NGO coalition hits out at Aditus and Integra Foundation for proposing sex industry decriminalisation

A coalition of over 40 organisations has criticised proposals by Integra Foundation and Aditus to decriminalise the sex industry.

In a statement, the coalition which is made of up organisations who work in the area of prostitution, equality, trafficking and human rights, hit out at Aditus and Integra, stating that the proposals forwarded by them are “a gift to pimps and traffickers and would turn Malta into a haven for sex tourism and increase sex trafficking”.

On Tuesday, Aditus and Integra Foundation said that they support full decriminalisation of adult consensual sex work and laws that protect sex workers’ health and safety.

“They should know that opening up the sex industry will not protect vulnerable people, but will increase the number abuses against vulnerable people and the incidence of trafficked victims,” the statement read.

The 40 organisations said that instead of completely legalising prostitution, NGOs should band together and address the issues leading people to sex work.

“We should work together to and ensure everyone has equal access to legal and decent employment. We must not open up the sex industry for this small minority of people at the expense of the overwhelming majority of vulnerable and exploited people,” the organisations said.

The coalition also warned against the devastating long-term effects regularising the sex industry would have, stating that legalising prostitution has not worked in other countries.

“Evidence in these countries proves unequivocally that conditions for women in regulated prostitution industries are far worse,” the statement read.

The statement also explained how legalising prostitution would further encourage the spread of disease, as despite sex workers required to abide by compulsory medical testing, the organisations stated that STDs are overwhelmingly transmitted by men to women.

There are no requirements for male sex buyers to submit to disease control testing. Also, the incubation period of some diseases will give false negative results that present further health risks,” their statement read.

The statement went on to say that in countries where prostitution has been made legal, the demand for voluntary sex work has not been met, leading to foreign women, with the vast majority being poor and desperate to be lured and tricked into the industry.

“This was clearly the case in Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand which have all seen significant increases in trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. All these countries are now scrambling to control and reverse the disastrous consequences of their legislative mistakes,” they said.

The public consultation on human trafficking and prostitution is on-going, with various organisations submitting their proposals for the reform.  

The statement was signed by groups ranging from women’s rights organisations, church NGOs to academic departments at the University of Malta.