Last September, a divided European Parliament adopted a report on the regulation of prostitution in the European Union with votes in favor, against, and abstentions. The many factors that come into play when answering this question in the headline, including the gender and human rights dimension of the issue, make it hard for EU countries to approach the question in a unified way.
In terms of this definition, three elements are worth highlighting:. In the text, she emphasized that using the right words helps everyone understand that sex work is a real job, just like any other. Language is a powerful tool that creates and shapes realities, and the way we talk about sex work is never neutral. The words we use create meaning and influence how people understand the topic and how it is framed.
Such often negative framing can lead easily to a simplistic or stereotypic depiction that overlooks the complexity of the realities sex workers represent. In Europe, various models of sex work regulation exist, with diverse approaches taken by different countries. Germany and the Netherlands have adopted a full legalization model, where sex work is treated as a legitimate profession. This comes with the obligation for sex workers to register their profession and pay income tax, as well as other regulations, and the existence of legal rights and protections.
Breaking these laws and the purchase and sale of sex outside of these rules is punishable by arrest. On the other hand, countries like Sweden have opted for a partial decriminalization approach, where selling sex is legal, but buying sex is not. This model aims to shift legal consequences onto those purchasing sex rather than the sellers. However, she assesses this legal approach to still bear many avenues to harm, especially when it comes to the realm of sex trafficking. Here, the offer, the consumption of sex as well as the advertisement for services including sex are legal for consenting adults.
The debate over the most effective and ethical model of legalization continues to evolve across Europe. So far, most research on the topic has focused on the approaches taken towards either the legalization of sex work or its decriminalization. To the researcher, this creates a bias in the existing knowledge that needs to be tackled for a better understanding of policies and their results.
