Malta coalition hits back at international sex work unions: Nordic model is best

The Coalition on Human Trafficking and Prostitution has disagreed with a coalition of international sex worker unions and gay rights organisations, who are supporting the decriminalisation of sex work in Malta.

The Maltese coalition said its experience alongside those caught in prostitution shows that sex workers in Malta are often lured, trapped and forced into prostitution against their will.

“There is also evidence of individuals, mostly women, being tricked and trafficked into Malta for the purpose of sexual exploitation. These represent the overwhelming majority of persons in prostitution,” the Coalition said.

The Coalition wants to ensure proper sanctions for pimps, traffickers and buyers while lifting the burden of criminality from individuals abused by the trade and offer an exit programme for those who wish leave prostitution.

Unlike the international unions opposed to the so-called Nordic Model, the Maltese coalition said this would offer the best protection to people in prostitution by shifting the power from the buyer onto the seller in deciding when to report abuse. “The most avant-garde countries in gender equality between women and men have adopted this model. These include Sweden, Norway, Iceland, France, Canada, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Israel,” the coalition said.

They said studies in countries where prostitution had been decriminalised showed a growth in the sex industry that led to more competition, lowering of prices and more risk-taking, as well as an expansion of more trafficking for sex to cater for increased demand.

“Claiming that the Nordic Model leads to more infectious diseases and that it will lower access to legal protection is a myth and there is no evidence to support this claim.

“To avoid people becoming vulnerable to grooming for exploitation, Malta must ensure that every individual has real opportunities and choice of careers, free of discrimination.  We must remove the hurdles rather than legalise exploitative work which only benefits pimps and traffickers.”

The coalition said the sex trade preys on those most severely impacted by poverty, dysfunction, or those who lack other opportunities to work because of prejudice, gender inequality or migrant status. “Our response must address this injustice, not reward those who seek to profit from it.”

The Maltese government is now being buttressed by the International Committee of Rights of Sex Workers in Europe, a coalition that includes ILGA Europe, La Strada International, and the European NGO Platform Against Human Trafficking, amongst others. 

They claimed the criminalisation of clients, known as the Nordic or Swedish Model, on sex workers in countries such as Sweden, Norway, France, Ireland and Northern Ireland was a pathway to precocity, violence and infectious diseases for sex workers.

“Meanwhile, in countries and states where sex work is decriminalised, sex workers’ report greater acces to legal protection. Their ability to exercise other key rights, including to justice and health care has improved. Decriminalisation of sex workers and their occupation contributes significantly to their protection, dignity, and equality.

“The evidence is clear: only decriminalisation of sex work will protect the well being and dignity of sex workers.”