Prostitution should not be legalized because it increases human sex trafficking. The high demand of prostitutes would lead to more “pimps” trafficking women into the United States in order to exploit said women for profit. An example of this happening is when prostitution was legalized in the Netherlands. Ironically, one reason prostitution was legalized in the first place was to decrease the amount of immigrants trafficked into the country for prostitution; however, according Raymond, author of the article “Prostitution Should Not Be Legalized,” 80 percent of prostitutes who work in Netherland brothels were trafficked from other countries (Raymond par. 7).Raymond’s point is that sex trafficking has only increased because of legalization. Richard Poulin, professor of sociology at the University of Montreal in Canada, has found that in Eastern Europe countries, around 500,000 trafficked women become prostitutes every year (Poulin par. 8). In addition, in Amsterdam alone, there are 250 brothels, and 70 percent of the women working in these brothels are undocumented because they are human trafficking victims (Poulin par. 11). These numbers are alarming and have only increased following prostitution legalization. For example, in Austria, 90 percent of prostitutes are trafficked from other countries. In ten years, the number of trafficked prostitutes in Austria grew from 2,100 annually to 20,000 annually (Poulin par 8). This exponential rise of trafficking correlates to the legalization of prostitution in Austria, confirming the notion that prostitution legalization increases human sex trafficking. Adversaries, however, oppose these facts. Opposition believes that legalizing prostitution would decrease human sex trafficking. Research conducted in the Netherlands seven years after the legalization of prostitution found that the number of underaged workers in the Netherlands decreased after prostitution was legalized (Bass 105). In addition, legalization allows law enforcement to combat trafficking efficiently. Legalizing prostitution in the U.S would make it easier for law enforcement to focus on violent and destructive crimes and on catching pimps who participate in human sex trafficking (Bass 105). This means that if prostitution was legalized, human sex trafficking would decrease because law enforcement could focus their attention on prosecuting those involved in human trafficking. In Ron Weitzer’s article “Sex Markets,” published in Student Resources in Context, states, "Legalization gives the authorities greater oversight over third parties who are involved in prostitution, and thus can serve as a deterrent to trafficking and other abusive practices. When prostitution is illegal, sex workers and their managers are forced to operate clandestinely, and we know that organized crime thrives where a vice is illegal" (Weitzer par. 4). In other words, authorities are able to better combat trafficking because law enforcement can supervise those involved in prostitution easier. The opposition's claim that human sex trafficking would decrease rests upon the questionable assumption that many laws would be put in place to protect prostitution. However, existing laws have not been able to protect prostitutes in places where prostitution is legal. This further validates the claim that legalizing prostitution would increase human sex trafficking and, in turn, expand the sex industry.