History Of Prostitution In Australia
Table of Contents
Introduction
Prostitution is defined as the exchange of sexual acts performed by one party for either money or something of value to said party by party who is at the receiving end of the exchange. (Sexton Cushman, Jennifer C. Ames, Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2013) Simply put, prostitution is a form of trade; it has its own market with buyers and sellers. This phenomenon of prostitution is by no means a new one; dated from colonial times prostitution has become one of the oldest professions and up till today has an active market.
From its advent, prostitution had always been a controversial issue. Attempts to sweep prostitution under the rug brought about a new slew of problems for countries, ranging from …show more content…
Prostitution had posed the government a multitude of problems in Australia – prostitutes were being attacked and robbed, hawking in “respectable” residential estates and spreading sexually transmitted diseases. (Jeffreys, 2010) Then Prime Minister Keating came under public scrutiny as the problems brought about by prostitution grew. In 1994, Keating administration passed the Prostitution Control Act 1994, the first legal statue of its kind in Australia. (Appendix A – rmb to …show more content…
Illegal Prostitution & Functionalism
Similar to how prostitution can be functional, illegal prostitution also serves its specific functional purpose. From allowing disabled men an opportunity to meet their sexual desires, to providing a financial means for women with no other choice of work, prostitution does fulfill certain functions. These will be elaborated below:
For people who are disabled and are not able to be in a committed relationship, prostitution turns into an opportunity for them to have the sexual interaction that can be considered a need for some (https://hec.unil.ch/docs/files/56/618/davis_1937_asr.pdf ). As Sullivan and Jeffrey writes, “the sex industry markets itself as promoting the “rights” of people with disabilities by specifically catering to disabled men and disability charities” (year). In particular, the absence of third-party costs means cheaper rates in illegal prostitution, providing an additional incentive to engage in illegal prostitution (Hunter, 2013). As such, illegal prostitution provides a cheaper means to meet the need of these
Introduction
Prostitution is defined as the exchange of sexual acts performed by one party for either money or something of value to said party by party who is at the receiving end of the exchange. (Sexton Cushman, Jennifer C. Ames, Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2013) Simply put, prostitution is a form of trade; it has its own market with buyers and sellers. This phenomenon of prostitution is by no means a new one; dated from colonial times prostitution has become one of the oldest professions and up till today has an active market.
From its advent, prostitution had always been a controversial issue. Attempts to sweep prostitution under the rug brought about a new slew of problems for countries, ranging from …show more content…
Prostitution had posed the government a multitude of problems in Australia – prostitutes were being attacked and robbed, hawking in “respectable” residential estates and spreading sexually transmitted diseases. (Jeffreys, 2010) Then Prime Minister Keating came under public scrutiny as the problems brought about by prostitution grew. In 1994, Keating administration passed the Prostitution Control Act 1994, the first legal statue of its kind in Australia. (Appendix A – rmb to …show more content…
Illegal Prostitution & Functionalism
Similar to how prostitution can be functional, illegal prostitution also serves its specific functional purpose. From allowing disabled men an opportunity to meet their sexual desires, to providing a financial means for women with no other choice of work, prostitution does fulfill certain functions. These will be elaborated below:
For people who are disabled and are not able to be in a committed relationship, prostitution turns into an opportunity for them to have the sexual interaction that can be considered a need for some (https://hec.unil.ch/docs/files/56/618/davis_1937_asr.pdf ). As Sullivan and Jeffrey writes, “the sex industry markets itself as promoting the “rights” of people with disabilities by specifically catering to disabled men and disability charities” (year). In particular, the absence of third-party costs means cheaper rates in illegal prostitution, providing an additional incentive to engage in illegal prostitution (Hunter, 2013). As such, illegal prostitution provides a cheaper means to meet the need of these