|
被禁止的性行為與性暴力
|
|
賣淫: 有關的法律方面
6
|
|
不僅非法賣淫，而且合法賣淫也可能與各式各樣的犯罪活動相聯繫，從逃稅到拉皮條，從吸毒到人身暴力等等。這些犯罪活動在同樣准許賣淫的地方就不那麼頻繁和不那麼嚴重，不過，儘管那樣，犯罪活動也不會必然而然地消失。
儘管如此，賣淫常常被稱為“無受害人的犯罪”。這何以能夠證明？並且，首先要弄清楚，什麼是無受害人的犯罪？ |
無受害人的犯罪是一種在法律上有允諾能力的人之間的商品或服務的不合法的自主交換。這種交換符合他們相互的利益，並且只要這種交換沒有直接或間接地影響到他人，就是無受害人的交換。但是，這種交換會限定有東西想要交換的直接參與者，也限定法律試圖阻止參與者交換的東西。因此，參與者對遵守強制性的法律不感興趣。他們既不會起訴法律當局也不會向法律當局提出什麼證據。
|
|
|
正如該定義說清楚了的那樣，執行反對無受害人的犯罪的法律是困難的。甚至，執行這種法律容易涉及值得懷疑的各種法律手段，譬如，有針對性的偵查和竊聽、秘密監視、密探佈防、誘捕等等。繼而，這可能產生新的犯罪，譬如行賄和警察腐敗等等。
雖然，無受害人的犯罪的概念在理論上足夠明晰，這個概念的實際運用可能會有爭議。一些犯罪行為僅僅乍一看是無受害人的，但是實際上會犧牲第三方的利益。例如，私自雇傭非法移民做女傭從而會欺騙收稅員。一些毒品的消費無論合法還是不合法，都可能不僅通過損害吸毒者的判斷力而傷害到他/她本人，而且如果吸毒成癮也間接傷害到他/她的家人。如果吸毒導致了交通事故，甚至會傷害到無辜的陌生人。因而，儘管使用毒品同樣可能是私人事務，它也可能損害公共利益。其它有一些案例則比較模糊不清：按照上述定義的概念，協助自殺可能是無受害人的行為，但是，它會違背許多社會所珍視的道德準則。隨著時間的推移，反復進行嚴肅的討論也許會以各種途徑解決如此複雜的問題。（協助自殺在一定許可權範圍之內現在已經合法了。）與之類似的是，如果深入地研討研討，人們可能會重新定義法定強姦（罪）。（在一些國家，為了應對變換不定的公眾意見，個人同意發生性行為的“允諾年齡”已經被降低或被提高了。）
那麼，賣淫是不是無受害人的犯罪呢？ |
|
Prohibited Sexual Behavior and Sexual Violence
|
|
Prostitution: Legal Aspects 6
|
|
Not only illegal, but also legal prostitution may be connected with various forms of criminality, from tax evasion to pimping, drug use and physical violence. These crimes are less frequent and less serious where prostitution as such is permitted, but even then they do not necessarily disappear.
In spite of this,
prostitution has often been called a “victimless crime”. How can this be justified? And what is a victimless crime to begin with?
|
|
A victimless crime is an illegal voluntary exchange of goods or services between people who are legally capable of consent. This exchange serves their mutual interest, and it is victimless as long as it does not affect others either directly or indirectly. However, it provides the immediate participants with something they desire and which the law tries to deny them. Therefore, they have no interest in seeing the law enforced. They will neither initiate prosecution nor give evidence to the authorities.
|
|
|
As this definition makes clear, enforcing the laws against victimless crimes is difficult. Indeed, it tends to involve questionable methods, such as systematic spying and snooping, secret surveillance, the use of undercover agents, enticement and entrapment. This, in turn, can breed new crimes such as bribery and police corruption.
While the theoretical concept of a victimless crime is clear enough, its application in practice can be controversial. Some crimes are victimless only a first glance, but actually victimize uninvolved third parties. For example, someone who privately employs an illegal immigrant as a housekeeper thereby cheats the tax collector. The consumption of certain drugs, whether legal or illegal (alcohol, marijuana, cocaine etc.), may harm not only the user by impairing his judgment, but indirectly also his family if it turns into a self-destructive addiction. It may even harm total strangers if it leads to a traffic accident. Thus, while the drug use as such may be a private affair, it may also have public consequences. Other cases are less clear: Assisted suicide may be victimless in the sense of the above definition, but it violates a moral principle that many societies hold dear. Serious discussions may, over time, resolve such a complex issue in one direction or the other. (Assisted suicide has now been legalized in a few jurisdictions.) Similarly, statutory rape may be redefined following an intensive debate. (In some countries the “age of consent” has been lowered or raised in response to shifting public opinion.)
Now, what about prostitution?
|
