53 replies to this topic

[Wino]

This is a story that appeared in the Nation a few weeks ago. Do you think it is wise to legalize prostitution?

UDON THANI: -- Udon Thani Industrial Council chairman Prayoon Homewong has called on the government to legalise prostitution.

"We can never get rid of it. So, I think we should pass laws to regulate it," Prayoon said at a meeting with relevant authorities in Udon Thani.

He described "prostitution" as an old profession, which many foreign countries have recognised legally.

Prayoon added that if the flesh trade were stamped out altogether, sex crimes would soar.

"If there were laws to regulate prostitution, sex workers would be eligible for legal protection and benefits, while the government would earn income from the tax," Prayoon said. "And it would be easier to control."

He added that red-light district zoning could be imposed once laws were passed, before urging MPs and ministers to seriously consider his proposal.

Register would stigmatise

Friends of Women Foundation director Thanavadee Thajeen agreed with imposing zoning and providing prostitutes with access to social security in line with other careers, but moves towards a prostitute-regulation system could only come after consultation with relevant groups.

"There are so many karaoke lounges and other night spots with covert prostitution and some are located near temples and schools. Zoning could help solve this problem," Thanavadee said.

"However, I don't agree with the registration system because it could adversely affect sex workers. Registration means a woman is willing to be stigmatised for the rest of her life as a prostitute, which may effect her chance of finding another other job in the future," she said.

Thanavadee urged relevant agencies to organise public forums in each region for prostitutes to discuss their problems with women's rights activists. Then it would become clear whether the prostitutes want regulation or not, she said.

Regardless of whether prostitution was legalised, she said the government should help prostitutes gain access to the social security system. Prostitutes' employers should be forced to register with their Social Security Office as employers, she said.

"Campaigns among men to deter them from buying sex from women should help - if there are no buyers, there won't be sellers," she said.

[Michael]

I think they should legalize it. But, I think the USA and every other country should as well. What 2 people do with their body is their own damn business. IMHO.

[lvdkeyes]

Legalize it, yes, regulate it, HELL NO.

[eleothegreat]

mass safe sex education is the key. so what if people choose to have sex/buy sex - it's their business. the huge underlying problem that comes with prostitution are the diseases that come along with unprotected sex.

[Wino]

lvdkeyes, on 26 September 2009 - 02:50 PM, said:

Legalize it, yes, regulate it, HELL NO.

Government will not legalize prostitution without some sort of regulation and tax. I would be for legalization and regulation of safe sex through required medical check-ups. Some sort of license for the prostitute may satisfy the government's need for revenue.

[Beer Chang]

Wino, on 26 September 2009 - 01:59 PM, said:

"There are so many karaoke lounges and other night spots with covert prostitution and some are located schools".

This is just about the perfect location for karoake lounges since they're only open during hours when the schools are closed.
That way the noise won't bother people trying to sleep, other than the night watchman.

Even better land use would be to rent out classrooms to karoake entrepreneurs. Or to barowners that dress their hostesses in school uniforms.

[eleothegreat]

Go legalize it.

A lot of women (I suppose from Thailand as well, or perhaps in Thailand specifically) believe that the existence of prostitution reduces rape incidences by some number.

[Thaimo]

lvdkeyes, on 26 September 2009 - 02:50 PM, said:

Legalize it, yes, regulate it, HELL NO.

I agree with you. For all intents and purposes it already is legal. Prostitution is against Thai law, but there is little or no enforcement of that law and I see no evidence that there ever was enforcement. There is so much prostitution in Thailand that I doubt the police have the manpower to even try to enforce it or enforce regulating it if it becomes legalized.

[lvdkeyes]

eleothegreat, on 28 September 2009 - 12:54 AM, said:

Go legalize it.

A lot of women (I suppose from Thailand as well, or perhaps in Thailand specifically) believe that the existence of prostitution reduces rape incidences by some number.

I don't have statistics to back this up, but I doubt prostitution has little bearing on instances of rape. Rape is not a sex crime, it is a crime of violence.

[eleothegreat]

Ooookay..LOL. I just read this somewhere, and it just stated that "some women believe so". Which I presume does not have to be proven statistically because that's waht they think - not necessarily the facts. But thanks for the info, though!

Shall we leave them to their own beliefs?

[Wino]

eleothegreat, on 28 September 2009 - 12:54 AM, said:

Go legalize it.

A lot of women (I suppose from Thailand as well, or perhaps in Thailand specifically) believe that the existence of prostitution reduces rape incidences by some number.

In Roman times and in the early days of the Christian church, prostitution was condoned. Not sure if it was to reduce rape but maybe just to release man's pent-up energy???

[WannaGo]

The whole world should take a lesson from two events in American history: Prohibition and the "War on Drugs." That lesson? The more you try to control human vices, the faster and wider you spread them. It's like throwing water on a grease fire. Also, the the further you force people involved in these vices toward the fringes of society, the more corrupt and violent the situation is going to become.

I don't know if prostitution actually is the world's oldest profession, but it certainly has been part of human history for thousands of years. Supposedly, the legal Code of Hammurabi from the 18th century B.C. contained references to the inheritance rights of prostitutes. I'd be willing to bet that, as a practice, it is nearly as old as the human race. Do the morality police really believe they can stamp out something that is part of human nature?

Prostitution can operate as a safe and profitable enterprise for all involved, under the right circumstances. I remember visiting the Altstadt (Old City) of Nuernberg, Germany when I was a young soldier stationed over there. Prostitution was legal and tightly controlled. The prostitutes had physical protection and regular medical check-ups (although I understand this is no longer a requirement). Because this was conducted in clean, legal brothels and not in sleazy alleys and backstreets, there usually were no worries about getting hurt or robbed for either the sex workers or the customers. The prostitutes even paid taxes.

Prostitution is just like marijuana...common sense says we all would benefit from legalizing and regulating it.

I do feel strongly that it should be regulated to ensure that prostitutes are not being forced to work against their will. We've all heard about the trafficking of women from Eastern Europe and parts of Asia for the purposes of prostitution. No woman should ever have to endure that, and governments must take action to stop the practice. One way to do that is to bring prostitution out of the dark corners, so that regulators can offer protection to all sex workers.

The non-profit ProCon.org has an excellent page here that gives information about the prostitution policies of 92 countries around the world, including Thailand. A quote from a 2003 newspaper article cited on the page:

"The industry is estimated to account for an estimated 3 percent of Thailand's economy, or about US$4.3 billion a year."

[Wino]

WannaGo, on 30 September 2009 - 01:28 AM, said:

The whole world should take a lesson from two events in American history: Prohibition and the "War on Drugs." That lesson? The more you try to control human vices, the faster and wider you spread them. It's like throwing water on a grease fire. Also, the the further you force people involved in these vices toward the fringes of society, the more corrupt and violent the situation is going to become.

I don't know if prostitution actually is the world's oldest profession, but it certainly has been part of human history for thousands of years. Supposedly, the legal Code of Hammurabi from the 18th century B.C. contained references to the inheritance rights of prostitutes. I'd be willing to bet that, as a practice, it is nearly as old as the human race. Do the morality police really believe they can stamp out something that is part of human nature?

Prostitution can operate as a safe and profitable enterprise for all involved, under the right circumstances. I remember visiting the Altstadt (Old City) of Nuernberg, Germany when I was a young soldier stationed over there. Prostitution was legal and tightly controlled. The prostitutes had physical protection and regular medical check-ups (although I understand this is no longer a requirement). Because this was conducted in clean, legal brothels and not in sleazy alleys and backstreets, there usually were no worries about getting hurt or robbed for either the sex workers or the customers. The prostitutes even paid taxes.

Prostitution is just like marijuana...common sense says we all would benefit from legalizing and regulating it.

What you say here makes a lot of sense to me. Like Nuremberg, Amsterdam either legalized or looked the other way with their red light district. Prostitution, marijuana, hash (and maybe other drug use) were essentially confined to one part of town. If you did not like what was going on, you stayed away from that section of town. Made perfect sense to me.

[eleothegreat]

Wino, on 02 October 2009 - 12:20 AM, said:

What you say here makes a lot of sense to me. Like Nuremberg, Amsterdam either legalized or looked the other way with their red light district. Prostitution, marijuana, hash (and maybe other drug use) were essentially confined to one part of town. If you did not like what was going on, you stayed away from that section of town. Made perfect sense to me.

Perfectly said! (applause)

[Wino]

If two consenting adults want to trade money for sex, what is the crime? There is no victime here. Why make it illegal?

[Beer Chang]

Victimless "crimes" should not be crimes.

[Wino]

Beer Chang, on 06 October 2009 - 07:26 PM, said:

Victimless "crimes" should not be crimes.

I agree. Why do you think they are crimes?

[lvdkeyes]

The only crime I can see regarding prostitution would be if the person was forced or coerced into prostitution.

[Wino]

lvdkeyes, on 07 October 2009 - 02:55 AM, said:

The only crime I can see regarding prostitution would be if the person was forced or coerced into prostitution.

Seems to me, that most of the Isaan prostitutes are forced into profession due to proverty. So is this a crime?

[lvdkeyes]

There are many poor people who do not become prostitutes. To say they are forced into it is inaccurate. They choose it.