1. Chancellor of Justice Anna Skarhed Riga, Latvia 26 october 2015

2.  Against gender equality  Harmful to the individual and to society  Targets those already marginalized  Incompatible with international principles of human rights  Focus on the demand as it is the root cause of prostitution  Prostitution and trafficking can not be separated  The legalization of prostitution will normalize sexual discrimination and violence 2

3.  On January 1, 1999, as the first country in the world, Sweden passed legislation that prohibits the purchase of sex.  The ban had a gender equality as well as a human rights perspective. It was deemed that fighting prostitution was of pressing social interest.  The law constituted a shift in perspective – if there was no demand there would be no prostitution. 3

4.  A person who, in other cases than previously stated in this chapter, optains a casual sexual relation in exchange for payment shall be sentenced for the purchase of sex to a fine or imprisonment for at the most one year.  What is stated in the first paragraph also applies if the payment has been promised or made by someone else. 4

5.  The number of persons exploited in street prostitution had halved since 1999  In 2008 Denmark and Norway had three times as many individuals in street prostitution  The ban had made it less attractive to establish more extensive prostitution business in Sweden 5

6.  Prostitution with the initial contact via Internet, in the last five years had increased in Sweden as in Denmark and Norway.  But the number of individuals who offer sex through ads on the Internet was much higher in our neighboring countries.  There was no indication that there had been a more rapid increase in Internet Prostitution in Sweden than in Denmark and Norway. 6

7.  There was no indication that the prevalence of indoor prostitution occurring on classic prostitution venues as hotels, restaurants, and clubs had increased in Sweden in recent years. 7

8.  The survey concludes  Prostitution in Sweden, unlike in comparable countries, had not increased after the ban was imposed  The ban has helped to keep down prostitution in Sweden 8

9.  In a survey in 1996, 67% of the respondents said that buying sex should not be criminalized.  In 1999, after the ban was imposed, 76% of respondents were in favor of the prohibition of the purchase of sexual services.  Support for the criminalization has been above 70% even in two later studies.  The change of attitude that has taken place indicates that the ban has had a significant normative effect. 9

10.  According to a study in 2008 8% of the responding Swedish men reported that they had ever paid for sex, compared to just over 13% in a study from 1996.  A number of respondents in the 2008 study also indicated that the ban had affected their behavior which meant they had stopped buying sex. 10

11.  When the ban was introduced concerns were expressed that it would be harder to reach individuals in need of help, and that prostitution would be likely to move into secrecy which would increase the risk of abuse and that overall  this would worsten living conditions for those who engage in prostitution.  These fears have not come true! 11

12.  In Europe alone every day 140 000 individuals are victims of trafficking  There is a very clear link between human trafficking and other serious organized crime.  The ban on the purchase of sex has worked as a protection against the establishing of organized crime in Sweden.  Nothing suggests that persons in prostitution are victims of more violence. Nothing suggests prohibition has driven prostitution underground. 12

13.  The ban has had the intended effects i.e.;  Discouraging prospective buyers  Reducing the number of customers and thereby the number of exploited human beings  Making business less profitable for pimps and brothel owners  The Swedish Government`s conclution is that  continued and sustained social work is necessary to achieve success in preventing and combating prostitution and trafficking for sexual purposes 13

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