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Position Paper-Should governments be focused on ‘eradicating’ sex work or is sex work a
necessary form of labor?
The ethics of sex working, also called hooking, prostitution, or escorting is one of the
most contentious debates in Australia and beyond, with persons involved in the business being
on the receiving end of stigma, prejudice, castigation, and moral chastise from the mainstream
community. The hustle involves offering one’s body for sex at a fee and pornography acting.
Nonetheless, the debate notwithstanding, the population of sex workers has grown drastically
across the globe, a phenomenon attributed to a shortage of employment opportunities, poverty,
peer pressure, domestic violence, sustained gender inequality, and coercion (especially
associated with slavery and inability to pay debts), among other determinants. Amidst all
negativity, it's important to note that a significant proportion of sex workers regard this as their
primary or only source of livelihood. This reality evokes the question of the morality of sex work
and whether or not it should be considered a form of income-generating job like in others. Based
on issues associated with sex work, it’s only fair that the government should concentrate on
eradicating the practice rather than legalizing it.
Proponents for the eradication rest their argument on the concern of social values and
human dignity. The argument aligns with cultural conservatism and religious connotations on the
sacredness of sex. For example, Muslims and Christians highly regard the sanctity of the body,
which can only be maintained by keeping it healthy and pure (chastity) (Winter & Olivia, 2024).
Sex should, therefore, be a preserve for the married, where it serves as a source of pleasure and
for reproduction. Any other form of sexual contact is prohibited and regarded as degrading and
jeopardy to human dignifying. It's, therefore, regarded as an act of sin, punishable by castigation,
ex-communication, or other forms of punishments (Winter & Olivia, 2024).