Norway's closely watched prostitution ban works

[janterry]

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.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-norway-prostitution-idUKKBN0GB1BL20140811

[Scrivener7]

1. .

[keithbvadu2]

2. "punishes buying but not selling."

"punishes buying but not selling."

That doesn't make sense.

[janterry]

3. Nordic Model

https://nordicmodelnow.org/what-is-the-nordic-model/

[keithbvadu2]

4. Aha! This part could have been explained better.

Aha! This part could have been explained better.

4. The procuring, pimping and sex trafficking legislation to be strengthened

Does that make it ok to buy/sell when the prostitute is doing it on her own?

It is difficult to write laws.

[DAngelo136]

9. No, It Doesn't. Does It?

However you may feel about sex work in general and prostitution in particular,
wouldn't you agree that the government is the worst agent for seeking solutions to what's perceived as a social problem?
The Nordic Model advocates don't even pretend that (human) trafficking is their primary concern: "...[T]he Nordic Model is no different. It makes it clear that buying people for sex is wrong and it has sanctions that discourage people from doing it. So, even if (human) trafficking weren't an issue (I'm not saying that it isn't), advocates for the Nordic Model would still hold to the same basis of argument. To them, the "selling" of sex is inherently "wrong".
[link:https://nordicmodelnow.org/what-is-the-nordic-model/#:~:text=The%20Nordic%20Model%20approach%20to%20prostitution%20%28sometimes%20also,to%20reduce%20the%20demand%20that%20drives%20sex%20trafficking.|

Substitute "alcohol" or "cigarettes" and what you will find is a prohibition based on value judgements rather than a social problem. Our own experience with alcohol prohibition shows the results when legislation is driven strictly on values and groups driven on such a singular issue (*cough* Anti abortion *cough*) https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/

In fact, prostitution wasn't illegal in this country until WWI. The original act was meant to prohibit soldiers from visiting brothels before being shipped off to the meat grinder in Europe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamberlain%e2%80%93Kahn_Act

And despite their good intentions (The path to Hell that's paved with them), nevertheless there were violations of rights and liberties all in the name of "social values". https://www.c-span.org/video/?445478-1/the-trials-nina-mccall

[appalachiablue]

5. In contrast to Germany, the 'brothel of Europe'

[Pachamama]

6. I really hope in the future that Germany will also adopt the Nordic Model

At one time I had believed that Germany was just simply open minded about nudity and sex and sexuality and therefore their system of having prostitution be legal was acceptable and that Germany was a free and open society. But as I have learned about what the prostitution industry really is all about and what happens to these women and the role of “Zuhälter” (pimps), drugs and human trafficking- my opinion completely changed. Germany has sadly become Europe’s brothel and a hub for sex trafficking from other countries, particularly Eastern Europe.

The Nordic Model is fascinating and it also makes so much sense when you read the research that went in to developing this approach. I hope it will be used everywhere in the future.

[appalachiablue]

7. Germany's intentions were

initially good but the industry went in a foul direction as you say. Girls from Nigeria on street corners, young Asian women who service up to 100 men a day to meet newer demand for females from the East, and more grime that I was stunned to read about in the German press over the last few years.

With this Nordic Model in progress, there's more impetus for Germany to watch and possibly follow suit to clean up their debacle. No time to waste.

[DAngelo136]

8. Yeah, right.

"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."

Imagine, the government commissioning a study to find that their laws "worked" and then concluding that it did. And if I had to grade my own paper when I was in college, I'd have always gotten an "A". You'd never allow that to be done with any other subject, so why here? Can you imagine if we allowed the government to self grade on the environment? Nuclear power? Human rights?

Funny, how they never ask the actual experts in the field, like the sex workers themselves? https://www.nswp.org/resource/the-real-impact-the-swedish-model-sex-workers-advocacy-toolkit

[janterry]

10. I suppose you'd have to see the study to

understand the data and then either disprove it or prove it.

Dismissing it like that certainly isn't scientific.

As you know, there are many so-called sex workers who have been trafficked and are abused. That is actually the large majority of them. But 'centering' voices from those that are abused and those that indicate otherwise, well - that leads to the same anti-scientific biases.

[DAngelo136]

11. Sorry, but that doesn't wash....

As I alluded to before, would you accept a study commissioned by the government on a government activity? Would you accept as valid the findings of, let's say, an oil company study on how well it's complying with environmental standards?
The so called Nordic Model is just another way of criminalizing human behavior. It's no different in it's intent as the Volstead Act (Prohibition) was in the United States and we saw how well THAT worked out, didn't we?
All the Nordic Model does is criminalize one side of the exchange; it's inherently discriminatory. If "buying" sex is inherently "wrong", then "selling" it is also inherently "wrong".
The advocates of the Nordic Model see all sex work as inherently wrong; that's it's logical conclusion. They want a backdoor method of regulating sexual behavior (IMO).
There are already laws on the books for trafficking and other forms coerced and forced labor with heavy penalties. Not to mention severe prohibitions against statutory rape of minors. So their policies are basically redundant as far as it's aims are concerned.
As to results: you can't say with any credibility that their policies actually work especially when they're the ones who commissioned the study; it could hardly be called "objective".

How about Amnesty International's call for repeal of the Nordic Model policies? https://www.amnestyusa.org/reports/the-human-cost-of-crushing-the-market-criminalization-of-sex-work-in-norway/

How about an organization that fights against human trafficking? https://humantraffickingsearch.org/resource/5-arguments-against-the-nordic-model-on-prostitution-based-on-a-feminist-approach/

How about feminists themselves? https://theconversation.com/the-nordic-model-of-prostitution-law-is-a-myth-21351

Sex workers themselves?

While I'm no libertarian with a capital "L" I am of the opinion that the reach of the state ends at your door and it's grasp ends at your person. It has no more right to govern my wanker any more than a woman's uterus.

[janterry]

12. I understand where this is coming from

I just support evidence based practices.

I mean, you must know ted talks aren't that.

Here, in case you are open to exploring the issue:
https://orgs.law.harvard.edu/lids/2014/06/12/does-legalized-prostitution-increase-human-trafficking/