Does Legalising Prostitution Help Fight Human Trafficking?

Lucy is a 22-year old girl with a two-year old son. She worked as a webcam-girl in her home country Romania, despite having obtained a diploma in architecture. Two years ago she moved to The Netherlands, where she became one of the legal sex-workers in the so-called sex-boats in the prostitution district ‘De Zandpad’. “I was curious and I read online that ‘De Zandpad’ was safe and profitable,” she says explaining why she chose to become a prostitute.

Personally, I find it hard to understand how anyone can voluntarily decide to become a prostitute, even if for financial reasons. To me, money should never have preference over human dignity. However, that doesn’t mean I’m against legalising prostitution. If for whatever reason a woman does end up in prostitution I’d rather she’d be in legal prostitution. As a taxpaying commercial sex worker she has the right to a safe and clean workplace, she is less likely to catch and spread diseases, and she has labour rights.

The ‘sex-boats’ in the prostitution district in the Netherlands. Source: ANP/ David van Dam

Lucy’s prostitution district was forced to shut down last year on suspicions of human trafficking. Recent investigations have brought shocking wrongs to light, such as the forced employment of a heavily pregnant prostitute and another sex worker with a broken leg. New arrests on the suspicion of human trafficking are still being made in this case and the council has designated a new official prostitution area last week. The Dutch Court’s authorisation to withdraw the brothels’ license is based on information from the council’s mandatory prostitution register. Police, tax office, and other authorities work together to investigate, trace, and prosecute perpetrators. Despite justifiable privacy-objections from the legal sex workers, this register seems like a great way to make the prostitution industry more transparent. Legalise it. Map it out. Fight the problems.

Now let’s get to the source of the problem: the prostitute’s client. What is his role in the fight against human trafficking? Should he be penalised for frequenting illegal or under-age prostitutes? I think so. But why not educate him, to use him as a resource to tackle the problem? The Dutch crime-fighting foundation M. has done just that: hosting a video on escort sites, that looks suitably sexy and appealing that suddenly turns into an awareness campaign around compulsion and exploitation in prostitution. It may be flashy, but it works. Anonymous tips have increased 76% since the campaign was introduced in June, 2012. Such a campaign would not be possible in a country where prostitution was illegal.

Sex-worker in the ‘sex-boats’ that have been shut down on suspicion of human trafficking. Source ANP

Some people advocate that legalising prostitution may encourage prostitution, and could even increase human trafficking. “Fighting human trafficking is an extremely complex task,” says Annemarie van der Burg from Foundation M.

In my opinion, prostitution is universal and shouldn’t be denied or ignored. Abolishing prostitution completely is not a realistic option. Recognising the existence of prostitution allows for a clear distinction between voluntary and forced prostitution. It enables authorities to address the serious problems related to the sex industry, rather than exacerbating the poor working conditions that sex worker already face.