Is Prostitution Ethical? In the 21st century, the profession of prostitution has been a target of great controversy as far as the ethical and moral issues are concerned. Prostitution is one of the oldest professions of this world and the critical debate with regard to the moral and ethical values of this profession are not a surprise for anyone. “Prostitution can be defined as “The act or practice of engaging in sexual intercourse for money,” and is usually provided as an underground service” (LaBossiere).
A comprehensive majority of the world’s population believes that prostitution is an immoral and unethical profession and it is also considered to be an illegal practice in most parts of the world. However, the profession has only grown dramatically over the past few decades and many women find it an easy or a viable option considering the economical recession in Europe and even in Asia. Traditionally, the business and profession grew with the work of women – majority of the workers in this business were females. However, over the last decade, investigations have revealed that many men now prefer this profession as well.
Despite all the moral and ethical debates about how this profession is wrong, the business has grown in areas such as Asia, Europe and now even in the Middle East. However, when people claim that prostitution is an unethical profession, their judgment is usually influenced by the media and the documentaries on television or the ones available on the internet. The stories shown in the documentary might be true but people should form their beliefs and opinion on the information they have on the background of this profession.
Many women are forced into this profession as they are given false hope of marriage or employment opportunities across different borders. On the other hand, some women force themselves into this business since they are defeated by their current circumstances and they are in dire need of urgent finances. And finally, there are some women who get into this profession on their own free will since they consider it a good money option. The moral and ethical debate rises when the main reason behind a prostitute’s career is that she was forced into this business in the first place.
This concept practically implies that the customers force themselves onto such women, which is a huge crime in the eyes of the laws and the rules and regulations of all countries. Prostitution is an unethical and immoral profession when women are forced into this profession without their knowledge and when women do not have any other option but to get into this profession due to financial circumstances, however, when women get into this business on their own freewill, the profession cannot be considered immoral.
The prostitution business has grown dramatically because of the concept of human trafficking in which the victims are usually women and innocent children. In different parts of Asia such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the concept of human trafficking is at its peak. The employment opportunities are extremely rare in these countries, particularly for the female population. Hence, women who gain some education are always attracted to job opportunities across borders.
The people running the business of prostitution, including the transporters and the individuals who decide where the prostitutes work know this fact very well and use it to their own advantage. The women are usually given false hope about job and employment opportunities abroad. They are promised a bright career, they are provided with a satisfactory salary and they are also provided with the visa and the ticket as well. These people make sure that their actions are convincing enough and the women or their families do not suspect them.
When these women are in the new country, away from home, the individuals then reveal their true identity and the women are simply betrayed. They do not know any place or any individual in the entirely new country and they are enslaved and imprisoned by the same individuals who had promised them a good and bright career. Another way of imprisoning the women is by giving them the false hope of marriages. In most of the developing parts of the world, parents are usually interested in giving their daughter’s hand to a young boy that has a promising career abroad.
The individuals take advantage of this as well and approach families. The families, impressed by the lies these people say, marry their daughters and are all set to send them away to another country. Again, when these women arrive to the new country, they are betrayed and are forced to become prisoners to such animals. These women are then forced into this profession and that is when the debate of ethical and moral issues comes into play. When an individual is forced into anything, such as slavery, by definition, it is an ethically wrong action.
Child labor is considered to be extremely wrong when it is matched up against the moral and ethical ground. The children are forced to do work against their own will, defying the basic human right of freedom. The women who are forced into prostitution and are paid in return are no different. These women did not choose this profession. It is simply against their own will that they perform such indecent acts in exchange for money. Under the law, these women are practically being raped in exchange for money. It is no different than a horrible crime being committed on a large scale.
Overall, prostitution brings about the moral issue of whether the service is actually degrading one’s body and if that should ultimately be considered rape. Without question, prostitution entails putting one’s emotions aside to provide a sexual service only for money in return” (Odze). Moreover, some of these women are even educated and they would never do anything of such kind in their right state of mind. Many women also come from a very religious background and their religion does not permit them to do anything of this sort.
Hence, these women are forced to do something that is not only against their basic and inner belief but also against their religion and such an act is ethically wrong and immoral. Women are rebellious initially. Naturally, these women feel betrayed and they would never want to degrade themselves to such a level. However, the women are tortured and there is simply no way they can escape the prison they are captured in. Holding someone against their own will and torturing them is not allowed by any ethical law and is again morally wrong. Women do not agree to perform the acts as instructed by the people who have imprisoned them.
The women are then given drugs and alcohol at regular intervals until they are not in their right state of mind. Women tend to do all those things without even realizing that they are doing something that is against all their basic beliefs. They do so unconsciously for a certain period of time and when they realize that they do not have any other way out of this mess, they feel defeated and finally give up and agree to do whatever their owner asks them to do. In other cases, women end up committing suicide since they can no longer live the life they are forced to live.
Forcing someone into a profession against their own will which eventually forces them to kill themselves is just immoral and unethical to a level that cannot even be imagined. Hence, people who believe that prostitution is moral and an ethical profession is simply those individuals who actively defy the basic right of human beings – their right to be independent, their right to be free and their right to live their life the way they want to live. There is simply no doubt that prostitution is an inhumane act and is immoral because “if an activity is harmful it ought to be prohibited/deemed impermissible/attract moral censure etc.
Therefore, prostitution ought to be prohibited/ deemed impermissible/attract moral censure etc. ” (Danaher) Another circumstance when men, women and children are forced into this profession is when they feel there is no other viable option of income and they are in desperate need of finance and income. Many people are held hostage and are only freed if the women or children of their house agree to enter into this profession. The market and industry of prostitution belongs to people who are extremely rich and powerful.
Individuals know that once they get their hands into this business, they will never get out of it alive. Despite this, many women enter this business and are willing to perform indecent acts just for the sake of money. Even though they are not held imprisoned and are not enslaved, the circumstances in which they are forced into this profession and are told to perform these acts are morally wrong. The economical recession and financial crunch has left many people unemployed. They number of people who require jobs are increasing every year while the number of job opportunities for these people is decreasing.
This has lead to an increase in the level of crime and terrorism along with an increase in the business that is ethically wrong and people who are not in such circumstances would never get into such business. The force of poverty is extremely strong and it can cause people to enter such situations which are simply very degrading. The women born in poor families are just unlucky and it is not fair that they end up in such situations. There may be people who would start judging the moral aspects of these women but they are forced by their circumstances.
Some women require the money for treatment to save their children or husband or even other family members from death. It is unfortunate, unethical and immoral that the society cannot help these individuals and they are forced into such professions. Another example of women getting into this business is when they are raped at a very young age. Such an incident simply transforms their lives and they simply cannot live a normal life like other individuals. They may be strong financially and their financial status does not force them to get into this business but the
