Last night, I went to an awesome event for the launch of Mission.TV. The site’s intention is to be a central resource for people interested in volunteer tourism and promoting volunteering that has a lasting, positive effect. The night was a kind of magical reminder of how social media has made it increasingly easier to connect with people from all around the world. 

I met one guy who worked in the film industry but used his skills and time off to create films, promoting NGOs. To create a film about a non profit’s work seems so secondary but as we have seen from films like KONY and others, there is nothing more powerful to move us into action than seeing their story unfold in a moving image. His latest project is creating a film about an NGO that helps women who have been victims in the sex trade industry in a country where prostitution is legal. 

So now for my completely controversial thought. I’ll admit that I am not well informed in the matters of human trafficking and am thinking about this from a purely hypothetical point of view rather than what has been seen in practice. I’ll leave it to the Dutch to tell me how far off or accurate my thinking is.

We all know that prostitution is one of the oldest professions. So then why is there such a stigma against it and why is it illegal in most countries? I wonder how the balance of power between men and women would shift if it were legalized. The idea of a woman going after a guy for his money is widely accepted in our culture. It may not always be as obvious as something from the Real Housewives, but many women want a guy who will take them out and buy them nice jewelry. So why is this all of a sudden prostitution the minute that money is exchanged instead of jewelry?

It is also widely accepted that men can go after beautiful, often younger women in a way that makes us wonder if the relationship is “equal.” If he showers her with gifts and expensive dinners, how is this any different than him hiring an escort? Men are often taught that taking a girl out to a “nice dinner” is a great strategy for getting that girl to have sex with him. Some of these men genuinely like the women they take out and see no differentiation from liking a girl and wanting to have sex with her. But others just want to sleep with these girls, causing the girl to be confused in thinking the guy genuinely cares for her. 

Now what would happen if prostitution were legalized? Would men use the money they would have spent on dinner and drinks to pay for a prostitute, addressing their immediate urges? Would there no longer be this culture of “hooking up” because guys wouldn’t need to continue this often emotionally messy practice? Would there be less confusion in dating - that an actual date would mean that a guy genuinely likes you and wants to date you? And would women finally admit that no, they don’t actually like just “hooking up” and never have.