WUNRN
Report is in Norwegian, but scroll
down site to see summary in English.
NORWAY - SEX PURCHASE LAW
EVALUATED - STUDY
The Norwegian Government has received the
report from Vista Analysis that looked at the effects of the law prohibiting
the purchase of sexual services. The report shows that the ban has contributed
to lower demand for sex with a prostitute.
This report will be one of several key sources of
knowledge about prostitution in Norway. We will now start work on a white paper
that brings out all the challenges associated with prostitution. We will have a
thorough and principled debate about this, said State Secretary in Ministry of
Justice Vidar Brein-Karlsen.
Statutory prohibition came into force on 1 January
2009. The desire to combat human trafficking was one of the motives for
changing the law. The previous government decided in 2013 that the law should
be evaluated.
After an open competition, delivered Vista
Analysis an offer on a public announcement in which they outlined how the
mission could be resolved within the specified limits. Vista Analysis was given
the mission in the summer of 2013.
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NORWAY - CLOSELY WATCHED PROSTITUTION
BAN WORKS, STUDY FINDS
August
11, 2014-OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's ban on buying sex has reduced human
trafficking and has not increased violence against women, as some had feared, a
study commissioned by the government said.
Following the example of its neighbor Sweden, Norway
criminalized buying sex in 2009, but critics said the law would push
prostitution underground, making women more vulnerable and increasing the
likelihood of violence against them.
Nations
like Finland, France and England have adapted a partial ban, making it illegal
to buy sex from a person who was trafficked or pimped. Foreign governments have
been carefully watching the effectiveness of the more comprehensive Norwegian
and Swedish approach, which punishes buying but not selling.
"This
report does not find any evidence of more violence against prostitutes after
the ban on buying sex entered into force," said the report, which was
published on Monday.
"The
enforcement of the law, in combination with the laws against trafficking and
pimping, makes Norway a less attractive country for prostitution-based
trafficking than what would have been the case if the law had not been
adopted," it said.
However,
the lower demand has resulted in lower prices, a problem for prostitutes who often
come from poor countries and have few other options to earn a living, the
report said.
The
nearly 200-page report is based on six months of research, including interviews
with male and female prostitutes, police and support organizations.
The
Norwegian law applies to all its citizens anywhere, making it illegal for
Norwegians to buy sex even in countries where the activity is accepted.
Penalties
for breaking the law are set by local municipalities. In Oslo, Norway's largest
city, convicted sex buyers face a 25,000 crown ($4,000) fine.
Norway's
ruling parties have favored relaxing the law, but said any proposal to change
it would be dependent on this study, which would form the backbone of the
government's planned white paper, a precursor to any change in the legislation.
"This
report shows that the law clearly has contributed to a reduction of demand and
volume of prostitution in Norway, which is what it was intended to do,"
said Steinar Stroem, a professor at the University of Oslo and one of the
study's authors.
Street
prostitution in Oslo, the country's biggest city, is down between 35 to 60
percent from before the ban, while the indoor market has shrunk by 10 to 20
percent, the report said.
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