Notice under Services, there is a big black "Censored" sign where there was once adult and under gigs, Adult is no longer listed. As a result of the recent Craigslist Murder and complaints of prostitution and human trafficking, the Attorney Generals from several states including Utah's own Mark Shurtliff have requested that Craigslist eliminate the ads for adult services. Of course other sites such as backpage are still free to advertise and I am quite sure the people who advertised prostitution and other adult services will appear in the Casual NSA section of the craigslist personals to advertise. This means when you respond to an ad, it could be a live person instead of an advertisement for some cool dating site, porn site, adult verification service, but this live person could be a prostitute. I'm not saying that prostitutes haven't already advertised in other areas to get business. In fact, my personal friend (who I did a blog about his search on the craigslist personals) had a response to his ad from a woman willing to give her "Mind, Body, and Soul" for a few items such as a cell phone, clothes, etc. So instead of an exchange of sex for money, she wanted to be paid with material things such as a cell phone. Imagine meeting someone on craigslist in person who tells you that they charge $200/hr to be with you.
I don't think this technique will put an end to prostitution or human trafficking. I've actually advertised under the Adult Gigs section for a model since I enjoy taking photos of women as a hobby. There is nothing wrong with this. I make sure the model is 18 years of age or older and there was no exchange of cash for sex and the photos are non-nude photos. To be honest, I'm not fully against prostitution. I am opposed to human trafficking and the exploitation of women younger than 18 or adult women with low self esteem or who have been tricked but other than these issues I think prostitution should be legalized. I don't think Nevada's model is the best model where prostitutes live in brothels in the middle of nowhere and after the owner of the brothel, the limousine or taxi that gave the person a ride to the brothel get their share, the lady is left with very little cash and it has been reported that ladies in brothels are trapped since they cannot leave and get another job. I am also against prostitutes soliciting business in a public area. My opinion is that legalizing prostitution by licensing (a source of tax revenue) and periodically testing prostitutes for STD's and taking preventive measures such as requiring a condom can make prostitution safe. It's not like prostitution never existed. It is considered the oldest profession for a reason. There are single men I know who cannot find a woman and would appreciate some special time with a woman but because of illnesses such as Aspergers Syndrome where a lot of the people who suffer from this illness have social problems making it nearly impossible to be with someone for a long term relationship which makes them lonely as humans need to have some social contact especially with a significant other. Can you live almost a lifetime without a woman? What is the difference between someone who goes to a bar and has a one night stand with a woman and someone who is paying for some time with a woman? As I see it, both are equally immoral but it seems acceptable to go to a bar and have one night stands since you are not paying for sex. Prostitution destroys marriages people say, but what about people who meet men and women for one night stands? Not to advocate Prostitution or cheating on a significant other but sometimes a person needs a sex life that their partner isn't willing to give them. There is even a dating site dedicated to men and women who are married and considering an affair. Some people have lied on personal ads claiming they are single or divorced. Are they going to shut down these sites too?
A lot of people mention how this is a good start but couldn't you say this about the early actions taken during the war on drugs? From what it looks like, it will be impossible to stop prostitution just like drugs. We read on the news about drug busts and prostitution stings but it still goes on. A lot of money has been spent trying to stop drugs and prostitution but it just seems that the problem of drugs and prostitution don't get better. Maybe some drugs should be decriminalized and taxed such as marijuana and perhaps prostitution should be decriminalized. This would make drugs and prostitution safer. Drugs are similar to alcohol in the 1920s where there was a great demand and cash incentive so even though it was illegal to buy and sell alcohol, it was sold in the black market. Same thing with prostitution. Both drugs and prostitution deal in cash because paying with a check or credit card leaves a paper trail. This makes them easy targets for robbery and do you think they will call the police to report money stolen from them that was obtained illegally? Of course not! Instead of the dangerous world of drugs and prostitution, decriminalization could reduce the violence and even provide a source of taxes. Sorry to go on a rant and go off topic but I feel that drugs and prostitution are similar in that there is a market for them but it is a black market that is unsafe. Just look at the gangs in Mexico fighting near the border or the news stories of "a drug deal gone bad" ending up in a shooting. A lot of US gangs are involved in drug distribution and prostitution. Prostitutes face danger since they have no idea who they are about to meet. They could meet a nice guy who just wants a romantic night and are treated to a romantic encounter or they could face a psycho and they cannot call the police for help if they meet up with a psycho.
You can force websites such as craigslist to remove their adult sections but there will always be another website to take their place or the advertisers will go to another section of Craigslist to advertise.
