Atwopagebriefingontheproposedcriminalisationofthepurchaseofsex.

AsanamendmenttoTheModernSlaveryBill,thisproposalpurportstotackletraffickingforsexual
exploitation.Thatitcouldberushedthroughasanamendment,withouttimetakentohaveanindepth
debateisprofoundlyconcerning.Whendealingwiththiscomplexissuepolicymakersneedtimetolook
attheevidence.

Theevidenceshowsthatthisproposalfailsonitsownterms.IncountriessuchasSweden,where
thislawhasbeenimplemented,thereisnoevidenceofadecreaseinsexsold.In2007,theSwedish
NationalBoardadmitted:Itisdifficulttodiscernanycleartrendofdevelopment:hastheextentof
prostitutionincreasedordecreased?Wecannotgiveanyunambiguousanswertothatquestion.It
concludedthatnocausalconnectionscanbeprovenbetweenlegislationandchangesinprostitution
(p7).

Furthermore,datafromtheSwedishPolicesuggeststhatthislawleadstosexworkershavingan
increasedrelianceonpotentiallyexploitativemanagersandbosses.Migrantsexworkersare
particularlyvulnerable.In2011,theSwedishPoliceadmittedthattheydidnotknowtheextentof
traffickinginSweden,stating:itisdifficulttoestimatehowmanypeoplefellvictimtohuman
traffickinginSwedenItisnotpossibletoidentifyoreventolocateallofthevictims,mainlygirls
andwomen,mentionedintappedtelephonecallsorobservedduringpolicesurveillance(3.1).This
runscountertohowtheSwedishmodelismarketedbyitsproponentsabroadasauniquelyeffective
antitraffickingmeasure.Infact,evidencefromtheSwedishpolicesuggeststheopposite:thelaw
criminalisingclientsseemstohavepushedmoresexworkers,especiallymigrantsexworkers,into
relianceonmanagers,bosses,andotherpotentiallyexploitativethirdparties.TheSwedishPolice,in
theirannualreportontrafficking,noted:in2009therewereabout90Thaimassageparloursin
Stockholmandvicinity,mostofwhichwerejudgedtobeofferingsexualservicesforsale.Attheturnof
2011/2012,thenumberofThaimassageparloursintheStockholmareawasestimatedtobeabout250
andthroughoutthecountryabout450(3.1).Thisisathreefoldincreaseinthreeyears.

Thisandotherevidencehasledtoseveralinternationalantitraffickingorganisationsstating
theiroppositiontolawsthatcriminalisetheclientsofsexworkers.Europeanantitrafficking
networkLaStradaInternationalurgedcountriestorejecttheSwedishmodel,stating:Thecallfor
criminalisationofclientsofsexworkersismadeinthenameofpreventingandcombatingtraffickingin
persons.[We]havesupportedmanywomenandmenwhoweretraffickedinthesexindustryinthepast
nearlytwodecades.Weknowfromexperiencethatcriminalisationdoesnotsolveanyoftheproblems
SexWorkerOpenUniversity:London,LeedsandGlasgow

thatourclientsface,nordoesitpreventorstophumantrafficking.Theyconclude,Theconflationof
sexworkandtraffickinginpersonsleadstoinadequatecountertraffickingpoliciesandto
counterproductiveprostitutionpolicies.

TheGlobalAllianceAgainstTrafficinWomen(GAATW)agreeswithLaStrada,stating:Its
puzzlingtoseehowsuchanambiguousconceptlikedemandisusedtosimplifyacomplexissueas
traffickingambiguityarounddemandcanoftenmakecatchphrasessuchastraffickingissupply
anddemandmorecrediblethantheymightotherwiseappear(p16).GAATWisagainstlaws
criminalisingclients,highlightingthat:Evidencehasshownenddemandforprostitutionapproaches
dontreducetrafficking:[theselaws]ignoretraffickingintoothersectorstendtorelymoreon
ideologyratherthansoundevidenceconfusetraffickingwithsexworkincreasestigmaagainstsex
workers,and[are]morefocusedonpunishingmenwhopayforsexualservices,ratherthanprotecting
womensrights(p28).

ThisisinlinewithrecentguidancefromUNWomen,whichnotes:...theconflatingofconsensualsex
workandtraffickinginhumanbeings,leadstoinappropriateresponsesthatfailtoassistsexworkers
andtraffickedwomeninrealisingtheirrights.Furthermore,failingtodistinguishbetweenthesegroups
infringesonsexworkersrighttohealthandselfdetermination,andcanimpedeeffortstopreventand
prosecutetrafficking.

ThismatchesresearchconductedintheUK.AstudydonewiththeMetropolitanPolice,andUK
HomeOfficeresearchers,havebothfoundthatcriminalisingclientsisineffectiveatdeterring
clientsandharmfultosexworkers.AnextensivestudyofstreetsexworkinLondon,donewiththe
supportoftheMetropolitanpoliceandinvolving300hoursoffieldworkwiththeViceandClubsUnit
analysedover500policereportsofmencaughtkerbcrawling.Theresearcherconcludedthatthe
criminalisationofclientsneitherprotectsthoseinvolvedinsexworkingnordetersclientsandthatit
ishardtounderstand,fromtheempiricalfindings,whatthejustificationisforthekerbcrawlinglaws
atall(p259).UKHomeOfficeresearchersfoundthattheeffectoflawstargetingclientswasthat:
women,sometimesdesperatetoearnmoneytofunddruguse,willstillgooutonthestreets,oftenata
laterhour,remainingthereforlonger,thusincreasingtheirvulnerability...inordertoavoidthe
police,womenhavebeenfoundtospendlesstimenegotiatingbusinesswithclients,increasingthe
likelihoodofbeingunabletospotadodgypunter.Ithasbeenarguedbypolice,thewomenand
outreachworkersthatoperationscanhavetheeffectofdeterringthedecentpunterwhilstdoing
nothingtodeterdangerousandviolentindividualswhocommitcrimeagainstwomeninvolvedinstreet
prostitution(p24).

LordFowler,theformerhealthministerwhointhe1980sspearheadedtheUKsfightagainstHIV,this
summercalledforfulldecriminalisationtheoppositeofthisamendment.Hestated,Areweprepared
torecognisesexworkandcooperatewithsexworkers,bringingthemintothepolicydialogue,ordo
wecallthemprostitutesandassumetheyhavenoinput?Sexworkersandtraffickedpeopleneed
betterlaws,butthisamendmentisnotwhatweneed.Sexworkers,academics,andhumanrights
expertsacrosstheUKandtheworldcallonyoutorejectthisamendment.

SexWorkerOpenUniversity:London,LeedsandGlasgow

Furtherreading

OpenSocietyFoundations:LawsAndPoliciesAffectingSexWork

AnnJordan:THESWEDISHLAWTOCRIMINALIZECLIENTS:AFAILEDEXPERIMENTIN
SOCIALENGINEERING

UNAIDS:GuidanceNoteonHIVandSexWork

Krusietal:Criminalisationofclients:reproducingvulnerabilitiesforviolenceandpoorhealth
amongstreetbasedsexworkersinCanada

NSWPConsensusStatement:OnSexWork,HumanRights,andtheLaw

NSWPSTATEMENT:RESPONSETOEUROPEANPARLIAMENTSUPPORTFOR
PROPOSALSCRIMINALISINGTHEPURCHASEOFSEX

NSWP:SexWorkIsNotTrafficking

NSWP:TheCriminalisationofClients

JayLevy/SexWorkerOpenUniversity:SwedishAbolitionismasViolenceAgainstWomen

SexWorkerOpenUniversity:London,LeedsandGlasgow