Craigslist Update

http://www.pcworld.com/article/164429/craigslist_faces_new_complaints_over_sexy_ads.html

So I came across this article while I was reading the news online. Since it had to do with my last blog entry, I figured I'd read it, and see if things are improving.

As it turns out, there are, in fact, states that are trying to get craigslist to remove their "erotic services" section from their state's site. It's really no wonder they're trying to combat this, given the huge prostitution business that goes on in craigslist. I think it's great that some people are trying to do something about this problem.

My shock, however, came when I read the posted comments. Not one person wrote anything positive. The overall tone of the comments was "Prostitution isn't going to go away, so stop fighting it." The comments suggested that there are more important battles to fight, that prostitution is just "fluff" and should be no one's business. If a guy wants to hire a hooker and have some fun, that should be his right, apparently. Never mind the poor girl trapped in a position where she has to sell her body to strangers on the street, who gets beaten regularly by her pimp, and who has absolutely nothing to show for this humiliation but nightmares and scars. Who cares about her?

One commenter went so far as to suggest legalizing prostitution!

How can anyone think, even for a second, that prostitution doesn't hurt anyone? How can anyone say that the battle against prostitution is mere "fluff"? How can anyone think that this is okay in any way, shape or form?

Let's be honest. As long as there are men willing to pay for sex, there will be prostitution. And with the world's increasing desire for youth and perfection, more and more of those hookers are going to be underage girls. The prostitution business has boomed in the past several years. As I mentioned in my last blog, it's gotten so bad that girls are being stolen from their own homes, snatched from the street, pulled into passing cars on their way home from school, etc. They're then forced into a life of hell that they can rarely escape from.

Don't tell me that prostitution doesn't hurt anybody.

What needs to happen (although, let's face it, it probably won't), is that soliciting a prostitute needs to be a huge felony. It needs to be a crime that comes with a good 5-10 years of jail time. The fear of getting caught just isn't strong enough to deter these men. If they get arrested, they barely get a slap on the wrist. But they're the ones fueling the situation. If no one was willing to risk paying for sex, the prostitution business would dissolve. So the punishment for the crime needs to be much, much harsher. Make it too risky to get caught with a hooker.

There also needs to be a program in place for the girls themselves. They're usually so terrified of displeasing their pimp that they refuse to cooperate with police. And as soon as they're released from prison, they go right back to the sonofab***h and start turning tricks again. Where else could they go?

I realize that the government doesn't have the funds to take care of these girls. But maybe getting the funds, and getting a program in place, needs to be a priority. When a girl gets picked up by police for prostitution, the last thing that she should have to do is go back out on the streets. If the girls had a safe place to stay, with counselors and other girls who have gone through the same thing, that would help them. If they could get away from the city where their pimp resided, and be given job training and the skills necessary to get a decent job, they could turn their lives around. They wouldn't have to live in fear anymore. They could gain some self-esteem, make friends, maybe even have a family. They could be happy.

I don't have the power to change things, but I know that there are lots of good people out there who feel the same way I do. It's my hope that, by writing this, more people will become aware of what's going on in this country. The more people know, the more we can do to fix the situation. Who knows, maybe someday I'll be rich and be able to fund a huge project like this. Probably not. But it's definitely a worthwhile cause, and if I ever have the chance to do something about it, I'm definitely going to take that chance.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke