SamanthaEvans 166767 Report post Posted April 5, 2012 A very good paper was published this week by the American University Washington College of Law Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law on their website rightswork.org. This document is 17 pages long, but worth everyone's time and attention. It's a very complete, comprehensive analysis of the Swedish anti-prostitution law that squarely addresses the deliberate deceptions the Swedish government has fostered in its review of the law and its misleading statements about its effectiveness. The author, Ann Jordan, considers the Swedish model to be a failed experiment in social engineering in its attempts to convince men to change their behaviour (that is, to stop buying sex) through fear of arrest and intense public stigma; to force sex workers to find another way to make a living; and eliminate trafficking into forced prostitution as well as the activities of migrant sex workers. She addresses the rights of prostitutes to work safely and how those rights are endangered in Sweden to the extent that the law may be seen not only to be against prostitution but also to increase the vulnerability of migrant workers to abuse because it creates a fertile climate for their exploitation. A brief but clear analysis of the 2010 Bedford decision and the 2012 Bedford Appeal result forms a significant part of the paper. The author recommends that any state considering anti-prostitution legislation should consider the Bedford decisions with utmost care and that sex workers in places where their work is outlawed should also consider the decisions and how they might help form their arguments for legal reform. The full article is available as a PDF here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SamanthaEvans 166767 Report post Posted April 6, 2012 Your summaries and analyses are essential reading for me, WiT. Thank you for posting this. I look forward to Part 2. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phaedrus 209521 Report post Posted April 6, 2012 Thanks for this, WIT and Samantha - a most excellent rebuttal to the FUD that the zealots feed us on a regular basis... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loopie 15358 Report post Posted April 11, 2012 I find this really sad, not just because I would like to have sex with Swedish women, but because I admire so much about Swedish culture that I feel disappointed in them for imposing this initiative. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canada-man 110 Report post Posted October 22, 2012 you can always visit Finland where the buying and selling of sex is legal Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
