to make cheaper and more available. If counties really cared about falling birthrates you’d think they would promote subsiding such and not be so anti-promiscuity, promote health care availability for mothers and children, daycares, schools. I’d laugh to see a government pushing propaganda that pregnant women are very attractive in mainstream media. Operation MILF media
Most services that are sex work adjacent are extremely paranoid about not becoming associated with prostitution. The website itself can be held liable if they’re found to harbor it.
Additionally, the risk of criminal penalties deters people, as well as the risk of social embarrassment from something coming to light. Legalization removes those concerns, and so demand increases.
To continue with the prohibition comparison: prohibition can never succeed, but it does reduce consumption. There’s a segment of the population who would be willing to partake in whatever is being prohibited, but isn’t interested enough to break the law of work through the criminal connections needed to make it happen.
The import of sex workers isn’t really to do with the physical diversity. It’s more to do with the willingness of the people, or lack thereof. Tricking someone from a poor country into coming to the US and then extorting them into prostitution is unfortunately often more cost effective than charging people more money.
It’s why you see so many billboards and signs around international airports informing potential victims of human trafficking that they have rights and can get help.
It’s why countries with more prosperous economies and democracies have higher levels of trafficking into them. People, on average, have more economic opportunities that don’t involve prostitution and a greater tendency towards self determination.