Prohibiting Purchase of Sex in Sweden : Impact, Obstacles, Potential, and Supporting Escape

• This paper analyzes the core reasons for the Swedish law from 1999 which criminalizes purchase of sex and decriminalizes the prostituted person, passed as part of an omnibus bill against violence against women and recognizing prostitution as a form of it. Further, it documents the law’s impact by comparing data from several recent Swedish studies with the situation in other relevant countries, concluding the law has significantly reduced the occurrence of prostitution manifolds compared to its neighboring countries. Crucial obstacles to effective implementation are also addressed, particularly in current case law. Some of the critique against the law and disinformation about the law’s effects are also commented. Finally, to realize its full potential to support escape from prostitution more efficiently, it is argued that the civil rights of prostituted persons under current law should be strengthened to get damages paid for directly by the tricks/johns for the harm they have contributed to. An additional consideration is for individual states to extend the use of the Palermo Protocol (international law acknowledging connections between prostitution and sex trafficking) to charge tricks for trafficking when they “receive” persons who are effectively pimped.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Historia (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- History (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Juridik -- Juridik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Law -- Law (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Statsvetenskap -- Statsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Political Science -- Political Science (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Genusstudier (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Gender Studies (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Juridik -- Juridik och samhälle (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Law -- Law and Society (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Prostitution

Trafficking

Purchase of Sex

Gender-Based Violence

Sex Equality

Gender Equality

Legal Challenges to Prostitution

Swedish Prostitution Law

Palermo Protocol

Prostitution

Människohandel

sexköp

köp av sex

köp av sexuell tjänst

jämställdhet

könsbaserat våld

mäns våld mot kvinnor

sexuellt våld

rättsliga utmaningar mot prostitution

Sveriges prostitutionslagstiftning

Legal history

Rättshistoria

Criminal law

Straffrätt

Political science

Statsvetenskap

Tort law

Skadeståndsrätt

Gender studies

Genus

Sociology of Law

Rättssociologi

Criminology

Kriminologi

Political Science

statsvetenskap

statskunskap

Legal History

rättshistoria

Legal Science

rättsvetenskap

straffrätt

Criminal Law

kriminologi

Criminology

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

rap (ämneskategori)