American Commercial College Prostitution Crime & Human Trafficking Essay & PPT My assignment is to write an argumentative essay and then follow that up wit | Course Hero

American Commercial College Prostitution Crime & Human Trafficking Essay & PPT My assignment is to write an argumentative essay and then follow that up with a powerpoint presentation. The essay is complete, but I am asking for someone to proof-read the essay, and revise as needed. I am also asking that someone create powerpoint for me to finish this project. The directions for the powerpoint are below, and this does inclue a recorded video with voiceover that only shows the slides, while you can be heard presenting the material. I have attached my essay for this assignment.Imagine that you have been asked to present your argument at a conference on your paper’s chosen topic. Then, imagine a few scholars in the field who disagree with your claim are present in the audience. Additionally, during a question and answer session during the conference, consider two scholars countering your paper’s position. Let your readers know what their arguments are and work to convince the audience that your position is the stronger one or that your solution is the better one. Both sides will have merit, but help your audience understand why your claim is the more logical and reasonable one.Create a PowerPoint presentation containing at least six slides that uses words, images, and narration.Develop two of the strongest scholarly counterarguments against your paper’s claim (2 slides for each argument).Convince the audience that their claims are weak, based on the research you conducted (2 slides). Do not demean the opposition, call them names, or directly attack their positions. If your argument is truly the stronger one, it should stand up against fairly presented academic research. Lastly, You’ll be recording a video showing your slides with a voiceover presenting the material. Running head: PROSTITUTION AND CRIME
Prostitution and Crime:
Should It Be Legal?
Michael Cullum
Thomas Edison State University
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PROSTITUTION AND CRIME
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While prostitution has been around for centuries, the government’s response to it has
changed over the years. These changes in legislation make the topics of prostitution and other
sexual activity subject to criticism over whether they are harmful and if they should require
government oversight. However, there is an aspect of these activities that often get overlooked;
consent is not always provable, making the lines blurred on these activities. Prostitution and
other sexual activities should not be free from governmental interference because they lead to
criminal activity and create victims. Prostitution leads to a crime that is not victimless, regardless
of what some may believe.
The first and most volatile crime that results from legalized prostitution and sex work is
human trafficking. In a Harvard Law article, the authors cite a study examining whether legal
prostitution increases human trafficking. The World Development study found that countries
with legalized prostitution had higher human trafficking inflows than countries where
prostitution is illegal (Harvard Law School, 2014). The study also found that the type of
legislation on prostitution did not matter; all that mattered was whether prostitution was legal or
not. The legislation on prostitution is vital in explaining human trafficking outcomes. Finally, the
study discussed how the criminalization of prostitution in Sweden resulted in the shrinking of
prostitution and lessened human trafficking (Harvard Law School, 2014). These results
demonstrate a clear connection between prostitution and human trafficking. While the idea of
prostitution is perceived to be a victimless crime, it often leads to severe criminal human
trafficking crimes in real-world situations. Human trafficking could be a complicated crime to
identify, because it may not be apparent if the act was consensual. Prostitution is an issue that
must be addressed by lawmakers. There is a definite need for government interference for those
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who are nonconsensual and are victims of criminal activity. Without government involvement,
there would be no way to help these victims and monitor potential criminal activity.
The crime associated with prostitution and legal sex work directly correlate to other
crimes women experience in these fields. America is not alone in its war against prostitution, as
many other countries have also made sex work illegal. In 1999 the Sex Purchase Act was pushed
through the Swedish parliament by feminist legislators who argued that selling sex is inherently
damaging, both physically and psychologically, and that no woman enters into sex work
voluntarily. (Shucart, 2015) The Sex Purchase Act finally passed through legislation in 1999,
criminalizing the purchase of sex and pimping and brothels. Similar laws have been passed in
Norway, Iceland, Canada, and Northern Ireland–due in no small part to a well-funded
international marketing campaign by the Swedish government. (Shucart, 2015)
Addressing the topic of abuse, Shucart writes that many of the women and girls involved
in the industry had histories of trauma, drug, and alcohol abuse, all brought on by working as sex
workers. Once a woman is under the control of a pimp, violence becomes a mainstay in their
daily lives. Many trafficking victims are unlikely to consent, which means most of them are
being raped with no one to help them. If these women were to fight back, they would be beaten,
or even worse, murdered. Legalized prostitution would cause the demand for human trafficking
to increase dramatically. With an increase in demand, would come an increase in illicit activity
to supply this demand. All these statements made by Shucart demonstrates how prostitution is
not a victimless crime, but rather a physical and emotional detriment to all sex workers’ lives.
Since these women are incredibly vulnerable, more should be done to find the pimps and end
human trafficking for good.
PROSTITUTION AND CRIME
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Expanding on the connection between prostitution and human trafficking, it is evident that
there is an overall connection between prostitution and crimes against the prostitute. In a
document by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, the authors cite a study that found high
crime rates against prostitutes. The results showed that 93% of participants had experienced
sexual assault, 75% rape, 44% forced sex with law enforcement, 56% robbery, 82% physical
assault, and 83% threatened with weapons (Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, 2013). These
results clearly show the risks and crimes that are associated with practicing prostitution. These
statistics also demonstrate how sex workers are frequently victims of crime, whether related to
their work or not. Prostitutes are in a vulnerable position that makes them more likely to be
physically and mentally hurt because of their activities. Once a sex worker is in a dangerous
situation, they may not be able to get out. Thus, government involvement is needed so that sex
workers can get help when they are put into a dangerous situation or are victims of a crime.
When trying to deal with the threats they face each day, many contemplate suicide, with some of
the women following through with committing suicide, since they feel death is better than living
their lives. Ultimately, the prostitute or sex worker faces greater danger by these practices, and
they are the victims of the multiple crimes listed above.
To an even further extent, prostitutes are often the victims of murder. In an article from
the National Institute of Justice, research has shown a connection between murderers and sexual
motivation. The article cites a study that found that serial murderers were almost always
motivated by sex and were more sexually aggressive (National Institute of Justice, 2009). The
study also created a profile of the victims of homicides and found that most victims were in their
20’s or 30’s, African American, worked in high crime areas, abused on the job, and were
involved in prostitution (National Institute of Justice, 2009). This connection between murder
PROSTITUTION AND CRIME
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and prostitution is alarming and demonstrates a clear risk to those who engage in sex work. Their
safety may be at risk due to the numerous people they deal with while doing their job. These
risks can be studied further in the National Institute of Justice article relating to criminal activity.
The article discusses how men who are violent towards prostitutes are likely to have a criminal
past and are likely to have a history of violent offenses. Offenses from these men often include
rape and property crime (National Institute of Justice, 2009). This research makes it clear that
prostitutes and sex workers face a personal safety risk when they engage in these activities,
simply because of the criminals that may engage in this form of lifestyle. They are prime targets
for murder since the general feeling is that the public may not value a prostitutes’ lives as they
would an individual who holds a morally accepted job.
Because prostitution and other related sex work have been proven on a scientific level to
be victim-oriented, the government should be involved in these issues. In a Forbes article by
Simon Hedlin, the author explains how legalizing something increases illegal activity in that
specific job field. He uses the example of selling ivory. He discusses how, when the sale of ivory
was temporarily legalized, there was an increase in illegal ivory production (Hedlin, 2016).
Instead of discouraging criminal activity, legalizing the practice made the illegal aspects occur
more often. The author discusses how legalization reduces stigma around an activity, making it
more commonplace and acceptable, making it easier for those engaged in criminal activity to go
about their business unnoticed. It becomes harder to distinguish between a legal situation an
illegal situation, especially with prostitution and sex work.
Even if prostitution becomes legal and widely accepted, there is no way of knowing which
workers are giving consent, and which criminals are trafficking workers against their will. In an
NPR article discussing whether sex work should be legal, Rachel Lloyd again states that the
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commercial sex industry is inherently exploitative and involves power unbalances (Garsd, 2019).
Making prostitution legal or illegal does not change the fact that workers are inherently at risk
and are subject to violence by those who are more powerful. Making the industry legal does not
make it any less brutal; the dynamics of exploitation were still there (Garsd, 2019). Ultimately,
being able to buy sex creates a power imbalance that will only harm the victim. Whether there is
consent or not, they are still facing an imbalance of power that they cannot fight alone. As in any
illicit industry, there are always those with low moral compasses that will put themselves in a
position to benefit financially without regard to others’ physical and mental well-being.
Furthermore, to help protect those involved in these practices, the government should take
an active role in punishing the criminals and not the victims. According to the National Institute
of Justice, most of the arrests involving prostitution are arrests of the prostitute, and not the ones
that are forcing them into this conduct. Only about 10% of the men paying for prostitution are
ever taken into police custody (National Institute of Justice, 2009). The number of arrests is a
significant problem that should be changed by government action. Because it can be hard to
determine whether the activity was consensual or not, in all investigations and arrests, the males
or purchasers should also be arrested and questioned for their participation. More arrests would
help find cases that are not consensual, human trafficking instances, and deter men from
partaking in paying for sex.
Additionally, offenders arrested can take part in a workshop to learn about prostitution
and how to avoid it. If they avoid prostitution for years after their arrest, their charges may be
dropped (National Institute of Justice, 2009). Trying to discourage prostitution for both the
offenders and the victims may help lower sex crimes overall and allow victims to get help if they
need it. Ultimately, there needs to be an element of governmental interference to monitor
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activities and help victims get help and stay safe. The current way of policing this industry is not
having a tremendous impact on deterring human trafficking. Workshops and other governmentmandated courses could have a considerable impact on how potential buyers view the women
and all other aspects of this illicit industry. These courses could help the potential buyer
understand that women are people with feelings and not just objects for their wants.
In conclusion, sex work has been around for many years, and its legality has been debated
many times over. While these activities, often viewed as victimless crimes, the information
displayed here clearly shows that these crimes do have victims. Those involved in prostitution
and sex work often face many different crimes against them, and the crimes are often violent.
There is no clear way to prove consent with these activities, making it hard to prove that
individual instances are cases of human trafficking and identified as so. Since the connection
between these activities and crime appears to be evident, there needs to be a level of government
involvement to keep people safe and find nonconsensual victims. Prostitution and other related
activities should not be free from government interference because crime and illegal activity are
directly involved with these practices. These instances create victims of many different crimes,
and the government needs to be active in helping victims and protecting them from being abused
or injured. Prostitution is not a victimless crime as has been exhibited with the evidence of
physical and emotional abuse incurred by the sex workers. With prostitution not being a
victimless crime, we should focus more on law enforcement details on this industry to help save
anyone in danger of becoming a victim.
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Works Cited
Harvard Law School. (2014, June 12). Does Legalized Prostitution Increase Human Trafficking?
Harvard Law and International Development Society.
https://orgs.law.harvard.edu/lids/2014/06/12/does-legalized-prostitution-increase-humantrafficking/
Shucart, B. (2015, December) Turning Off The Red Light. Amnesty International
http://fir.tesu.edu:2061/ehost/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=d6ed0b1c-bbf4-41ee-a969ff6f412cb11e%40sdc-vsessmgr03&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=113718962
Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape. (2013). The Intersection Between Prostitution and Sexual
Violence. https://pcar.org/sites/default/files/pagespdf/the_intersection_between_prostitution_and_sexual_violence.pdf
National Institute of Justice. (2009, September 29). Prostitution: Pathways, Problems and
Prevention. https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/prostitution-pathways-problems-andprevention
Hedlin, S. (2016, October 17). Can Prostitution Law Reform Curb Sex Trafficking? Theory And
Evidence On A Sale Substitution, And Replacement Effects. Law.umich.edu.
http://repository.law.umich.edu/mjlr/vol50/iss2/3
Garsd, J. (2019, March 22). Should Sex Work Be Decriminalized? Some Activists Say It’s Time.
NPR. https://www.npr.org/2019/03/22/705354179/should-sex-work-be-decriminalizedsome-activists-say-its-time

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