Who is Jack the Ripper?

Jack the Ripper was the name given to a serial killer who preyed on female prostitutes in the Whitechapel district of London, England in the later years of the nineteenth century. All of his killing are truly unknown, but it is believed that he is responsible for five killings in 1888. Not only are his victims unknown, his true identity is still a mystery to this day. His method of attack was to allow the prostitutes seduce him into using them for their services. After strangling them to make them unconscious, he would proceed to cut his victims' throats, then often cut their corpses and remove their internal organs. Because of the way the organs were removed, this led the public to believe that the culprit may have been surgeon or have a background in medical knowledge.

        Though a number of different murders occurred around the same time as the Jack the Ripper spree, only five deaths were officially linked to him. The first one occurred on August 31, 1888. The victim was a forty-two year old prostitute named Marry Ann Nichols and she was found dead on the street with her throat slashed so deep her head was almost completely detached. Her abdomen had also been slashed with a blade and her stomach was cut open. The three victims following Nichols were also prostitutes, until his last victim. His final murder occurred on November 9, 1888, when twenty-five year old Mary Jane Kelly was found completely mutilated in her apartment. Her body had been skinned and gutted and pieces of her face and chest were found strewn across the table with remains of her intestines hanging on a picture frame.

        Though police never uncovered the killers identity, a number of theories surfaced in the decades following. Many speculators believed that the killer must have held a profession of a butcher, mortician or doctor. Jack the Ripper got his name after the police had received a letter from an individual claiming to have committed the two murders and threatened even more. The letter was signed Jack the Ripper, which is how the public referred to him form that point forward.

        Since Jack the Ripper was the first modern serial killer who preyed on London prostitutes, it has since then brought up a lot of discussions about the sex trade industry as whole. No one really knows how many prostitutes go missing or are killed each year, because no one cares enough to look for them. In 2003, another killer called the Green River Killer, also known as Gary Ridgeway told the court that he picked prostitutes as victims because they are so easy to pick up without being noticed. I thought I could kill as many of them as I wanted without being caught. (Ridgeway)  This is true in so many cases. The reality of it is that nothing will change until it is recognized by the law itself that it must take some responsibility for giving predators such as Ridgeway the opportunity to act in situations like this.

        One account from Chelsea Lane describes her experience with prostitution and sex work. She first became interested in sex work her first year in college in Oregon. After a couple of years of earning her own money and learning from her experiences, she said of the people she had worked with, they're people. Not sad drug addicts walking on the streets. (Lane) The stereotype of prostitutes as streetwalkers is somewhat dated in the United States, where for decades an estimated 80% have done business indoors. More recently, the internet has encouraged acceptance of sex work among the public. In the summer of 2015, Amnesty International, one of the world's most prominent human-rights organizations, voted to campaign for the decriminalization of all aspects of sex work from buying to selling. Amnesty International said, After two years of research and deliberation we have concluded that full decriminalization would better empower and protect sex workers. (Amnesty International)

        At present, prostitution and the sex work industry is criminalized across the United States. However, it is permitted in a few rural counties in Nevada, where licensed brothels operate under strict regulations. This has done closed to nothing in slowing the demand for sex work. In 2010, the Bureau of Justice reported that over 60,000 people were arrested for prostitution. (Federal Bureau of Investigation) Simply put, regardless of whether or not its legal prostition will continue. By keeping it illegal, American perpetuates an unsafe and an unequal system that stigmatizes and exploits sex workers. It has created an environment in which sex workers are subjected to violence, disease, ridicule and inequality. It is for these reasons that Amnesty International called for the decriminalization of sex work. They recently stated, We have seen evidence to suggest that the criminalization of sex work leads to social marginalization and an increased risk of human rights abuses against sex workers. The evidence also suggests that decriminalization could be the best means to protect the rights of sex workers and ensure that these individuals receive adequate medical care, legal assistance and police protection. (Amnesty International)

        As noted above, regardless of the fact that prostitution is illegal, there is still a demand for it. It is estimated that there are around 30 million victims of human trafficking around the world and over half of the victims, 55%, are women. According to the International Labor Organization, human trafficking generates around $150 million per year. Two-thirds of this money comes from the commercial sexual exploitation. Though there are many perils to this disgusting industry, there is widespread evidence that legalizing prostitution reduces sex trafficking overall. In 2001, Germany legalized sex work and over the next 10 years, sex-based human trafficking decreased by 10 percent within the country. As Cathy Reisenwitz writes for the Daily Beast, Working with instead of against sex workers will lead to more slaves being rescued. In Germany, it already is. While prohibitionists claim that legalizing prostitution has increased human trafficking in the country, the data don't support them. (Reisenwitz) Additionally, by keeping sex work illegal, victims of this industry are less likely to seek out police help, out of fear of being arrested. The victims are often treated like criminals in those situations. John Haltiwanger from Elite Daily says, One of the keys to combatting sex-based human trafficking is opening up the communication waves and exposing traffickers. We can't do this while prostitution remains illegal, which stigmatizes sex workers and pushes them to the fringes of society. (Haltiwanger)

        One of the major arguments in support of the legalization of this industry is that it would make sex workers safer and result in fewer assaults and STDs. Belle Knox, a porn star putting herself through school at Duke University recently did an interview with Rolling Stone magazine where she talked about her support of legalizing prostitution. Knox said, Prostitution is criminalized in every state and locality across the country. As a result, sex workers are pushed onto the street, leaving too many at the whims of pimps and dangerous johns without access to police protection and labor representation. If only the practice was brought indoors, sex workers could have more freedom to perform on their own terms in a safe, legal environment like I do. (Knox) The United Nations Human Rights Council recently published a report that expressed similar statements, saying, "The criminalization of clients has not reduced trafficking or sex work, but has increased sex workers' vulnerability to violence, harmed HIV responses, and infringed on sex workers' rights."  In Germany and New Zealand, where sex work has been decriminalized, occupational health and safety laws protect the workers in this environment. In addition to that, the brothels also screen clients and use credit cards and as a result, violence has decreased. Under the Prostitution Reform Act introduced in New Zealand in 2003, brothel operators who don't promote safe sex face criminal charges. (Prostitution Reform Act)  Max Ehrenfreund, a reporter for the Washington Post recently reported that for a period between 1980-2009, prostitution was legalized in the state of Rhode Island. Even though it was made illegal again in 2009, during the 6 years prior to that, the number of rapes declines by 31% and gonorrhea infection among women in Rhode Island dropped 39%. (Ehrenfreund)    

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