By: Mekenzie Enloe
Allow me to begin by clearing up any
discrepancies as to what prostitution is.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “the act of having sex in
exchange for money.”[1] On several accounts I have brought the topic
of prostitution up to people and they have told me that prostitution is a
choice and that if it were so bad, they would leave the lifestyle. I certainly can see where these people would
form this hypothesis, considering the only things we see about this problem are
what the media shows, but what these people and many others do no know is that
prostitution is something most girls get involved with at a young age for
various different reasons and when they try to leave they are often harmed by
the pimp or find it difficult to clasp another way of life.[2]
While prostitution in the United States is
illegal, it is far from extinct. The media is to blame for much of this because
of the manner in which they glorify the topic.
Take the move Pretty Woman,
featuring Julia Roberts, for example. I
have seen this movie several times and cannot help but to frown at the way that
Hollywood glorifies prostitution in this film.
If you have not seen the movie, it is about a businessman who hires a
prostitute to go to events with him. He
buys the prostitute new clothes and treats her very nicely…eventually leading
to them falling in love. This is when
the audience can smile and say “aw,” except for the fact that this could not be
further from the truth. My single goal
is to bring forth the truths about prostitution and to fight for my belief that
not only should prostitution be illegal, but it should also be banned from
being eroticized.
Prostitution is far from a fabulous
lifestyle. These women have to deal with
dangerous issues including drug addiction, abuse, rape, sexually transmitted
diseases and violence from pimps. A study was organized in Minneapolis in 1994
where 68 women sold sex in exchange for money for six months. Of these women, one-half of them were
assaulted; of those one-half, twenty-three percent had broken bones and two
were beaten to a coma. Regardless of the
severity, ninety percent experienced some type of violence and eighty-five
percent received a sexually transmitted disease.[3] These results were astounding. How can anyone argue that prostitution, a sad
lifestyle full of crime, should be legalized?
Daphne
Bramham, a teen in Canada, is just one out of many of the victims of rape due
to prostitution. This teen had to stand
in front of a court system and tell her sad story.[4]
It is a story that no teen, adult or person in general should ever have to tell
and if prostitution is legalized it will be one that many more people have to
share. There is nothing good associated
with prostitution and any victim would agree.
This is a photo of the man who raped Daphne Bramham; he was also her pimp.
[1] Merriam-Webster,
Incorporated, "Merriam-Webster." Accessed January 29, 2014. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prostitution.
[2] Scott, Michael,
and Kelly Dedel. National Institute of Justice, "Pathways to
Prostitution." Last modified Sept 29, 2009. Accessed January 29, 2014.
http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/prostitution/Pages/pathways.aspx.
[3] Raymond, Janice.
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, "Health Effects of
Prostitution." Last modified February 1999. Accessed January 29, 2014.
http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/mhvhealt.htm.
[4] Don, Felicity.
"Daphne Bramham: Teen’s Testimony of Rape and Prostitution is Tragic in so
Many Ways." The Vancouver Sun, , sec. News, October 03, 2013.
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Daphne Bramham Teen testimony rape
prostitution tragic many ways/8994704/story.html (accessed January 29, 2014).
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