Welfarism 13: Decriminalize Prostitution

Many governments have the habit of declaring many human acts as illegal and prohibited. Thus, there are thousands of law, rules and regulations that say, NO, DON'T, PROHIBITED ACTS, RESTRICTIONS, and so on. Since these are prohibitions, there are fines and penalties for violating them. This way, governments collect more revenues aside from the existing taxes that they impose.

In short, more prohibitions, more revenues to the government, more power to government officials and administrators to create more restrictions and prohibitions.

Prostitution and sex trade is among the oldest professions in the world, and many governments have the hypocrisy to declare it as "illegal" and prohibited, even if such practice is happening in many corners and crannies of their economy. They key there is to have double standard. Prostitution -- and illegal gambling, illegal drugs, etc. -- are prohibited for certain people and entrepreneurs, but allowed for other businessmen and political friends of the administration in power. There is a fee of course, both formal and informal, that

Here's a report from Business Insider the other day,

There Are 42 Million Prostitutes In The World, And Here's Where They Live

Gus Lubin | Jan. 17, 2012, 1:55 PM | 10,848 | 20

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Global prostitution may be a bigger industry than you think.

There are 40 to 42 million prostitutes in the world, according to a report from Fondation Scelles (via Le Figaro). Three quarters of them are between the ages of 13 and 25, and 80% of them are female.

An estimated 1 million prostitutes live in the U.S., even though it's legal only in Nevada.

In the U.S. and elsewhere most prostitution is unregulated and many workers are forced into prostitution.

The report isn't available online, but here's a map published by the foundation in 2010, which shows the estimated number of prostitutes in various countries as well as number per 1,000 people (data was not available then for countries in green).

www.fondationscelles.org

One good thing about Netherlands, there are fewer crimes and criminals, so they have few prisoners. Prostitution is not a crime, it's legal, but government-regulated and taxes are collected.

(Bombay prostitutes, photo from My Opera/My India) Prostitution should not be made illegal, only human trafficking for sex and prostitution. If people, men and women, want to become prostitutes for money, and there are demand and consumers for their services, so be it. Government should focus its resources on running after human traffickers, those who force people into prostitution (or drug dealers or hired killers, etc.) against their will. For those who enter prostitution voluntarily, government should allow them, regulate them only for public health reason like controlling the spread of infectious sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs).

(Photo from The red light district of angeles) Currently, prostitution is clearly existing, in many areas in Metro Manila and other big cities. Spread of STDs is not properly monitored because sex workers are not regularly checked by local authorities. Sex workers will not voluntarily go to those authorities because of the "illegal" nature of their work.

If the demand is there, and especially if the demand is high (customers would rather pay someone for a service rather than kidnap women and rape them, a big and serious crime), no amount of prohibitions and restrictions will stop a service. Especially if the implementors and administrators of the law -- government and police officials -- are also among the customers of prostitution.
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See also:
Welfarism 7: Squatters in the Univ. of the Philippines (UP), February 23, 2009
Welfarism 8: Send All Monthly Salary to UK Govt First, September 21, 2010
Welfarism 9: Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), November 12, 2010
Welfarism 10: Spanish Problem, the Euro or the State?, December 01, 2010
Welfarism 11: Bureaucratizing Entrepreneurs, April 12, 2011