Should prostitution be legalised?

No, that's true they're not, so therefore it is difficult to know whether it should be legalised or not. There are valid arguments on both sides (bit like the referendum!!!) which makes it very difficult to give an opinion .

Taxation and prostitution is nothing new , it has been spoken of decades. Many .countries 'do' see prostitution as a taxable earning. I believe New Zealand is one.

There is actually already a precident in the UK. The following is from Revenue and Customs:-

BIM65001 - PROSTITUTION
If the activities of a prostitute or any other person deriving income from prostitution are organised in such a way as to constitute a trade or profession (see BIM2000onwards) the profits ARE liable for Income Tax. This was confirmed by CIR v Aken [1990]63TC395.

Cases some may remember are Lindi St.Clair and Cynthia Payne.

My belief is prostitution is legal in the UK but acquisition in public and kerb crawling are illegal, Northern Ireland neither is legal. The legal age for acquisition is 18. I don't like the word acquisition but that is what it is. It is illegal to run a brothel, solicit for sex, pimping, renting a room for sex.

It's not so much a question as to whether prostitution is legal or should be taxed , the answers are there. What it would require is a change in the way we view prostitution rather than the question of should it be legalised. Do we want to see registered brothels on our streets or not. We have them already but they are for the most part seedy, sordid places where goodness knows what happens and to whom.

Prostitution is never going to go away and it is a folly to think prostitution is just prostitution. It is perfectly in order if a grown woman chooses to become a prostitute, not my business. It is fine for a well run Escort Agency to operate. We all agree it is not fine for girls to be exploited and become sex slaves and all the other vile things we can all as adults understand happens in a sordid world such as the 'sex industry'.

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Get away with yer advertising!

No it isn't, babyand names It is perfectly legal to do sex for money.

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Ab. Depends. There are people at university that do not have family support or stability. Being at university is not a guarantee of other things being right in their lives.
Iam64 who has worked in this area thinks the vast majority are victims. So your post is trying to highlight a minority at best.

I have certainly known one who wasn't a victim, or didn't seem to be.
In the 1970's we had our house up for sale and a nice young couple with a child of school age viewed and made us an offer. It was a coincidence that our male neighbour knew the husband. When the sale fell through our neighbour told us that the husband received a tip off that his wife was "entertaining" while he was at work and the child was at school. This proved to be true and the marriage ended.
I cannot even guess at her motives.

What's this victims rubbish,everybuggers a victim today,The only thing they're victims of is crap parenting most of the time.How do you think the rest of us coped,I know a couple of people who have had more than their fair share of problems,they didn't turn to prostitution or crime.They soldiered on.

Tell it like it is Marmark1 ! The bulldog spirit live and well.

obieone, I accept university students working as prosititutes are a minority but reading this thread it is quite easy to believe all prostitutes are victims of addiction or brutal men

Iam64, this is not against your views or you , you name was brought into a post to me, hope you understand,

Obieone, Sharon Shoesmith worked in child care didn't she ? Was she always right ?

So do you agree with Iam64's posts or not?
I have no idea what Sharon Shoesmith has to do with this.
I also note that you write the same as reikilady upthread about married women who dont have jobs.

I'm not taking it personally Anniebach but if one of my daughter's had funded their time at university by prostitution, I'd have been heart broken. They came out with debts they're still paying off, despite us supporting them as much as we were able to do.

I know some men or women 'chose' prostitution as a means of making money but that doesn't mean I have to see it as a career choice I'd recommend to anyone. So many of those who have worked in the sex industry, on reflection recognise how abusive the way of life was. (US research which I'm sorry I can't remember the title of)

Most of the street sex workers have not had loving, secure childhoods. I accept that not everyone in their situation will resort to prostitution but are there any street workers who don't do it to fund drug/alcohol dependence - very few I'd suggest.

Thank you Iam, I certaintly do not see it as a career choice I would be happy for my daughters or granddaughters to enter.

I can't think that anyone would consider this way of life as a career option!!! But I suppose there could be a desperate situation that would demand desperate measures! Whether it should be legalised? Well, I suppose there are pro's and con's, but which outweighs the other, I really wouldn't know.

I agree with pompa Tue 08-Mar-16 20:28:12

My girls managed to get through university by working in a supermarket or by waitressing. I don't think any of their friends funded their studies by prostitution, it must be quite rare I would have thought.

But some women do choose to do it. That is their right and it is not illegal to do so.

That's why the subject of prostitution cannot be viewed in a singular way. Prostitution is to some a choice. Now the issue is why they made that choice. One woman may see it as a benefit for reasons of financial gain, power over her client, don't forget prostitution also includes sado masachism and goodness knows what but we all know it is available. Another woman will go into prostitution to feed her drug habit , if nobody has pimped her into making that decision then she has made a choice , albeit one out of desperation and therefore we view it something other than choice but choice it is.

Prostitution will not go away and even if there were Registered Brothels , prostitutes paid tax and were given medical certificates to be able to supply their trade the back street, grubby, sordid shit holes will still operate .

To my mind I think we should follow the countries who have Registered Brothels but there must be a will to find out, shut down the vile trade where girls are pimped, used as sex slaves and god knows what other relative abuse that takes place in the under belly of the sex industry, too horrid to contemplate .

I mentioned Cynthia Payne earlier. Her 'girls' were not pimped they knew and chose what they did. She was shut down yet Soho was debasing girls and women on a scale known to the authorities but they were hardly touched.

We have to decide whether or not our culture can move forward and accept Registered Prostitution , however unpalatable that may be to some. Or stick with what we have which ensures women and girls suffer physical abuse, sexual exploitation and degradation .

I think yes, providing the women and men are not underage, the houses that would be used would be all confined to one area. That the women and men are allowed to keep what they earn, pay taxes etc. It would be helpful if they had regular medical checks and the use of drugs not to be allowed. The police or some other body of workers could check that none of the women and men were being forced to do this type of work. I personally would not like my family to do this job, but I believe everyone should be free to choose what work they do in life.

I fully agree with POGS

Totally agree with you POGS.

Would you want your daughter or granddaughter to do it? Bet the answer is a resounding no.

I don't see that it's relevant to the thread whether we 'approve' of prostitution or not as a lifestyle choice. When I think about it, there are some other jobs that I wouldn't want my daughter or granddaughter to do but unless they asked for my advice I'd have to accept the situation.

The main thing is that they should be able to feel safe.

I agree Ana .

You're right I wouldn't recommend it as a career choice to anyone but whether we approve, disapprove, legalise it or not it will not stop because of the simple laws of supply and demand .

It's one of the oldest 'professions' in the world .

What I would like to see is that the women and men who are involved are safe, kept as healthy as possible and do it as a personal choice not because they are coerced or working for someone else.

I think it's the best that can be done.

I agree with POGS and subsequent posts from Ana and N&G

It will never go away, and if it were to be legalised perhaps those who would not choose to do it but are forced into it would be saved from a life not of their choosing.

I went to Amsterdam while ago now and while there did a walking tour of the Red Light District the guide explained how all the girls were registered,paid tax,had regular health checks advise centres etc they even had there own crèche facilities and parish church in the district, it seems that there always have and always will be working girls but to me this is a better and safer way to manage the situation. Also the guide told us that there was an area just by Amsterdam station where unregistered girls worked and it was ther they had a really big drug problem and girls being attacked