I see sex work as somewhat analogous to coal mining. It’s not that it isn’t real work, or that those who work in that capacity don’t deserve rights, dignity, or a society that works for them. The problem, of course, is the ever-present exploitation of the workers coupled with the severe unpleasantness of the occupation which ensures that the people who do work these jobs are those with few other options. That isn’t to say that all sex workers and/or coal miners are miserable. Even so, the patterns around this kind of work are unmistakable.
Given these facts, I think most reasonable people understand that sex work should go extinct. That isn’t to say that you can’t make pornography or have sex with strangers. However, it’s impossible to gauge enthusiastic consent when money is changing hands, and enthusiastic consent is a vital component for an ethical sexual encounter.
My question for the community is how exactly this is meant to be accomplished. How can sex work be abolished without harming the very people it’s meant to protect? The number one problem western sex workers face, more so than creepy clients, is the cops, who profile them, steal their wages, and arrest them on a whim. Clearly, criminalizing sex work hasn’t done much for sex workers. What are some alternatives?
I’d like to add to the overall discussion that the sex trade has been legalized, in Turkiye and Germany, and yet they remain top spots for human trafficking victims and the supposed rights afforded to people within the trade often look more like infringements. Brothels being state-run is just a double whammy that has effectively turned both states into mega-pimps.
Germany was and still is the main destination of human trafficking in Europe.
In Poland getting paid for sex is legal, but pimping and brothels are illegal. Of course that don’t stopped nothing at all. Pimps are “bodyguards” and brothels are “dance clubs” or “resteurations” which hire rooms for people “wanting” to spend some time with eachother. As long as there is something else to officially pay for, it’s operating in the open.
Btw this is used in a peculiar small time tax evasion method. The argument of state being a pimp was actually used, and sex services are not taxed. Therefore i heard about few cases where some otherwise legit income or gifts was declared “sex service” in order to evade tax.
Thanks for the added, harrowing context. One of the funniest (not funny haha) justifications Wikipedia, “non-SWERFs” et al. seem to like to make for this legalization is that it allows the state to more accurately track STDs like HIV and AIDS. You know, a great alternative to fucking subsidizing and nationalizing the healthcare system is to fund and create spaces where people are 100x more likely to catch said STDs, right? 🙄
I don’t believe any sex worker unions support the German model. The workers I’ve listened to are asking for the New Zealand solution, which is decriminalization.