Swedish Model a Failure: Yet another law targeting street-based sex workers

We know that criminalization endangers sex workers: Criminalization makes sex workers far more vulnerable to violence, compromises their health and access to services and rights, and profoundly undermines their status in our society.

As of 1999, Sweden’s laws on prostitution criminalize those who buy sexual services, but not those who sell sexual services. It also makes brothel ownership and procurement (pimping) illegal. While sex workers can no longer be arrested for doing sex work, they still are forced to work in a criminalized environment. Our perspective: Criminalization is criminalization.

See attached document for a detailed review of the Swedish model of prohibition.