Nice and meaningful post. I agree with you. Legalisation will only increase the numbers. It will become so open that even the others girls can get affected. It shouldnt be legalised at all. In fact you are right in saying that Government should work start the awareness in the sex workers to teach about STI, HIV/ AIDS and provide them other decent jobs.

AFAIK, pimps make their money not by taking 90% of the gross and leaving their girls with a pittance on which to live. It’s a volume bidniz, taking a slice of many pies. If you believe a decent, hustling hoe makes less than the average worker in her community, you probably also believe bartenders report all their tips to the tax authorities.

You imply it’s essentially slave labour. Fair enough, and I’m sure there’s some unfortunate (if small?) percentage for whom that is a reality. If that is the case for most, it’s a choice between slaving for some “guardian” or slaving for some IMF-approved work zone making cheap clothing (or whatever) for ignorant north americans. You picks your poison.

See, you can’t have it both ways. Are you saying that there’s an alarmingly large percentage of Jamaican girls who are under the impression that prostitution is glamourous and safe (who said that anyway? it certainly wasn’t me)? If Jamaica needs to import a glut of sociologists and criminologists (with “proper training”) to help pass on that message, then again I say there are muuch bigger fish to fry. Anybody who’s been brought up “proper” knows the present score and that’s why the vast majority of Jamaican women are not prostitutes.

If it *is* commonly known (if not discussed at length with anyone of hoe age) that ho’ing today is — at best — sketchy business, then the surveyed hoes were being largely disengenuous in stating an obvious “fact” (or we haven’t really understood the point/aim of the survey. or maybe it was just a bullshit survey, as most are. is there a link to it?).

Anyway, the main reason for discussing legalization is a health and safety thing. Legalization is an obvious way to help make the business safer for the girls — and the community/nation at large.

I work with someone who has spent years in Africa and the Caribbean with AIDS organizations. It’s amazing to me to know there are still huge numbers of men who refuse to wear a condom when having sex with prostitutes or one-night-stands.

A lot of you seem to be ignoring the health aspect and arguing from the standpoint of “morals.” I’m really curious though: what exactly do you fear will happen to the morals of the country? Will people now start reneging on obligations? Become lazy and slovenly? Ill-tempered leggobeasts?

Really, what will happen?

I think you have to admit it’s a pride thing than thinking about staving off deadly diseases. Which isn’t an invalid reason, but let’s not hide behind a vague cloud of Propriety.

I’m glad you use Firefox and Fasterfox to increase your surfing productivity. Thanks for your comments left at Epiac’s Place II.

http://www.blogcharm.com/joshua1216

Regards,

Omar.-