Sex Trafficking-Why there are no viable methods to stop it

Human trafficking, specifically sex trafficking, is a very important problem that ought to be addressed in some way. However, it is improbable that any measures taken to put a stop to it will be successful. Among these ideas that the class mentioned were suggestions to close borders or tighten border security, and making prostitution legal so as to be able to better regulate it through institutions. While there are understandable arguments to each one of these ideas, I do not believe that either would have a good outcome. Specifically, I would contend that legalizing prostitution would have more negative effects than positive because it would set a bad example for all individuals in different ways, it would not end forceful prostitution, and it would set a dangerous precedent for future legalization of unacceptable practices. 

The vision that I had in my head during the entire conversation was, if prostitution was legalized and all of a sudden the practice was prevalent, above ground, what would parents say to their kids when they inevitable asked about it. Kids are curious about everything! This would be a horrible thing to explain to little girls that some girls who grew up were selling their bodies and this is now an acceptable occupation. All of these years that feminists have tried to fight or women's rights would vanish. I understand that there is a feminist argument that women should be able to choose to do whatever they so please with their bodies. However, I would contend that in most cases, resorting to prostitution is far from a free-willing choice. Furthermore, what does it say when a government allows men to legally pay women to give their bodies? There is nothing okay with prostitution. There is an unequal balance of power between the prostitute and the person buying the service and that will undoubtedly follow the people into the rest of their daily lives. Prostitutes will feel inferior and men will look down on the women who "choose" to do this, as they do now. Legalizing the practice will certainly not fix this. 

Going off of that previous statement, legalized prostitution will also not end the horrors of sex trafficking. There will still be poor treatment of these people even when the institutions are "checking in on it". Putting this in perspective, right now prostitution is illegal but obviously the practices still occur in copious amounts. So, making the wrongful treatment or conditions of/for prostitutes illegal does not automatically mean that this won't still happen. That is just the nature of life. Theft is also illegal and that happens daily with the perpetrators often getting off, similar to many other crimes. Even tightening institutions won't pose a solution in my opinion. Using another example, Boston has some of the strongest police and criminal institutions compared to the rest of the world and yet Whitey Bulger was able to walk the streets instigating violence and several murders for decades with the FBI knowing. People are corrupt. Institutions can be corrupt. There is no way this will ever not be the case. 

The third factor of legalizing prostitution that's scary is the precedent that it might set. If the government were to make something so morally wrong and publicly controversial a legal occupation, what could come next? There is a tremendous danger in making practices such as these legal. The scariest to me is that after decades of this being legal, prostitution would become a social norm. It wouldn't be looked upon as this awful situation in which either women are forced into it or they lack self-respect. I think this would have tremendous implications in aspects of social life. At the end of the day, any type of human trafficking is a disgustingly horrific thing and our institutions obviously need to do a better job at preventing and stopping it. But, the ways in which they could do this are slim and in my opinion, probably not viable.