Why is it time to legalise prostitution? Jeffrey's arguments aren't convincing.

In the Netherlands where prostitution is legal, syndicates undermine the immigration laws by trafficking and racketeering in women, creating new problems for government enforcers. The legalisation of prostitution will only expand the trade in women.

I am pleased to note that even Sweden, a liberal Western country, has moved to make it illegal for its citizens to procure the services of a prostitute to prevent "the gross violation of a woman's integrity".

If prostitution is a disease, we should not allow it to spread because we are unable to deal with one of its major symptoms - corruption.

If "unavoidability" is among Jeffrey's reasons, should we also legalise the many other 'unavoidable' things people commit, eg rape, theft, murder, carnal knowledge, incest, bestiality, etc? Rather than legalise prostitution, we need to clamp down on corruption.

Jeffrey opines that "one cannot address the problem when there is so much disinformation." I agree. However, he also claims that a larger proportion of sex workers from China are here voluntarily.

What is Jeffrey's source of reference to such a claim? If we merely rely on hearsay and our limited observations, we may draw the wrong conclusions.

In his following argument, Jeffrey claims that it is not possible that sex workers forced into the trade are so restrained as to have no opportunity to flee and regain their freedom. How naive. Shadowy minders and pimps follow the movements of these women - Jeffrey should not underestimate the power of fear and intimidation.

Some of these women may have been brutalised, raped, and threatened into prostitution with further threats of a beating or even death if they don't comply. Perhaps, some day when Jeffrey has heard the ordeal of a prostitute at the hands of her minder and clients, he may think differently.

Fear has a paralysing effect on victims. Even as I write, I am trying to help a thirty-something Caucasian male resolve a problem that is driving him to desperation, even the thought of suicide. The fear of retaliation from a group of gangsters has driven him to irrational compliance with their demands. How much more a helpless young girl?

There are different types of sex slavery and the ones that have made daring escapes or successfully sought help may be the lucky ones. Not long ago we read reports of how some girls were waylaid while being rescued from the racketeers.

We should be thankful that there are good Samaritans in Malaysia to help these helpless women. Recently some men were arrested in Australia for keeping sex slaves from Asia. It is only when governments are serious in cracking down on the criminals that the problem can be controlled.

For many years I used to walk through a street in Kuala Lumpur to visit nearby shopping centres. Despite its reputation as a red light district, I was never troubled.

But some months ago, a male friend and I were walking along this street and no sooner had we parked our car than pimps began to approach us with offers of young girls, etc.

When soliciting spills into the streets so brazenly, it is bad for the country's image.

I agree with Jeffrey that not all foreign prostitutes are unwilling victims but it is no reason to justify legalisation. In many Asian countries where prostitution is illegal, uneducated poor rural folks may still sell their daughters to repay a debt.

Prostitution is an attack on womanhood. Women are treated like a commodity to be traded, consumed and discarded at a price. Those who think it is just another service are kidding themselves. It shows how little they value their bodies and those of others.

Some men are so used to using women as mere objects of sexual pleasure that they don't care if it is a prostitute or a mistress who provides the service. This attitude is an arrogant display of naked male domination and aggression. They think money or position gives them the power and the right over a woman's body.

Jeffrey suggests prostitution exists to provide a service when wives are unable to give in to a husband's desire for oral sex or provides the avenue for sexual release. But he does not suggest positive alternatives.

When will husbands learn to respect the feelings of their wives? And when will men learn self-control? Not all women like oral sex. Because a woman does not feel like participating in a particular sexual act, does it justify a man running off to fulfil his selfish desires with another woman, even a prostitute?

How would the man feel if the wife ran off to a gigolo or another man? Would husbands advocate the legalisation of male brothels for their wives? If what is good for the goose is not good for the gander, then it cannot be good at all.

Responsible sex and mutual respect, important factors in a healthy relationship between a man and a woman, requires that no one make the other do something he or she dislikes.

It is time to teach men responsible sex. Some men still harbour ancient ideas about sex and women. We should not confuse legitimate and natural sexual desires with a licence to sow wild oats. Many men with healthy sexual appetites do not need extramarital affairs or prostitutes.

They should learn the meaning of commitment, self-control and true sexual fulfilment. Women should not accept the myth that "all men are the same" and blindly condone their illicit trysts with multiple women. Emotional maturity is the ability of adults to control their appetites.

To dilute the shame of prostitution by euphemistically calling prostitutes sex workers is hypocritical and dishonest.

I suppose if prostitution advocates extend their logic, they could say bribes are the public's appreciation for government officials providing good customer service.

Don't get me wrong. What a man and woman does in their privacy is their business. I am merely establishing the principle that no man has the right to force a woman to do anything against her will even in a marriage, and it behoves the man to respect her most intimate feelings.

If prostitution is such a worthy occupation would many parents encourage their daughters or sons to become prostitutes with the same enthusiasm they might have for them to become doctors, accountants or scientist? The fact is prostituted sex like a century egg may taste good but it still stinks.

Legal or illegal, the truth is prostitution is immoral. It will always be seen to be an unworthy activity and prostitution will never earn society's respect.

Those who use prostitutes may be prepared to pay for a service - but at what price to their souls, their relationships, their marriages? If pleasure, and not morality, is what we use to judge human acts, how do we justify our revulsion of paedophiles and those who commit bestiality or incest?

Some people think that if you can't control or eradicate a social problem then you legalise it. It is a self-defeating strategy, devoid of imagination and resoluteness. There is no quick-fix solution to prostitution because it involves man's two strongest passions: the lust for money and the lust for sex; but I am sure there is a long-term solution if we desire to tackle the problem seriously.

What is needed is a strong political will and much community support. Knee-jerk reactions and the raiding of vice dens only penalise women who in many cases are the victims trapped in a cruel flesh trade. Supportive social programs for those who need help to get out of the trade is needed. That is why the contributions from NGOs are indispensable.

For most women, prostitution is a dead end.

It is true we cannot eradicate prostitution. It is true we cannot eradicate crime. But we do not have to be that foolish to think if you can't beat something, then all you can do is legalise it. To legalise prostitution is to condemn women.