The Act of Prostitution
             The illegal act of prostitution is not enforced by every state in America. In Las Vegas, Nevada prostitution is illegal but frequently over looked by the law enforcers. "Why bite the hand that feeds," stated a store clerk that works on the "strip" of Las Vegas, when I asked his opinion on the issue of prostitution. During a trip to Las Vegas I noticed that at certain times of the night and in specific areas, prostitutes loitered near the streets and bars. Why do so many men and women resort to something that seems so exploitive and crude, and why do so many contribute to this act? Prostitutes come from many different backgrounds, some from abusive families. Wherever we live, the prostitution problem exists and affects people's views on sexual behaviors.
             Prostitution is maintained by people in our society. "It is the object of criminal law and penal administration to protect society," states professor Caesar Lombroso (1980, p. V). Even though society is "protected" how is it possible to protect one from oneself? Many women choose to join such groups or "families" that traffic women. Several times women who live in poverty find themselves forced to look for different methods for survival; this can result in prostitution. Adolescents are found many times in this situation, where they have run from home and they feel their only option is to solicit themselves.
             In a research done by Carol Pateman she states, "Prostitution ... establishes a relationship within which the prostitute is ambiguously subject to the client's command ....sexual exploitation violates human rights to dignity, and therefore can be no right to prostitute and no distinction between 'free' and 'forced' prostitution (1988, p. 2)." This
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