If a person freely decides to engage in prostitution, his activity is not considered against the law. However, if someone obtains an economic benefit from the exercise of prostitution of another person, he is committing a crime of pimping. The individual who promotes other people's sex trade in order to profit is a pimp.
In most countries pimping is prosecuted by law, as it is considered a form of exploitation.
A concept that has evolved throughout history
In Ancient Greece the pimp was the man who was engaged in intermediation in business or the slave trade. We could say that it was a commission agent.
In Roman civilization, the profession of pimp expanded and began to relate to those who profited by employing slaves as prostitutes. In theory this activity was severely punished by law, but in practice Roman prostitutes could carry out their activity normally.
In the Middle Ages the pimp trade was normally carried out by women, who were known as pimps. The activity of the pimp consisted of putting a man and a woman in contact in exchange for money. The character of Celestina in "The Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea" is a clear example of this activity.
With the passage of time, new figures emerged, such as the pimp and the madam. The pimp, also known as a pimp, protects the prostitute from clients and receives a bonus in return. The madam is the woman who organizes the activity of a brothel and, logically, has a financial compensation for it. At present, pimping is related to the mafias that are dedicated to trafficking in women.
The phenomenon of prostitution
It has been claimed many times that prostitution is the oldest occupation in the world. His practice has always been controversial. On the one hand, it is an activity contrary to the moral criteria accepted by the majority. On the other hand, prostitution is directly related to certain crimes, such as pimping or human trafficking.
There are different approaches to this phenomenon. For prohibitionists, it is a social evil and therefore those who practice prostitution should be treated as criminals. There are less strict positions, since it is considered that prostitution should not be prohibited but neither should it be legalized and only pimping should be considered a crime, since a person profits from the sexual activity of another person. From another perspective, it is proposed to regulate prostitution and consider it as a work activity like any other.
Photo: Fotolia - PanovA
