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History of Feminism

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ismnotwasm

(42,436 posts)
Mon Feb 9, 2015, 12:17 AM Feb 2015

Sweden's Prostitution Solution: Why Hasn't Anyone Tried This Before? [View all]

In addition, the number of foreign women now being trafficked into Sweden for sex is nil. The Swedish government estimates that in the last few years only 200 to 400 women and girls have been annually sex trafficked into Sweden, a figure that's negligible compared to the 15,000 to 17,000 females yearly sex trafficked into neighboring Finland. No other country, nor any other social experiment, has come anywhere near Sweden's promising results.

By what complex formula has Sweden managed this feat? Amazingly, Sweden's strategy isn't complex at all. It's tenets, in fact, seem so simple and so firmly anchored in common sense as to immediately spark the question, "Why hasn't anyone tried this before?"

Sweden's Groundbreaking 1999 Legislation

In 1999, after years of research and study, Sweden passed legislation that a) criminalizes the buying of sex, and b) decriminalizes the selling of sex. The novel rationale behind this legislation is clearly stated in the government's literature on the law:

"In Sweden prostitution is regarded as an aspect of male violence against women and children. It is officially acknowledged as a form of exploitation of women and children and constitutes a significant social problem... gender equality will remain unattainable so long as men buy, sell and exploit women and children by prostituting them."

In addition to the two pronged legal strategy, a third and essential element of Sweden's prostitution legislation provides for ample and comprehensive social service funds aimed at helping any prostitute who wants to get out, and additional funds to educate the public. As such, Sweden's unique strategy treats prostitution as a form of violence against women in which the men who exploit by buying sex are criminalized, the mostly female prostitutes are treated as victims who need help, and the public is educated in order to counteract the historical male bias that has long stultified thinking on prostitution. To securely anchor their view in firm legal ground, Sweden's prostitution legislation was passed as part and parcel of the country's 1999 omnibus violence against women legislation


http://esnoticia.co/noticia-8790-swedens-prostitution-solution-why-hasnt-anyone-tried-this-before
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simple, reasonable and yet, oh.so.radical. Tuesday Afternoon Feb 2015 #1
+1 brer cat Feb 2015 #6
KnR--to the greatest page. nt tblue37 Feb 2015 #2
See? DeSwiss Feb 2015 #3
K & R SunSeeker Feb 2015 #4
Won't happen here so long as men control the law-making process. Scuba Feb 2015 #5
Because it's a half-solution that exports the problems. jeff47 Feb 2015 #7
Why shouldn't the Johns get psychological care? ismnotwasm Feb 2015 #11
Because we aren't looking for signs they are being manipulated. jeff47 Feb 2015 #12
... Tuesday Afternoon Feb 2015 #13
And how was that stopped by prostitution being illegal? jeff47 Feb 2015 #15
sounds like rationalization to me. you need to justify it, in your own mind. Tuesday Afternoon Feb 2015 #17
The goal is to stop people from being hurt. jeff47 Feb 2015 #23
What about looking for signs of potential for violence? ismnotwasm Feb 2015 #19
I'd argue we should be doing that to the entire population, not just Johns. jeff47 Feb 2015 #21
Possibly ismnotwasm Feb 2015 #24
Excellent post. Another fine quality post from ism. Tuesday Afternoon Feb 2015 #25
This is an article that cites a 2012 study ismnotwasm Feb 2015 #29
But doing nothing causes more harm. jeff47 Feb 2015 #27
Thus this discussion ismnotwasm Feb 2015 #28
your risk assessment is not correct and the countries that have legalized for over a decade is proof seabeyond Feb 2015 #33
you ignore the immediate and predictable consequence of legalization--increasing demand. geek tragedy Feb 2015 #35
You're defining trafficking as any movement. jeff47 Feb 2015 #37
increasing demand will increase the amount of stuff that gets done underground geek tragedy Feb 2015 #39
Except the demand is for the legal options jeff47 Feb 2015 #41
If the illegal option offers fewer rules and costs geek tragedy Feb 2015 #42
Which is why above I proposed regulations on the brothel. jeff47 Feb 2015 #45
Sexual harassment law is not based on the notion that it's not okay to ask people geek tragedy Feb 2015 #49
they are putting their trafficked girls in strip clubs. pretty well set place. seabeyond Feb 2015 #51
I like his use of the phrase "definitional problem" Tuesday Afternoon Feb 2015 #14
Feel free to explain the UK failing to find thousands of victims. jeff47 Feb 2015 #16
you want me to explain why men pay for sex? lol Tuesday Afternoon Feb 2015 #18
No, I want you to explain how the enormous number of trafficked women jeff47 Feb 2015 #22
I hope ism addresses this for you. At work now Tuesday Afternoon Feb 2015 #26
Are you saying they don't exist? ismnotwasm Feb 2015 #30
I'm saying that there were claims of a very large number in the UK jeff47 Feb 2015 #31
Then you don't understand the nature of prostitution ismnotwasm Feb 2015 #40
Nope, I'm doubting studies jeff47 Feb 2015 #43
Regulate what? ismnotwasm Feb 2015 #44
It's in post 7. jeff47 Feb 2015 #46
Oh. That one ismnotwasm Feb 2015 #47
Yep, you did a great job walking right back to the same place jeff47 Feb 2015 #48
I didn't agree with your original points. ismnotwasm Feb 2015 #50
show us this study. i cannot trust your interpretation of what you read. nt seabeyond Feb 2015 #34
It's not a study. It's actually looking for them. jeff47 Feb 2015 #36
ha ha ha ha seabeyond Feb 2015 #38
Yup. ismnotwasm Feb 2015 #20
it is not easier finding the taffickers if either side is illegal. legalizing makes it hardest for seabeyond Feb 2015 #32
so obvious, yes? I remember a sting in CA years ago. the police were rounding up the niyad Feb 2015 #8
Yeah that approach seems to die a quiet death ismnotwasm Feb 2015 #9
That evens out the power AwakeAtLast Feb 2015 #10
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