by Kerry Griffin

Created on: August 01, 2008

Should Prostitution and Brothels be legalised?

The government has confirmed that the law could be changing to allow small brothels, were perhaps two prostitutes, and a maid or receptionist, work together legally, without risk of breaking the law. As it is, lone prostitutes can offer sex from their own flats or premises, without breaking the law, but if there were more than one prostitute, it would be illegal.

Although I can think of better career prospects for the women who work in brothels, I think there is some positive reasoning for brothels for example, to become legalised. One such reason would be that there may be increased health checks for those involved in brothels. As it is now, women dare not go to a doctor and state their profession, partly for embarrassment, and the fact that it is currently illegal to work in such a capacity. If the women in brothels felt they were able to go to a doctor, without fear of being arrested, perhaps more STI's could be treated, contraceptive injections could be issued more frequently to prevent the high rate of pregnancies and abortions, and the general health of the women could be checked.
Also, if legalised, would the safety of the brothel increase? Due to it being a legal work environment, more risk assessments and safety checks by outside safety organisations, such as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), would increase the safety of the workplace, and limit the amount of accidents, which could perhaps limit the woman's earning potential. If she was injured, she may not be able to work. Plus, if there were a small group of workers, perhaps the amount of violence towards prostitutes would fall. This is a risk that lone prostitutes face at the moment, the risk of violence and abuse, which could be deterred in a small working group.
Furthermore, under the new strategy, police will be encouraged to work more closely with charities running safe houses to help women get out of the sex trade. The strategy includes measures to encourage women to get help with drink or drug problems. These include creating a new penalty for the offence of loitering or soliciting for prostitution so courts can direct women into drug or alcohol programmes rather than fining them.
As brothels stand now, they are likely to get a criminal record for working in a brothel. This is a negative factor, as if the woman is young, and selling herself out of desperation, and intends to train as a nurse in future years, a criminal record could potentially

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