Tuesday, October 4, 2011

The Oldest Profession


Yes, I’m talking about prostitution. And it may not, technically, be the oldest profession, but it has existed in one form or another for as long as humanity has existed. Some of the greater apes have even been observed trading food for sex. Throughout the world today it exists in various forms: legal or illegal, reputable or despicable, glamorous or ugly.

I’ll start with some history. Some of the oldest recorded forms of prostitution describe it in a religious context. It was practiced in ancient Babylon in certain hospitality and fertility rituals. It was, in fact, holy – honored. That was probably the high point of prostitution. Prostitutes were given respect, and were even protected by law. Hammurabi’s Code, the oldest known set of laws, includes provisions protecting the rights of prostitutes.

In more recent history, prostitutes have ranged in class from the highly sought and respected courtesan to the lowly streetwalker, though not in religious contexts (to my knowledge). Until recently it has always been legal, to some degree, or at the very least not illegal.

That all changed with the turn of the 20th century, in the west at least. In the United States the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (yes, the same people responsible for prohibition) managed to successfully make prostitution illegal throughout most of the United States. Similar movements enjoyed varying degrees of success throughout Europe.

In the West, today, it is mostly, still, illegal. Exceptions exist, of course, and in some places prostitution has been effectively decriminalized. Unfortunately, the profession continues to exist throughout the world in illegal capacity. Human Sex Trafficking is the second largest criminal trade in the world, second only to drug trafficking. Estimates range, but profits from the industry could be as high as 31.6 billion dollars.  It is considered by many to be the largest slave trade in the history of humanity.

What about legal prostitution? Aside from the few places it exists in the west, prostitution enjoys significantly greater social acceptance in the East. Most countries have legalized and regulated prostitution. In Singapore, for example, prostitution is legal and regulated – it’s even contained to a specific part of the city: Geylang. I don’t know as much, and won’t speak for other countries.

But prostitution continues to exist in other areas of Singapore illegally, notably Orchard Towers. Orchard Tower’s is the home to illegal prostitution in Singapore. Many foreigners (Malay, Thai, Cambodian, etc) come to Singapore on a tourist visa. They then work for between one and two months as a prostitute before returning to their home country. They live off their profits for the remainder of the year. Their clients? Other foreigners – western, Chinese, Japanese, all wealthy.

This past weekend, some friends and I visited Orchard Towers. Don’t worry; we were merely observers, not participants. Following someone who had been before we were led to the “four floors of whores”. It’s a dirty, abused place.

Mostly drunk, older, slovenly expats (though some my age) dance with younger Asian and Russian women. To be honest it was disgusting and degrading both to the prostitutes and the men seeking their services. Money talks…

At one point several drunken men came up to the girls I was with (meaning friends that embarked on this adventure with me) and began dancing with them. We left quickly after that scene, much to everyone’s relief.

On the whole it was a very ugly introduction to prostitution. I understand why it’s been made illegal in so many countries. Yet, I’ve always been a proponent of legalization and regulation. It is, I think, safer for all the parties involved. Still, it made me seriously question if prostitution can be safely, legally done. After all, prostitution is legal in Singapore. I wish I had visited Geylang, to see what the legal side of it looks like.

And then I come back to the fact that it exists, regardless. Evidence enough in the size and profit of today’s sex trade. So how does a country go about regulating this industry safely, effectively? I’ve no idea, but it’s given me much and more to think about.

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