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賣淫在大多數國家是違法的。它也許是一項單純的輕度犯罪（例如在美國大多數州內），或也許是一種會被判處死刑的嚴重罪行（在一些穆斯林國家裏）。但是，無論這些國家的法律做出怎樣的規定，所有這些國家一樣都有興旺發達的“性交易（sex
trade）”[1]。
考慮到這一基本事實，其它國家已經在尋求不同的解決之道。既然把賣淫犯罪化並不能消除賣淫，並且實際上可能會強化並不引人注意的那些特徵，我們希望另一些管理方法可能證明更加有益於解決問題。例如：
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祛罪化管理，即撤銷各種反賣淫的刑事法律。
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合法化管理，即讓賣淫成為一種符合一些通用的法律規則的合法行為。
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制度化管理，即以某種官方的方式通過管理來調控賣淫。
實際上，就賣淫來說，對上述術語並不存在普遍認可的精確含義。甚至，有時候這些術語可交替使用（祛罪化管理與合法化管理是等同的意思，繼而，合法化管理常常與制度化管理也是等同的意思）。這可能使得討論賣淫問題變得困難起來。在本教程裏，我們使用上述定義的術語。
祛罪化管理是三個管理賣淫方法中最清晰明瞭的。這種管理方法簡單地任憑賣淫放任自流。但是，這種管理方法未能顧及賣淫有時相當可觀收入的課稅問題。從這個意義上看，賣淫祛罪化管理對必需賦稅的其他行業的人是不公正的和不公平的。
合法化管理可能會創造徵稅的機會，但是徵稅的力度常常並不夠，而且稅收比祛罪化管理方法多不到哪兒去。不過，當通用的法律規則制定得更有針對性的時候，賣淫的合法化管理也能夠合併到制度化管理的方案裏去。
由一些政府機構實行的賣淫制度化管理一定要制定細節，有時要制定得詳盡和具有可操作性。例如，可以規定妓院要獲得營業許可證，並接受常規檢查。也可以規定妓女持證上崗、註冊登記、購買失業和健康保險，進行常規衛生保健檢查，使用安全套，等等。
在實踐中，這三種管理方法各有千秋。沒有哪一種方法都能完好地解決與賣淫相關的問題[2]。不過，這些問題存在的真相卻不能否認。
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Prostitution is illegal in most countries. It may be a simple misdemeanor (for example in most of the USA), or it may be a serious crime carrying the the
death penalty (in some Muslim countries). However, no matter what their laws may say,
all of these countries also have a flourishing “sex trade”.
In view of this fact, other countries have looked for different approaches. Since criminalizing prostitution does not eliminate it and may actually reinforce its most unattractive features, one hopes that some other method may prove more helpful. For example:
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Decriminalization, i.e. repealing the criminal laws against prostitution.
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Legalization, i.e. making it a legal activity subject to certain general rules.
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Regulation, i.e. controlling prostitution by regulating it in some official manner.
Actually, with regard to prostitution, there is no general agreement on the exact meaning of these terms. Indeed, sometimes they are used interchangeably (decriminalization is equated with legalization which, in turn, is often equated with regulation). This can make the discussion difficult. In the present course, we use the terms as defined above.
Decriminalization is the least ambiguous of the three approaches. It simply leaves the prostitutes to their own devices. However, it fails to deal with the issue of taxing their sometimes considerable income. In this sense, it is unjust and unfair to people in other lines of work who must pay their taxes.
Legalization may create a chance for taxation, but very often it does not go that far and amounts to little more than decriminalization. However, it can also blend into regulation when general rules become more specific.
Regulation by some government agency is bound to go into detail, sometimes into great detail. It may, for example, require brothels to be
licensed and regularly inspected. It may also require prostitutes to have working permits, to register, to pay unemployment and health insurance, to undergo regular health checks, to use condoms etc.
In practice, each of the three approaches has its own advantages and drawbacks. None offers a perfect solution to the problems connected with prostitution. The fact that problems exist cannot be denied.
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