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In this preliminary draft report I tried to present the findings of these visits, together with the outcome of the

research on legislation of a number of European countries and also some scientific literature. I presented the

“lessons learnt” in the various countries I visited.

Let me just quote some of them:

- Prostitution policies are the most effective tool in the prevention and countering trafficking;

- Legalization is no solution to trafficking or improvement of sex workers conditions;

- Country’s specifities must be taken into account devising policies on prostitution.

We still have the possibility to complement this work, thanks to the hearing that we hold this morning, to

your inputs, dear colleagues, and of some additional meditation.

It is a delicate matter and important principles are at stake: freedom, first of all. Representatives of the sex

workers told me that most sex workers do their activity out of free will. I listened to them carefully and

respectfully but I don’t think what they said was correct. They were in fact representatives of the “old guard”, of

a minority of prostitutes. Most prostitutes today are victims of trafficking. They are lured to our countries with

promises good jobs and then forced to sell their bodies. They are threatened, beaten, raped.

I came to the conclusion that the starting point of our work, the Swedish legislation based on criminalising

the purchase of sexual services – on sanctioning the “client” – is the best and the most effective. I indicated

several “lessons” learnt in the other countries I visited”. But the main lesson is the one that Sweden taught to us

as far back as 1999. They were brave enough to introduce a completely new approach. Their system proved

successful in curbing the demand for sex workers and therefore for victims of trafficking.

I will just add two more elements:

We need more information and more figures on prostitution and trafficking. As I said I came to a conclusion,

but we need solid evidence on which European countries can base their legislation and policies.

We need all countries to allocate more resources for anti-trafficking, irrespective of which legal approach

they follow as concerns prostitution. Whether its legalising or criminalising any or all aspects of prostitution,

they should always make sure that they have enough human and financial resources to counter this scourge.

They need to have enough staff and this staff have to be adequately trained.

Thank you for your attention.

ANEXO D

Introductory speech by Mr. Mendes Bota at the Side-Event on “Promoting the ratification and

implementation of the Council of Europe Anti-Trafficking Convention – The role of parliamentarians in

the fight against human trafficking”

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Strasbourg, 29 January 2014

Excellencies,

Dear colleagues,

Dear friends,

Welcome to this side event on Promoting the ratification and implementation of the Council of Europe Anti-

trafficking Convention and thank you very much for coming.

I will not get into technical details about the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in

Human beings, as I will leave this task to our keynote speakers, who are major players in the institutional

framework created by the Convention: