WU, if you could find that article, that would be stupendous! And I'd greatly appreciate it.
http://prostitution.procon.org/sour...ution-and-trafficking-where-it-all-begins.pdf
Pages 13 and 14. This is the first I'd come across it, but there are other articles online comparing the Swedish model to others too showing that decriminalization merely exacerbates the problem by giving criminals even more maneuverability.
Should Buying Sex Be Illegal? | Pulitzer Center
This is a flip side to it though.
So statistically, decriminalization attracts more criminal activity. On a personal basis though, some sex workers prefer the decriminalization model. It's a catch-22.
I see three players in this:
1. the voluntary prostitute.
2. the victim of human trafficking.
3. sex addicts.
For the voluntary prostitute, one might make an argument for legalization.
For the victim of sex trafficking, the statistical evidence suggests decriminalization is preferable even if it may inconvenience some voluntary workers.
For the sex addict, he'd probably be happy with legalization as long as the advertising laws are strict enough to keep it totally out of his sight. He might perceive it in the same vein as tobacco, alcohol and lottery tickets.
Some voluntary sex workers totally oppose restrictions on advertising since they see that as an infringement on their fundamental rights.
How do we balance these rights?
One interesting statistic though concerns how common unprotected sex is in the sex industry even where it is legalized and regulated. I'll have to dig up where I'd read that tonight or on the weekend but it was a fascinating one. I remember it was shockingly high.
If we want to satisfy all sides, the Swedish model might be ideal. It legalizes the selling of sex (which is what some workers and probably many buyers want) but criminalizes the buying of sex (which many victims of the sex trade want and surprisingly even some potential buyers want even if they may disagree on how harsh the punishment should be to deter them). Of course many would want strict rules on advertising to keep it out of reach of children and others who don't want to see such advertising.