Every year 70,000 to 80,000 people are arrested for prostitution costing U.S taxpayers 200 million annually. Legalizing prostitution has potential benefits and harms. Here are statistics regarding prostitution’s role in human trafficking rates.
Definition and Penal Code in California
Prostitution is defined as the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment. Penal code 647(b) makes it illegal throughout the state of California to engage in or solicit prostitution. The law applies to both prostitutes and customers.
Human Trafficking and Prostitution Statistics
- Women involved in street prostitution are 60 to 100 times more likely to be murdered than non-prostitute females.
- The death rate for prostitutes is 204 per one hundred thousand.
- The illegality of their prostitution makes prostitutes easier targets. 70% of arrested prostitutes are female, 20% are pimps or male prostitutes, and 10% are individuals paying prostitutes for their services.
- Each year, an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and children are trafficked across international borders (70% are female and 50% are children). The majority of trafficked individuals are forced into the commercial sex trade.
- Between 14,500 to 17,500 foreign individuals are trafficked into the U.S per year.
- An average of 200,000 U.S. children citizens are at risk of being trafficked into the sex industry annually.
- Many trafficked victims (5,000 to 7,000) come into the United States from East Asia and the Pacific.
- 10,500 to 16,500 victims come from Latin America, Europe, and Eurasia.
- A study in Chicago found that 56% of women were initially runaway youth.
- About one-third of women enter prostitution prior to the age of 15.
- 62% of prostitutes began sex work prior to the age of 18.
According to Dr. Jody Raphael and Dr. Deborah L. Shapiro, an underage individual (12-15 years old) may be at a greater risk for prostitution due to the following factors:
- 72% of early starters ran away from home.
- Early starters were more likely to have used drugs or alcohol growing up.
- 1/4 of early starters completed a high school education or GED.
- Early starters engaged in a greater number of different prostitution activities.
- Over half of the early starters grew up in a household where prostitution was present.
- 87% of early starters had someone suggest that they engage in prostitution while they were growing up.
Impact of legalization
The impact of legalization could make prostitution safer, but it could also increase the amount of sex-trafficked individuals.
Potential benefits of legalizing prostitution:
- STI Protection
- Police Protection
- Employment Law Protections
- Taxation
- Improvement in the quality of life of sex workers
Related: Sex Worker Rights in California
Potential harms of legalizing prostitution:
- Countries where prostitution is legal have higher inflows of sex traffickers. There is a 13.4% higher probability of receiving increased inflows in a democratic country than otherwise.
- The effect of legalization of prostitution in mid-to high-income countries is strongly correlated with an increase in sex trafficking.
- This may be due to the fact that prostitution is an expensive service creating a supply of prostitutes would be most profitable in wealthier nations.
Do human trafficking victims face a higher potential of being in pornographic videos?
Pornography is one of the many ways that human trafficking victims are exploited by their abusers.
Contact Her Lawyer
If you or a loved one would like to know more about the impacts of legalizing prostitution, contact us. We proudly protect and defend the rights of California sex workers. Get your free consultation with one of our experienced women’s rights attorneys in California today!