卖淫(prostitution)
同非配偶或朋友的个人发生性关系以直接换取金钱或其他值钱物品的行为。卖淫可能是异性也有可能是同性的活动，但多数卖淫是女性为主，男性为客的。卖淫是一种古老的、普遍都有的现象，对妓女的谴责也是世界性的，但对顾客的谴责则相对较弱。妓女通常受到某种程度的孤立。在古罗马，她们必须穿上特殊的服装；希伯来的法令规定只有外籍妇女才能充当妓女；在战前的日本，她们必须居住在城市特定的区域。在欧洲中世纪时期，对妓女要颁发执照并按法律进行管理；16世纪发生的一场传染性病和後宗教改革运动的道德行为致使妓院被关闭。在美国，卖淫是第一个被「麦恩法」（1910）限制的，到了1915年，许多州都禁止了妓院的经营（内华达州是一个典型的例外）。无论如何，卖淫在美国和欧洲的许多城市得到了宽容，其政策活动的主要精力集中在犯罪活动上。妓女通常都很贫困，并缺乏谋生的技能。在许多传统社会中，妇女如果没有家里的帮助，很难找到谋生的行当。在非洲和亚洲的开发中国家，卖淫是导致爱滋病传播和成千上万儿童被遗弃的主要原因。
English version：
prostitution
Practice of engaging in sexual activity, usually with individuals other than a spouse or friend, in exchange for immediate payment in money or other valuables. Prostitutes may be of either sex and may engage in either heterosexual or homosexual activity, but most prostitution has been by females with males as clients. Prostitution is a very old and universal phenomenon; also universal is the condemnation of the prostitute but relative indifference toward the client. Prostitutes are often set apart in some way. In ancient Rome they were required to wear distinctive dress; under Hebrew law only foreign women could be prostitutes; in prewar Japan they were required to live in special sections of the city. In the European Middle Ages prostitution was licensed and regulated by law; an epidemic of venereal disease in the 16th century and post-Reformation morality led to the closure of brothels. In the U.S. prostitution was first curtailed by the Mann Act (1910), and by 1915 most states had banned brothels (Nevada being a notable exception). Prostitution is nevertheless tolerated in most U.S. and European cities, where police activity focuses instead on associated crimes. Prostitutes are very often poor and lack skills to support themselves; in many traditional societies, there are few other available money-earning occupations for women without family support. In developing African and Asian nations, prostitution has been largely responsible for the spread of AIDS and the orphaning of hundreds of thousands of children.
