Swedes have a reputation for being pro-sex. The Netherlands is the latest country to flirt with the Swedish model. In Sweden banned the purchaseβbut not the saleβof sex. A curious coalition of feminists and Christians backed the law. They argued that it would wipe out prostitution by eliminating demand, and that this would be a good thing because all sex work is exploitative. Anyone selling sex is a victim, even if she denies it. As for the men who pay for sex, they are predators who should be punished, campaigners believe.
In the European Parliament urged EU members to adopt it. Spanish lawmakers are in the process of doing so. In America politicians in Maine and Massachusetts are calling for a similar approach. On July 3rd lawmakers in the Netherlands, where prostitution is legal and highly visible, are to start discussing such a law, as well as whether to ban pimps.
As in Sweden, the crusade is cheered on by feminists and Christians with stern moral views. Exxpose, a Dutch organisation led by evangelical students, has gathered 40, signatures on a petition to criminalise the buying of sex. Parliament is unlikely to agree, in such a liberal country, but the campaign is spreading and there will doubtless be more attempts. Under current Dutch law, prostitution is regulated and taxed. About a quarter of municipalities refuse to issue any licences at all, and Amsterdam, the capital, has been trying to reduce the size of its red-light district, which locals complain attracts organised criminals and excessive drug use.
Nationwide, the number of licensed sex businesses has fallen from 1, in to fewer than in Many prostitutes work illegally, for various reasons. Some are coerced. Some are immigrants without work visas, or who cannot meet certain licensing rules, including one requiring the ability to speak Dutch.
Some do not want to be taxed. Some want to work from home, though this is harder than it could be, since advertising for home-based services online is illegal. Evidence that the Swedish approach either reduces demand for commercial sex or harm to prostitutes is scanty.
