I am writing this opinion based article, due to a strongly inflamed discussion within PATAS.

I strongly support the legalization of prostitution, as it happens anyway and everywhere in the world. It would protect the women and men prostituting themselves and change it to the status of an official job. In Germany and The Netherlands, prostitutes have health insurances, and they can apply for a job through a job agency, granting them work under safe and clean conditions. It also fights human trafficking and crimes against prostitutes.

Prostitution is often illegal through religious influence, not always, but very often. And the funny thing is, that those who oppose it, those members of such organizations, often use prostitutes themselves. Religious institutions claim, that prostitution is immoral and unethical, which in my opinion it is not, it the the opposite.

I totally disagree that prostitution is exploitation when legal. Exploitation happens when it is illegal, and peoples kidnap or buy peoples for forced prostitution. Legal prostitution is an agreement between both sides. Everybody is safe and respected in their position. Exploitation would happen if one side wants, and the other party not. I have met several prostitutes in my life, in places where it is legal, and all of them like engaging in their job. Some are sex addicts, some find it easy and fun made money, and for some it gave them the opportunity to work, as they had failed in finding another employment. With this, they contribute to society needs, pay taxes, and don't claim social welfare benefits.

Of course there will always be illegal prostitution, specially with the underage, but I am convinced, that when legalized, it will be less, and both parties are supplied with their duties and rights. The state has better control, and the country has another tax income. The sex industry is huge, and I know from Hamburg, in Germany, that sex shops, brothels and any kind of sex industry pays millions of Euros taxes. Anyone knowing the “Reeperbahn” in Hamburg, can observe that its a several kilometers long road, with one sex shop and sex service center next to the other. It is quit famous, as even tourists come there from all over the world.

The religious or conservatives mostly point out their moral views. And why should it be immoral? Moral is flexible and not fixed like in religious guidelines. If both parties agree, and have pleasure doing it, then for my personal moral understanding, it is totally alright. In a legal situation of prostitution, women and men who feel abused, can complain and file a case against the abuser, be it their customer or their employee. If it is illegal, both the pimp and prostitute will be punished when caught. The prostitute is not protected.

And regarding the issue peoples raise about woman as objects in the sex of prostitution, is for me to narrow in view, and it's not just woman. There are more male prostitutes than many may think, but its more taboo or accepted, as funny enough, only women are presented as victims. There are many single or married woman calling call boys or gigolo's. If one uses "woman as sex object", well, we are all sex objects, when someone wants us, for free or paid. Being an object is a form of dominance. And legal strong prostitutes are the opposite of a victim. They dominate the scene. Especially in SM (Sado Maso) clubs, when the men coming, want to be abused by the prostitute, by being beaten, chained, stung and penetrated with needles, tied up and treated humiliating. In that case the prostitute is definitely the dominant role in the act. Many services are a form of prostitution, as prostitution is nothing else than giving something from me to another, making it useful for that person. If I give someone the service to have sex with me, and I agree, and that person will compensate me for that, a legal contract between two peoples was sealed. Peoples pay for sex out of different reasons. They may want discrete sex without commitment, they are not attractive to many peoples, they are lonely and old, making casual sexual contacts difficult. They may be travelers, having no time to form a relationship, and they could be belonging to the group of handicap peoples, that are also in need of sex, but also have no or hard access to it.

Regarding the sex before marriage issue, and that it is not accepted for catholic Filipinos; yet its going on in The Philippines like crazy. A lot happens hidden and secret, but the “Sogo Hotels”, “Euro Hotels”, and many appartelles that offer one hour rooms are always booked out, bursting out of capacity problems.

One of my best friends in Europe before, who was a male prostitute for gays, has bought his own apartment through his job as a prostitute, additionally making savings that are now paying his retirement money. He retired at the age of 40.

Many are only mentioning pimps and prostitutes, yet that regards only one group of this profession. All prostitutes I have met, work on their own bill. They have no pimp. They don't work in brothels or street gangs. They advertise in the news paper, and then visit their client at home, or go to a hotel. So we can find different ways of operating prostitutes.

My friend who was a prostitute before, told me always, that he was in fact the one exploiting some customers sometimes. He said it was easy money, like 300 Guldens, roughly 140 Euros in one hour, treating the guy the way he asked him to. And even if peoples still feel its exploitation, one can not deny that it is an equal one, as the prostitute agreed on giving his service, and he or she was well paid. It pays them often more than a regular job could have done. By saying this, I also don't want to blend out the many prostitutes who have never become rich through their job. But as in any job, some get rich and some or many don't. The pimps getting rich, can be compared with company bosses, that also become rich if successful. If prostitution is legal, the pimp changes to be an employee, and the prostitute will be the employer. The employee carries the risk of the business, pays for his or her employers health care, provides the service building and forwards the taxes and so on.

Many of us do jobs, go to work, also basically not to be poor, but have a decent or good life style. Workers working for a minimum wage, just getting enough to survive, are far more exploited. Prostitution is very moral and ethical. It's just a service, like repairing someone's car or serving or giving a massage. Peoples just have problems when it comes to the genitals, and that is deep routed due to many peoples upbringing, through religion or conservative standardized morals. Harshly said: If you want to use my genitals, and you will pay me for that..... Why not? Its my penis or vagina, and its my free will of deciding, if a certain amount of money will settle the agreement for me. It's the material and immaterial value, depending on who is in what role. And you can be sure, I will not feel exploited.

Woman are not more or less victims or dominant, when it comes to this topic. But woman are always victimized, also due to the stigmatize that they are the weaker sex, specially established in religion. Woman can be very dominant and strong. Woman are often stronger than men even. They give birth, they live longer than men by statistics. Woman were and are just always pushed by men into the role of the weak. Woman are capable of executing all jobs men can engage in.

Thus prostitution should be legal, for the protection of both sides, engaging in an activity they have chosen for as adults.

Peoples who don't like prostitution should then just not use the service.

By Thomas Fleckner