Legalising prostitution

India is a country of vast contradictions. On one hand, we have a nation of sex starved horny men, who
relieve their urges in the creepiest and scariest of ways, and on the other, we have a culture(supposedly
followed by these same men) which considers sex a taboo and, places high emphasis on the so called
chastity of women, but at the same time doesn't fail to objectify them to the last degree.

Some of those worst affected in this bias are the prostitutes. Half of them do it out of desperation, as a
kind of a last resort, while the other half are forced into it, thanks to our poor efforts to stymie
organized human trafficking. Regardless, the fact remains, once the women start it, there's no turning
back, no hopes for a new life. Our society isn't broadminded or mature enough to accept them into the
fold. As if that wasn't bad enough, the kind of lives these women endure are horrible enough to chill
your spine. Most of the men they cater to come from the vast underbelly of the city. These men are ill
kept, having themselves grown up in near inhuman conditions. Sex with them would inevitably involve a
huge risk of infection with diseases. Also, these men are of the streets, usually meaning they have no
regard for women whatsoever. The prostitutes would suffer nothing but opression at the hands of these
men.

A third category of men that come are married ones, who, unable to handle the stresses and
responsibilities on their family lives, visit for pleasure and a relief from their supposed burdens. Acts like
these, when discovered, would devastate their entire families, especially their wives.

Now, come to think of it, prostitution isn't exactly wrong. Forced prostitution, or human trafficking for
that matter, is wrong, as it damages or kills human rights and lives. Morally prostitution is viewed as an
evil, but that is only the result of a backward perspective of society. Sex has been sold in our country and
around the world for centuries, and those selling weren't branded with such humiliation as they are
today. Perhaps it all stems from a deep fear people are unable to express. Which is why, legalizing and
regulating prostitution would solve some issues.

1) Sex drive

Though this is just a theory, one of the possible benefits of this change is that owing to the presence of
an outlet for sexual urges, crimes against women could probably drop. Apart from a deeper need to
dominate(power conflict) and a total disregard for the feminine, rape, molestation and harassment
cases are usually a result of repressed sexual urges. A legal outlet for them could perhaps very well
change the mentality of the country drastically.

2) Safety for the women working there

Once the process is legalised, it can be regulated and brougt under control. The person operating a
brothel would need to have a license, the prostitutes working under him would need to be registered by
their own consent, the 'customers' using their services would need to be IDed in detail(personal and
contact details, especially verifying that they're not married) this way, it is ensured that no woman is
forced into this.

3) Trafficking

Thirdly, this kind of a distinction helps stop human trafficking. The enforcers can now specifically track
the illegal unregistered businesses operating. The legal ones can do with stringent routine inspections.
Customers, fearing repercussions, would avoid illegal brothels, cutting down business and putting more
pressure on them to go legal.

Of course, there are flaws to this idea too.

1) Legal ones would charge higher rates as they'd have to pay their workers better and pay taxes too.
Also, customers would would face scrutiny and their identity would be noted. And, married men can't be
allowed. This could probably discourage these types of people (especially from the poor sections of
society) enough to resort to the illegal ones, giving trafficking an impetus it'd need to survive.

2) Prostitutes and their children would still face a lot of discrimination and hatred from society, and the
prospect of registering their name as a sex worker would really not be welcome for them. And even if
they do take the step, life will be much harder for them since they'd be known by many. Their rights
would be less acknowledged by society.

3) Finally, if it succeeds, such a system may morally weaken our society. This consequence would be
hard to fully comprehend, as it is intangible, and hard to measure.

On men -

The legal and plentiful availability of sex may act on men's minds like alcohol, robbing them of reason
and a sense of responsibility. They'd try to use this sex as an antidote for almost anything. They're bored
they'll have sex, they're lonely they'll have sex, they're heartbroken they'll have sex, and so on.
Misguided, they may seek sex as a substitute for love, and scarily enough, it'd seem to be working.

On women -

Placing a legal monetary value on sex would imply placing the value on a woman's body. Then, women
considered to have better looks and bodies, would have greater advantage over the rest. it would be
almost unfair, and could defeat one of feminism's strongest motives - eliminating objectification of
women. Furthermore, women might be even more tempted to use sex as a means to gain undue
advantage. It would kill the motive to work hard, loosen their morals. It could turn out to be like the
'marry a rich guy' tendency.

Nevertheless, these, and perhaps many more flaws may have to be carefully considered and worked
out, for legalizing prostitution, with all its shortcomings, is still a better option than running away from
the reality of our own psyche.