Prostitution is one of the growing concerns around the globe. Governments of different countries seem to have no answer to this illegal act. While in many countries it has been legalized, in others it is strongly condemned due to cultural and religious factors. Prostitution in recent years has become a business for many and a very fruitful one too. Many of the people hire prostitutes and sell them to men looking for sexual pleasure for loads of money. The question is if prostitution is illegal then why is the industry for prostitutes expanding? No doubt prostitution has been labeled as illegal by majority of the countries but it has become such a prevalent part of the society both in the East and the West that the law enforcing authorities even after knowing the whereabouts of the prostitutes do not take any action. The society has consciously or unconsciously accepted its existence.
The most common counter arguments against legalization of prostitution which come from various facets of the world are based on the moral standing of such a profession. To sell one’s own body to earn money is considered to be morally wrong by majority of people. Many of the people are of the view that it is only ethical and morally right to put some effort and hard work to earn money rather than selling one’s own body to become rich overnight. This argument is severely criticized by the proponents of the legalization of prostitution. They argue that people have right to their own body and it is their free will to do whatever they want to with it. They believe that as long as prostitution is doing no harm to anyone else in the society, it should not be considered as something bad or evil. It is just like any other profession in which you sell your services to earn money.
The proponents of legalization of prostitution also hold the view that such a profession is a source of employment for many people. In this period of crisis, any opportunity to make money should be grabbed with both hands. If prostitution is legalized then it could become a source of improvement for a country’s GDP. Countries such as Netherland where prostitution is legal are already experiencing significant growth. They have accepted the fact that prostitution is a reality and it would only be practical to accept it as soon as possible. Opponents of legalization of prostitution believe that prostitution has adverse effects on the society. A profession like this makes individuals within society lose self esteem and removes the emotional aspect out of relationships. They also say that people living is a society where prostitution is legal are no better than animals who can do anything to satisfy their hunger and lust. It is also observed that in countries where prostitution has been legalized there has been an increase in the number of divorce rates and teenage pregnancy. Wives do not trust their husbands anymore as they know that their husbands have full freedom to go to any other woman.
Legalization of prostitution is not an option in many countries. Most of the Muslim countries strongly condemn prostitution as it is religiously forbidden to engage in such illegal sexual activities. While in other countries of the East too it is considered as a highly immoral act. Therefore it would not be wrong to say that legalizing prostitution depends more on a country’s individual preferences and it can only be considered as an option where the general public has no issues accepting it as a legal profession.