Prostitution

Names for prostitutes include Call-girl (females only), escort, whore (although Americans find this very offensive, Germany and other European countries think prostitute is an unnecessary euphemistic word), courtesan, and gigolo (males). Different situations in which prostitution is marketed include street prostitution where the escort solicits customers while standing on the street or corners. Brothels are establishments where prostitutes are sold indoors. In escort situations, the client calls an escort service which sends an escort to the client’s hotel room or house. The last most common situation, although there are others, is “lot-lizards” where the prostitute works mostly with truck drivers.

Prostitution is regarded differently depending on the location, in most Muslim countries the common consequence for prostitution is execution, while in some other parts of the world prostitutes are tax paying citizens. Countries with this type of legalization are the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Greece and New Zealand. In the New South Wales province of Australia a woman must be at least the age of 18 in order to provide services and in Victoria prostitutes must be licensed. In Japan, vaginal intercourse as a form of prostitution is illegal, but fellatio is not considered an act of prostitution, therefore making it legal to give fellatio in exchange for money. In Turkey, street prostitution is illegal, but there are government run brothels, and private brothels must be licensed. The United Kingdom has not formerly outlawed prostitution but set strict regulations around the matter such as, making street prostitution illegal, it is illegal to solicit from motor vehicles, this is known as kerb-crawling, owning or running brothels are illegal, and controlling prostitution for gain, known as pimping, is illegal. In early 2006 England and Wales decided to allow small brothels, but to crack down on kerb-crawling, which they describe as a “nuisance.” Brazil and Costa Rica have made prostitution legal but pimping illegal.

In the United States prostitution is illegal in all states but Nevada and Rhode Island, In Rhode Island the act of selling sex is not illegal, but street prostitution and running brothels is. Prostitution is popularly known in Nevada but is heavily regulated and the laws differ within different counties. Under Nevada law the any county with a population of less then 400,000 is allowed to have brothels if they choose. As of July 2004 brothels are illegal in Carson City, Washoe County which includes Reno, Douglas County, and Lincoln County, and Clark County, which includes Las Vegas. The other 11 counties have licensed brothels in certain areas or cities. In all counties but two the legal age of prostitution is 21, and the other two counties are 18. State law requires that registered brothel prostitutes be checked weekly for several sexually transmitted diseases and monthly for HIV; furthermore, condoms are mandatory for all oral sex and sexual intercourse. Brothel owners may be held liable if customers become infected with HIV after a prostitute has tested positive for the virus. Nevada contains about 30 legal brothels that employee something around 300 women at any given time. The wage is split between the brothel owner and the prostitute. Because by law brothels