Sex work absolutely can be negative when ostracised and outlawed. However, once you can accept the oldest profession known to mankind and provide laws, guidelines, and rules for operation and yes, even allow unions, that fundamentally changes.
At that point it can be everything from self-empowerment, sex-positivity and mutual benefits for all parties involved to a genuinely positive experience.
The difference is regulation, regulation, regulation. Without it, you let pimps, traffickers, and other awful influences take over, where the government and regulators should have already stepped in.
@onepict I'm reminded of the situation as it used to be in Edinburgh. There was basically a blind eye to brothels, because that was recognised as the safe option for workers, and it was also a great resource for the police to use those networks to find violent pimps and traffickers to protect the most vulnerable.
When new leadership came in, they started a crackdown and all that intel was lost, leaving so many more vulnerable and exploited.
craignicol
in reply to Ada • • •Ada
in reply to Ada • • •Stealing this from a spin-off thread:
Sex work absolutely can be negative when ostracised and outlawed. However, once you can accept the oldest profession known to mankind and provide laws, guidelines, and rules for operation and yes, even allow unions, that fundamentally changes.
At that point it can be everything from self-empowerment, sex-positivity and mutual benefits for all parties involved to a genuinely positive experience.
The difference is regulation, regulation, regulation. Without it, you let pimps, traffickers, and other awful influences take over, where the government and regulators should have already stepped in.
craignicol
in reply to Ada • • •@onepict I'm reminded of the situation as it used to be in Edinburgh. There was basically a blind eye to brothels, because that was recognised as the safe option for workers, and it was also a great resource for the police to use those networks to find violent pimps and traffickers to protect the most vulnerable.
When new leadership came in, they started a crackdown and all that intel was lost, leaving so many more vulnerable and exploited.