Criminalisation of sex work normalises violence, review finds

[ellodoctormichelle]

Found in the Guardian... www.theguardian.com/society/2018/dec/11/criminalisation-of-sex-work-normalises-violence-review-finds

Do we trust this review? I just can't see how the Swedish approach would harm women when it decrminalises them but I'm not an expert on it.

The study the authors rely on for their claim that the Nordic model increases risk for prostituted women seems to be this one: bmjopen.bmj.com/content/4/6/e005191

"Sex workers continued to mistrust police, had to rush screening clients and were displaced to outlying areas with increased risks of violence, including being forced to engage in unprotected sex."

Thanks rubisco

"Our findings suggest that this approach has limited to no effect on preventing street-based sex work and did not reduce the prevalence of sex work-related violence"

They did a bunch of interviews and some ethnographic fieldwork. This tells us nothing at all about rates of street-based prostitution or related violence pre- versus post-implementation.

I also note that 'the research builds on long-standing partnerships and a community advisory board with sex worker, community, policy and health stakeholders since 2004' and I would be interested to know a bit more about the interests involved.

(You can't just look at the prostitutes in isolation either. You also have to think of the safety of other women and girls living near by in areas where prostitution is legalised or tolerated, neighbours in the flat next door, how using prostitutes affects men's views of women as commodities to be bought for their pleasure and do what they are told etc*
It's all horrible and none of it has a positive effect on society

I think that is so important to understand. It is damaging to society as a whole. It is damaging to all women as a class.

(Btw for anyone who cares I'm LassWiADelicateAir but have name changed as another poster with "Lass" in her name has been posting mainly on trans threads with posts I don't fully agree with)

Spain is going with the Nordic model so it is the policy the West is going for at the moment. Who knows if it'll work this time

a lot of sexworkers have been made homeless in Sweden because the Nordic model also makes it illegal to allow an apartment to be used for prostitution, so the landlords kick the prostitute out as soon as they find out.