Should brothels be legalised?

& the most vulnerable types would have no chance of being hired by legal brothels anyway.

The only reason the men using these "services" aren't prosecuted is because they aren't caught. It is an offence to use and tout prostitution. Many countries do have legalised brothels but I do wonder why folk use them.

notanan2 - I totally agree with your fury about the ill conceived notion that legalised brothels would do anything to protect the vulnerable girls, boys, men and women who earn small amounts of cash by selling any kind of sexual service demanded by their clients.

I am aware that prostitution and the exploitation of vulnerable children and adults for sex has existed since time began. My question continues to be, why is it seen as acceptable for men (and it usually is men) to expect their sexual needs to be met. I find the notion that some sexual services that wives or partners won't provide can be bought, with the man facing sympathy, rather than criticism.

I agree Iam
The perception that men are entitled to sex and shouldn't be expected to go without it is very deep rooted.

Flip it to see how wrong it is

I revert to the argument that male disabled people NEED the mechanical act of sex. Their "plight" met with sympathy. It is "understandable" for them to buy a female body if mean women kind are "rejecting" him

No one would say that about a disabled women.

Deep rooted.

I believe that devout Jewish men take their cue from their wife.

What do you mean Gabriella?

I'd say that all loving, caring and loyal husbands would take their cue from their wife.

I've spoke to and known a number of "prostitutes" over the years - ALL of whom were in the profession by choice. I personally believe licenced brothels are the best way of protecting women, no way is perfect but this is better than most. Not all, or even most, women in the sex industry are there because of drug habits or because they are being forced by pimps. Street prostitution is a serious issue and should be heavily clamped down on but alongside this there needs to be protection for brothels and women who work from their own homes or rented premises. Please don't presume to tell any woman what she should do with her own body - there is good money to be made in this field for women who are halfway attractive OR offer specialised services (something I have experience of myself but am not prepared to go into details on a public forum). If you are a feminist then you should believe in a women's right to choose what she does with her own body - obviously it is wrong that pimps exist and, again, the law should clamp down on this exploitative scum hard.

How so Saetana?
Logistically
Your average sex worker would not be working in a legal brothel.

At the High end, why would they?
At the exploitative end, they wouldn't be hired.

How many legal brothels do you think there would be per town? A BIG tourist town/city? A handful at most would get licenced.
In small town maybe nil
Sex work is prolific. Legal brothels would probably employ well bellow 1% of any given towns sex workers

Legal brothels would not IMO have any positive impact on existing sex workers, or improve their working conditions in any way.

The perceived protections of legal brothels do not extend beyond their walls, outside of which 99.9% of sex workers would continue to work

Legal brothels would just further desensitize porn-sick boys and men

it is not" legal in a few of the states"
street prostitution is illeagal in all 50 states.and only legal and very controlled in parts of nevada.

www.quora.com/Where-in-the-United-States-of-America-is-prostitution-legal

Mimiro that is an important distinction:

Legal brothels do not = decriminalising prostitution. Prostitution is still criminalised outside of a handful of licenced venues where you have legal brothels. They do not improve things for prostitutes.

How can any man can think it's his right to pay for sex, they all have either sisters, girl friends and mothers, would they like to think of them doing that with strangers. The girls that do it, unless they are physically forced into it, I can't understand. If you legalise something doesn't that legitimise it. It's wrong on every level, but I have to face the fact that it's the oldest profession and will always go on. Ultimately the girls need to be safe. life is so hard for so many desperate people.

Saetana - I've also spoken to many sex workers, male, female as well as boys and girls who have been subjected to sexual exploitation.
I'm a feminist and yes, its a woman's right to choose. The fact remains, sex work is rarely an area of work chosen by people/children, who have much choice in the matter.

I'm opposed to brothels. I lived in a red light area for a couple of years and never walked to the shops, walked my dog, or walked my children to school without being asked by men cruising past in cars "are you working love". I certainly wasn't dressed in any way to draw attention to myself. 8 am - silly o'clock there these men were, feeling perfectly entitled to harass a young mother walking her children to school. Open a brothel and increase the likelihood of that kind of thing. None of us allowed our children to walk to school without an adult with them. The number of men seeking sex led us all to feel the need to offer extra security to the children.

In my earlier post I pointed out that the "gang masters, pimps and people traffickers" should be cracked down on, prosecuted and if they are not British (many of them aren't ) deported and not allowed back into the UK.

More control at our borders might prevent some of these girls (and boys) being brought in to UK to be abused.

For some women prostitution is a choice and for these legalised brothers might be an idea. I am against anyone telling a women what she can or cannot do with her body.

I think the reason some men see sex as their right is so deep rooted in all walks of society. I have no idea where to begin changing their mindsets. With our AC we constantly reminded them when they started dating that they should treat their girlfriends/partner how they would want their sister to be treated.

People talk about prostitution being the oldest profession as though that makes its existence inevitable. Well marital rape, domestic violence, incest, child abuse have always existed but we ( well most of us) don’t just use that as an excuse to do nothing about it. The existence of prostitution is fundamentally an expression of the power differential between (some) men and women and men’s sense of entitlement to use women sexually.

As for changing the deep rooted attitudes of some men GG towards sex as a right, I would argue that shifting attitudes towards sexual harassment of all types is a damn good start and shouldn’t be treated so dismissively by some on here.

maryeliza Totally agree with the fact that our attitude towards sexual harassment needs to change.

Unfortunately some of the "me too" movement has had a bad impact on both sexes. Rape, sexual assault and aggressive sexual taunting is of course so wrong. Should always be addressed and prosecuted when proven.

Is wolf whistling in that category, casual flirting or a hand on your back when going through a door. For the more gentle souls out in the world it has become a very troubling dilemma when trying to make contact with a person they find attractive.

Totally standing with you on this one maryeliza.
GG13, any attempt by women to challenge the way in which we have been subjected to casual sexual harassment alongside its best friend, sexual assaults, rape and abuse seem always to be met with the cry that they're making things worse, not helping anyone and worse, alienating or upsetting men.

I couldn’t agree less GG. Firstly, wolf whistling is sometimes aimed at young schoolgirls walking home - it isn’t invited by them or appreciated and the men should just button it. As for hand on the back when going through a door? Really ? Come on - completely unnecessary - is that something we all do or is it men( consciously or not) demonstrating a sense of entitlement towards women’s bodies - which takes us back to prostitution

Iam and maryeliza, I was not condoning wolf whistles, hand on back etc. I just wanted to point out that as in all things the lines are blurred.

Men have not and never should have entitlement to a women's body without her consent.

I am a lifelong feminist.

It’s believing lines are blurred that helps feed the problem - there is absolutely no excuse for men wolf whistling at women. Full stop. What’s blurred about that? Sorry but a few more absolutes wouldn’t go amiss

Maryeliza, what do you suggest is the answer to all the everyday interaction between the sexes? Something which is unacceptable to you or I could be totally ok with someone else. Surely it comes down to respect and common sense, which has to begin in the home and taught in schools ( it is covered in our Borough under HPSE)

In everyday non private interactions eg at work, in the street, on a train men should not make personal comments gestures or whistle to woman regarding their personal appearance or sexual attractiveness. They should not physically touch them. What’s so hard about that?

You can legally work as a prostitute and register with HMRC as one. But they are called ‘Escorts’. More than one person working from a premises defines it as a ‘brothel’ and then technically becomes illegal. I have noticed Premier Inn has card entry only to the lifts and doors to their bedrooms now. A favourite budget hotel of many sex workers. I watched Filipino girls constantly walking in and out with their flight bags. The same girl would walk in and out six times a day. Whilst she was out, her friend went in. Sex trafficking should be stamped out. It has increased vastly in the U.K. So has escorting- mainly the. Eastern Europeans who are on poverty wages and paying high rents. Done for survival. You will never stop the sex industry. Better for a man to go and get his five minutes of pleasure than threaten his marriage with an affair. (I didn’t watch the programme).

I think the question of disabled people and sex is interesting. Our views on prostitution and sex are so linked to our history and culture. Are there disabled or other women who would pay for sex if they could? I really don't know. There are certainly men who will. And although some of the men shown in the programme might have wanted a beaten and bruised woman, one shown wanted "the girl friend experience". Difficult to understand how he reconciled that with the girl and her circumstances. I do think that if it were illegal to pay for sex except in a licensed place there might be less exploitation (although I accept it would still go on).

I'm sorry but the casual, often inadvertent touch in the workplace or in public by a man is not imo a threat or hold any sexual connotation. By your comment, would the touch of a hand handing over change or a ticket or book, document etc be banned?