On September 14, 2023, the European Parliament adopted a report on prostitution in the EU, its cross-border implications, and its impact on gender equality and women’s rights.
The report highlights two key factors that contribute to the exponential growth of human trafficking for sexual exploitation—issues
that the SAMILIA Foundation has long denounced:
- The disparity between national prostitution laws;
- The lack of measures to deter demand for sexual services.
The criminalization of the client is a crucial debate, initiated nearly 25 years ago by Sweden.
At that time, we had the opportunity to accompany a parliamentary delegation and meet with key Swedish actors in the fight against sexual exploitation: police officers, parliamentarians, NGOs, and medical professionals.
Ten years ago, we also contributed to various preliminary reports of the French National Assembly and held several meetings with the Minister for Women’s Rights, Najat Belkacem, and her office.
We do not hold a definitive position on this complex issue.
Regarding victims of human trafficking, it seems evident that clients knowingly using sexual services should be pursued (just as individuals who employ undeclared workers—some of whom may be trafficking victims—can be prosecuted for complicity in human trafficking)… albeit with all the evidentiary challenges this entails.
Regarding sex workers who are not victims of human trafficking, we see the criminalization of clients more as a long-term goal. However, before reaching that point, a significant amount of prevention and social integration work needs to be carried out.
As long as every woman does not have a real alternative to having to sell her body, we do not believe that penalizing clients is a suitable solution.
