How do you define the word “prostitution”? Is it only a business selling or purchasing sexual services? The researcher said it goes beyond the physical act between a man and a woman for money. Abolitionists proposed many ideas for banning the prostitution trade, but they failed to bring them to fruition. In ancient times there were women who were treated as prostitutes called concubines and now they are called sex workers. Prostitution began centuries ago and it still continues. Although prostitution is illegal in most parts of the world, the number of sex workers is gradually increasing. Prostitution should be legal in order to end the criminalization of prostitutes, ensure the safety of sex workers and also combat the problem of illegal trafficking. Sex workers are the women who are forced to make prostitution their vocation, and they are the ones who are criminalized instead of sex traffickers. Decriminalization of sex workers can help eliminate exploitation of sex workers. Jane Scoular, a professor at the University of Strathclyd, Scotland, gives us insight into a country that has stopped criminalizing sex workers. Sweden stopped criminalizing sex workers and instead persecuted people who buy sex (7). Instead of persecuting sex workers, people who buy sex should be punished. This type of law helps sex workers be safe from unnecessary persecution by police and pimps. Rapists and pimps will be vigilant before attempting to harm a sex worker. Many women don't even know they are being sold. After entering the dark brothel, they realize that they are trapped in the prostitute's business. There is no point in banning prostitutes since they play no role in any crime. If prost...... middle of paper ...... Department of Health and Human Services. August 2009. Web. February 15, 2014. Kristof, Nicholas D. and Sheryl WuDunn. Half the Sky: Transforming Oppression into Opportunity for Women Around the World. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. Print. Marr, Stella. “Legal brothels in Nevada are also coercive.” The New York Times.” The NewTimes Company. April 20, 2012. The web. February 3, 2014. Reed, Jim. “Mega-brothels: has Germany become the “brothel of Europe”? BBC News. BBC NewsEurope. February 21, 2014. The web. February 21, 2014 Scoular, Jane. "What does the law have to do with it? How and why the law is important in regulating sex work." Journal of Law and Society 37.1 (2010): 12-39. Wiley Online Library. Internet. February 3, 2014.Sullivan, Barbara. "When (some) prostitution is legal: the impact of law reform on sex work in Australia." Journal of Law and Society 37.1 (2010): 85-104. Wiley Online Library. Internet. February 3. 2014..