Criminalisation, of sex workers or clients, undermines safety.
The law criminalising clients, first implemented in Sweden in 1999 and known as the “Nordic Model” is touted as feminist because it criminalises men (i.e. the clients) rather than women (i.e. the victims). But its effect on women has been disastrous. Sex workers face increased stigma, are more at risk of violence, and are less able to call on the protection of the police and the authoritie as this can lead to police harassment, the loss of custody over children, or deportation.
For more information please see our briefing No Nordic Model
In 2012 Rhoda Grant MSP put forward a proposal to criminalise the purchase of sex. The ECP response provides evidence that criminalising clients neither stops prostitution nor prevents sex workers from being criminalised. Fact and testimony are provided to counter the myths and misleading research put forward by Ms Grant. The ECP submission concludes with […]
In a Northern Ireland media first, escorts working in County Antrim speak to County Antrim Post reporter Andrew Coffman Smith about proposed changes to prostitution laws, the media’s portrayal of them and the real story behind human- trafficking. Sex sells but if NI peer Lord Morrow has his way, it will be illegal to buy […]
The Human Trafficking Bill – currently before the Assembly – is sponsored by a little-known Right-wing Christian pressure group, says Graham EllisonIn an article in the Belfast Telegraph earlier this month, Lord Morrow once again sought public support for his Human Trafficking and Exploitation Bill, currently under consultation in the Assembly.Lord Morrow’s Bill seeks to […]
by Carolina TalaveraHaving read the article “Legal or not, prostitution remains a harmful institution” by Melissa Farley in DREGS magazine, I write to comment and correct. In her piece, Farley makes a number of claims such as that prostitution is uniquely dangerous and damaging, and supports these claims with statistics and other evidence. On closer scrutiny […]
“Buy Sex – Pay the Price,” scream the posters in Brixton Tube. A silhouette of a shady man stands underneath the headline, moodily checking his mobile phone. “Lambeth Council and Lambeth police are targeting those who buy sex,” explains the blurb, helpfully reminding commuters that “Prostitution is a form of violence against women and girls.” […]
The Council of Europe recommends that member states: “ . . . refrain from criminalising and penalising prostitutes . . . respect the right of prostitutes who freely choose to work as prostitutes to have a say in any policies at national, regional and local level . . . ensure . . . access to safe […]
In 1999 Sweden criminalised men who buy sex, who on conviction face six months in jail. In 2003 the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Police Affairs launched a Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Women and Children. One of the measures in the plan was the appointment of a working group to collect experiences for […]
A law intended to criminalise men who use prostitutes has led to just 43 convictions in England and Wales in its first year of operation. Figures released to the BBC show that in some regions not one man was convicted for having sex with a woman who had been forced into prostitution. Police say the […]
By Susanne Dodillet and Petra ÖstergrenConference paper presented at the International Workshop: Decriminalizing Prostitution and Beyond: Practical Experiences and Challenges. The Hague, March 3 and 4, 2011IntroductionSweden’s criminalization of the purchase of sexual services in 1999 is said to be a unique measure: to only punish those who buy sexual services, not those who sell them. […]
A police force has denied a four-year crackdown on kerb-crawlers has made sex workers more vulnerable to attack by forcing them to move on to other areas.Of the 52 men arrested for kerb-crawling in east Bournemouth in 2006, 18 were charged compared with the 17 arrests and a single charge last year.English Collective of Prostitutes […]