[vacri]

I think you're underestimating humanity's sex drive. It's called "the oldest profession" for a reason. Making something so inherent to us "as difficult and dangerous as possible" demonstrably does not stop prostitution, which continues even in places where there are harsh physical penalties for it.

Here in Melbourne, I think they've got the right answer. Brothels are perfectly legal and get government inspectors, but street prostitution is illegal. Basically it's a regulated industry, and the form of prostitution that's subject to the bulk of the problems is the banned one. It's a bit like the War on Drugs, where almost everyone agrees that legalisation and regulation is a better answer to the ills of drugs than blanket bans.