Essay on sex trade

Notably, sex trade forms a sub-branch of human trafficking in that, the industry entails sexual exploitation of consenting and non-consenting individuals for commercial gain (Hickle and Roe-Sepowitz 123). From a social perspective, sex trade contravenes a variety of social norms and mores to a point that some communities visualize the whole process as a taboo. From an ethical perspective, opponents of sex trade usually associate the activities with violence against women, irrespective of consent or lack of it in the whole process of engagement. Politically, debates on sex trade take formal and informal perspectives, with the formal assuming the legal perspectives of the process in accordance with society’s norms, mores and other structural provisions. Informally, debates on sex trade assumes subjective as well as normative approaches with respect to individual perceptions and the particulate aspect of discussion, say prostitution, sexual exploitation, etc.

With that in mind, the paramountcy of evaluating sex trade from a global perspective provides the necessary conceptual interpretation of the activity with minimum impartiality. Sex Trade in Context Vulnerable women and youth have had a traceable history falling victims of sex trafficking in the hands of capitalists more so in economies and regions with weak ant-human trafficking laws and policies to guard against the vice. Sex trafficking, in this case, refers to the unconscious and non-consenting introduction and assimilation into the sex trade industry due to lack of viable alternatives or the general vulnerability. Sex trade, on the other hand, may refer to consensual engagement in exchange of sexual activities for economic gain by well-informed individuals and by choice. For the purposes of this paper, “sex trade” will include both the voluntary and involuntary engagement in the activity.

Sex Trade from a Psychological Perspective In context, a significant percentage of cases of sex trade happen or occur out of vulnerability of the victims, economically and socially. That is, in most cases, women and children engage in sex trade consciously as a result of economic deprivation and desperation, and unconsciously due to coercion, fraud and other forced means by third parties. Whichever the propelling force, sex trade comes with “psychological price” that the victims inherently pay, more so, from the trauma that befalls them in the long run. For instance, Kaylor (2015) observes that a majority of sexually trafficked individuals differ in age, race and ethnicity, and that depending with individual’s level of education and levels of civilizations in their areas of origin, the aftermath of the ordeal strikes them in different magnitudes.

For example, the victimization, seclusion and physical trauma associated with the process of recruitment and facilitation leaves the victims with psychological trauma that can take ages to overcome (p. Sex Trade from a Political Perspective Politically, debates regarding sex trade and prostitution revolve around institutional desires to regulate and control various aspects of legal frameworks and the desire to criminalize or decriminalize the industry. Notably, the desire to strike a balance among various humanistic prisms in the society such as the cry for women and vulnerable in the society, conservatism and moralism brings about the unending debate on sex trade (Coy 12). For instance, governments with weak policies regarding slavery and sexual exploitation see a thriving million-dollar industry, more so, in sex tourism. Human rights organizations, on the other hand, foresee the long-term dangers of violation of human rights and freedoms while feminists decry the causes and consequences of inequality and marginalization.

In essence, debates range from finding the optimal polices that criminalize the trade while maintaining sound economic and social policies to legalizing the industry all together. In other countries and regions, sex trade takes the form of sex tourism whereby firms lure girls and women in planned trips to visit various sex trafficking brothels. For instance, in Australia and Japan, sex trade takes a guise of criminal organizations such as the Yakuza whereby enterprises coerce women and young girls into forced prostitution in strip clubs, escort services, mail-order video services, sex shops, private-room video service, just to mention but a few. Gender-based violence, on the other hand, acts as a push factor for women to engage in sex trade with studies indicating sexual abuse in matrimonial homes and rape to precipitate the thriving of the trade.

A study by Rocha-Jimenez et. al (2016) found a direct link of involvement of women in sex trade as a coping mechanism from traumas resulting from childhood and early adulthood abuses. Billion, Japan at $24 Billion, Germany at $18 Billion, United States at 14. Billion, India at $8. Billion, and South Korea at $12 Billion (p. Considering the legality of the industry in some of the aforementioned economies, the questions and the debate over legalizing and controlling the industry comes into life. Proponents argue that with such kind of revenue, legalizing the industry and further controlling it would not only improve on the economic statuses of the actors, but would also provide an open and transparent platform to address the social problems that affect the industry in a consultative and result-oriented manner. In addition, formulation of sound and sustainable economic policies that ensures countries run in a positive trajectory of economic growth that guarantees employment and other economic opportunities to its citizens would go an extra mile in transforming the push factors to sex trade.

This would in turn pave way for sound labor laws that safeguards the interests of both the commercial sex workers and others in the society. Works Cited Amahazion, Fikresus Fikrejesus. Human rights and world culture: The diffusion of legislation against the organ trade.  Sociological Spectrum 36. From exploitation to industry: Definitions, risks, and consequences of domestic sexual exploitation and sex work among women and girls.  Journal of human behavior in the social environment 25. Hickle, Kristine, and Roe-Sepowitz, Dominique. “Curiosity and a pimp”: Exploring sex trafficking victimization in experiences of entering sex trade industry work among participants in a prostitution diversion program.  Women & Criminal Justice27. Sex wars revisited: a rhetorical economy of sex industry opposition.  Journal of International Women's Studies 18. Rocha-Jiménez, Teresita, et al. Exploring the context and implementation of public health regulations governing sex work: A qualitative study with migrant sex workers in Guatemala.

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