WUNRN
The Swedish Women’s Lobby Written Statement
for the
57th Session of the UN Commission on the
Status of Women
The
1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
(CEDAW), declares that States must take all appropriate measures, including legislation,
to suppress all forms of traffic in women and exploitation of prostitution of
women (Article 6). Even so, and despite the increasing understanding and
agreement that trafficking and prostitution seriously violate women’s human
rights, the purchase of human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation is
still not prohibited in all countries.
Prostitution
and trafficking in women for the purpose of sexual exploitation is a severe
form of men’s violence against women and an international crime of increasing
global magnitude. Any society that claims to defend principles of gender
equality and women’s human rights must oppose that women’s and girls’ bodies
are commodities that can be bought and sold. The prevalence of prostitution is an obstacle to equality between women
and men. Furthermore, it is our strong conviction that when adopting the
perspective of equality and human rights it is not possible, nor relevant, to
make a distinction between voluntary and non-voluntary prostitution.
In
order to prevent and combat the purchase of sexual services and trafficking,
Governments need to address the demand. The most effective way of doing so is
by criminalizing the purchaser of, and not the person who sell sexual services.
Such a shift addresses the root cause of the exploitation which is the demand,
and not the person being exploited.
On 1 January 1999, Sweden became the first country
in the world to introduce a legislation criminalizing the purchase, but not the
sale, of sexual services. The legislation stated that it is unacceptable that
men, in a gender equal society, obtain casual sexual relations
with women in return for payment. By introducing a ban on purchasing sexual
services Sweden also sent an important signal to other countries highlighting
our view on purchasing sexual services and prostitution. The law points out that
prostitution causes serious harm to individuals as well as to society. Sweden’s 1999 sex purchase law was the first law to define prostitution
as a form of male violence against women. Since then, the Swedish legislation
is regularly referred to as a model to end prostitution and trafficking for
sexual exploitation.
The evaluation
of the Swedish sex purchase law clearly demonstrates that the law has had
positive effects. Since the law was introduced, street prostitution in Sweden
has been halved. When the Swedish sex purchase law was introduced,
its critics argued that that it would drive prostitution underground and that
it would increase the risk for physical abuse of women in prostitution. The
evaluation found no proof that this is the case in Sweden. There is also evidence that the extent of prostitution on the internet
is much lower in Sweden than in other countries.
The evaluation
also states that the sex purchase law has reduced the extent of trafficking. Evidence shows
that ban on the purchase of sexual services has counteracted the
establishment of organized crime. According to the National Criminal Police, it is
clear that the sex purchase law acts as a barrier to human traffickers and
procurers considering establishing in Sweden.
Furthermore, women who have left prostitution refer
to the law as helpful in giving them the strength to leave, and to stop
stigmatizing and blaming themselves and instead put the blame on the male
purchasers. Thus, the law has been a concrete tool in both decreasing the
demand from purchasers, and in helping women to leave prostitution.
Above all, the evaluation
shows that the demand for sexual services has been reduced and that the law has
had a normative effect on society. The ban on the
purchase of sexual services was intended as a statement of society’s view that
it should not be possible to buy a human being, and the evaluation shows that
this has been the case. Sweden has experienced an increased public
support for the ban, and the support is greatest among young people.
Sweden have now had the legislation for 13 years and it is time to take the next step forward and further strengthen the sex purchase law. In order to do so, the Swedish Women’s Lobby wants to put focus on how the law can be further strengthened and how Governments, private actors and NGOs can collaborate in the fight against sex purchase and sex tourism.
In
order to make certain that the violations of women’s human rights are put to an
end, the trade of women’s bodies needs to be prohibited all over the world. The
Swedish Women’s Lobby and its members organizations urges States Governments
and the United Nations to prevent, combat and eliminate prostitution and
trafficking in women and girls by:
·
Taking
a clear and explicit standpoint on that prostitution and sexual exploitation of
women is a violation of human rights through implementation of the legislations
and conventions that already exists. States
shall conclude international agreements to address the problem of trafficking
in women for prostitution, and live up to the international conventions and
commitments already made such as the Beijing Platform for Action and the
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women.
·
Prioritizing
the prevention of prostitution and sex trafficking through criminalization of
sex purchase. States shall adopt or strengthen legislative
and other measures to discourage the demand that fosters all forms of sexual
exploitation of women and girls. States shall also put in place information
campaigns to spread information on sex purchase as a violation of human rights.
·
Preventing
trafficking, prostitution and sexual exploitation by combating the male demand.
In order to combat the
demand, efforts must be directed towards young men and boys by working with
masculinity, gender perspectives, norm critique and gender equality at early
ages e.g. through the educational systems and sports associations.
·
Collaborating
with private actors and NGOs in the fight against sex purchase and sex tourism. For the legislation to be consistent and clear, it is important to
encourage the private sector to take action. For instance by introducing
policies and code of conducts against sex purchase, and by including women’s
rights in their engagement in corporate social responsibility (CSR).
·
Ensuring
continued and sustained social work to support girls and women at risk of
ending up in prostitution, as well as to support girls and women to leave
prostitution. States and
NGOs need to work together to provide support services and measures for safe
returning for women who have been victims of trafficking. Although focus on the
purchaser is critical for preventing prostitution and sex trafficking, it is
also important for professional groups to offer help and support to girls and
women in prostitution.
http://www.sverigeskvinnolobby.se/web/page.aspx?refid=112
Sveriges Kvinnolobby/ Swedish Women's Lobby- The Swedish Women's Lobby (SWL) is a politically
independent umbrella organisation for women’s non-governmental
organizations in Sweden. Our aim is to integrate women's perspectives into
all political, economic and social processes, locally as well as
internationally. We strive to eliminate all forms of discrimination
against women and girls, and to build and strengthen solidarity among women
through information, education and awareness rising activities. The Swedish
Women's Lobby was established in 1997 and has about 40 member
organizations. Gertrud Åström is Chair of the SWL. The Swedish Women's
Lobby is the Swedish coordination of the European Women’s Lobby, the
largest umbrella organization for women's organizations in the EU. Please
visit the European Women's Lobby for more information on their work.