The truth about decriminalising prostitution

Does removing all criminal sanctions make the sex industry more or less safe for its workers?

prostitution
A sex worker rests in a brothel in New Zealand
(Image credit: Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Sex workers have long called for prostitution to be decriminalised, arguing that it would reduce levels of violence committed against one of the most marginalised groups in the world.

But opponents claim the opposite is true - that removing criminal sanctions from the sex trade would make prostitution more dangerous and lead to a rise in trafficking.

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