Amnesty International Proposes the Decriminalization of Prostitution

Amnesty International is calling for the complete decriminalization of prostitution, or "sex work", at least between "consenting adults."

Read AI's Proposal

This is a very convoluted issue and perhaps there is no one right solution to the questions it raises.

The so-called "Swedish Model" of policy does to me seem the best approach, criminalizing pimps and johns rather than the prostitutes themselves. Many women, even if not actually forced or coerced into prostitution, nonetheless engage in prostitution out of desperation and lack of other employment opportunities.
On the other hand, many turn to drug-dealing from a similar lack of prospects, and it would seem absurd to criminalize drug addicts and not the pushers. However, in this case the prostitute is the primary victim of the industry, not the buyer. The pimps and traffickers are the real criminals, however; perhaps the right to associate and form brothels, taking the economics into their own (or at least a less insidious representative's) hands would offer better protection and conditions to these (mostly) women. Indeed, that is one of the main points that Amnesty International is making, that by decriminalizing the sex industry, prostitutes would have better working conditions and not be targeted by the police. Violence against prostitutes is taken for granted as they are seen as criminals and socially disgraced.
The Proposal seems to take the johns' side, claiming that buying sex is part of their right to "life enjoyment and dignity." To me this seems ridiculous. However, they should not be the prime target of law enforcement either, especially when they are sometimes entrapped by undercover police officers offering sex for sale.
But the Proposal would protect traffickers, while claiming that violence, enslavement, and involvement of minors should still be prohibited and enforced...in fact in the wider context of the sex industry, these elements are inseparable.

I would go further and say that currently there is far too much permissiveness.... somehow prostitution is allowed to persist through classifieds and online, in a direct-to-consumer market.
Pornography should also be regulated; in any case hard-core pornography is in point-of-fact a form of prostitution, albeit a contracted form, where the person(s) being paid for sex is paid by a third-party.

I found this article engaging as well