See http://psychsocvalues.wordpress.com/

1. Prostitution law:
How research should
(or should not) affect
our principles
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Presentation by Raquel Avila, Jelisa Adair, Roxie Mays, Ryan
Doherty, Lisa Walsh and Julia Berquist

2. Prostitution
Summary:
•Defining Prostitution
•Attitudes?? https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR4JJ_GbqaczhoXj8E0iTKiKmzjNRAZHQvKA-
Hollywood vs. Reality
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•
•In Today's News
•Ireland's Stance
•Principle Arguments
•Research Findings
•Final Recommendation

3. Defining Related Attitudes:
Prostitution: Prohibitionism •
Abolitionism •
- the act of providing sexual • Tolerate
services to another person in • Regulation
• Decriminalization
return for payment.
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4. What Does Prostitution Look like?
How it is portrayed in Julia Roberts
Hollywood: in
Pretty Woman
In reality, prostitution
has many faces:
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tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTFHfvN_m
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5. In Today's News

6. Ireland's Stance
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http://www.turnoffthebluelight.ie/wp-content/gallery/posters/2.jpg
http://www.sexworkersallianceireland.org/

7. Principled Arguments for
Regulation
• "What will be will be"
• More hassle than it's worth?
• Safer environment
• Adding to our economy
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Prostitution exists. Ignoring it will not fix the
problem, so legalisation is the way forward to
creating a regulated and licensed environment.

8. Principled Arguments
Against Regulation
• Moral argument: prostitution as a sin
http://images.sodahead.com/polls/002186341/1332478341_no20prostitutio
n20prostitutes20sign_answer_2_xlarge.jpeg
• Legalisation will serve to legitimize
prostitution which, as a practice is
harmful to women
• Legalisation may allow for the expansion
and extension of the sex industry.

9. Research Findings in
Support of Regulation
Regulation as a form of:
• Protection from disease
• Protection from violence
• Protection from economic exploitation
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10. Research Findings in Support
of Regulation
•
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alizationofprostitution.jpg
Cost and inefficiency of incarceration
• Criminalisation is not shown to decrease
demand for prostitution

11. Strengths and Weaknesses of
Research in Support of
Regulation
• The research often takes into account
the feelings and opinions of actual
prostitutes
• Research often looks at regulation as
opposed to criminalization without
considering the benefits of abolitionist
policies

12. Research Findings Against
Regulation
• Prosecutions of johns in the US have been
successful in reducing recidivism when
combined with educational programs.
• In European countries like the Netherlands
and Germany where prostitution has been
legalised sex trafficking immigrants has
remained a substantial problem.
• Since legalisation the Netherlands sex
industry has grown by roughly 25%.

13. Research Findings
Against Regulation
•
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Decriminalisation increases advertising and
the commercial aspects of the industry thus
increasing its size. This has been shown in
Victoria, Australia where brothels tripled in
size.
• Research has proved wrong notions of
reductions in child sex trafficking that
decriminalisation would bring. Since
legalisation in the Netherlands child
prostitution has quadrupled.

14. Strengths and Weaknesses of
Research in Opposition
• Research against does provide statistical
evidence that legalisation increases
prostitution.
• Much of the research against regulating
prostitution fails to acknowledge its effect in
decreasing crime.
• Research against tends to focus more on the
moral aspect of prostitution and ignores the
practical implications of legislation, such as
a reduction in sexually transmitted diseases.

15. Final Recommendation
• Legalisation with regulation has several
public health benefits but does not eliminate
prostitution and can promote human
trafficking.
• The dearth of the drawbacks of legalisation
prompts us to recommend for abolitionist
policies that decriminalise the selling of sex,
but criminalise the buying of sex.
http://www.prostitutescollective.net/ecplh.jpg