II SÉRIE-D — NÚMERO 7

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- because all European countries are affected by the scourge of trafficking in human beings, whether as

countries of origin, of transit or of destination – often, these three things combined. It is to a large extent an

international challenge, and it requires an international response.

- because Parliamentary Assembly has an added value: it is the pan-European “Parliament of Human

rights”, and prostitution and trafficking should be dealt with under the angle of human rights. Not simply as

social or criminal matters. The human rights of people in prostitution, those whom some like to call “sex

workers”. And the human rights of victims of trafficking.

And finally,

- Because I was aware of the way Sweden was facing this challenge, and I thought it was worth learning

more about it, and possibly share my findings with legislators and policy makers from the rest of Europe.

So I initiated the report following the tabling of a motion on “Criminalising the purchase of sexual services as

a way of combating trafficking in human beings”, subscribed by my ex-colleague and friend, Luca Volontè. As

you can see, the idea from the beginning was to investigate the Swedish legislation and possibly to recommend

it as a model to other Council of Europe member states. Later on, I proposed to change this title into

“Prostitution, trafficking and modern slavery in Europe”, as the report had progressively expanded its scope.

And also in order to leave it to the audience, like in a crime novel, to find the solution at the end of the story, not

in the title.

The preparation of the report

So, I came to Sweden and I met with a variety of stakeholders.

I had of course the pleasure to meet with Ms Wahlberg. But I also had meetings with civil servants of the city

of Stockholm, who work with clients of prostitutes and help them give up their habit. With representatives of the

civil society, among which Ms Ruth Nordström of the Scandinavian Human Rights Lawyers, whose commitment

to the action against trafficking of human beings is remarkable.

I also spoke with representatives of “sex workers”. Both in Sweden and in the other countries I visited,

representatives of people in prostitution told me that most of them chose this 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”.

Maybe – I underline, maybe – in the past the figure of the prostitute who chose to sell her body to make a

living was more widespread. I am not sure. But I know for sure that most prostitutes today are victims of

trafficking. They are lured to our countries with promises of good jobs and a good life, and then forced into the

sex business. They are threatened, beaten, raped. And of course, once they are in this business they cannot

leave it, because this would equal a loss of big money for those who exploit them.

After Sweden, I visited Switzerland, Germany and the Netherland. These countries, as you know, chose an

entirely different approach to prostitution. They chose the way of legalisation. They did so with understandable

intentions: improving the life of people in prostitution, combating the social stigma attached to this activity,

countering organised crime.

Sadly, they failed. The world of sex business turned out to be very difficult to keep under control. In

Germany, the legislation does not cover all the aspects of the business and it is not enforced rigorously

enough. Prostitution was meant to become a job like any other, but this did not happen. On the contrary, it is

more than ever the realm of exploitation, violence and deprivation of human dignity.

In Switzerland, although the political will to counter trafficking and to protect people in prostitution is visible,

this matter is not smooth either. The federal nature of the country and the fragmentation of the administration

make things even more difficult. Regulations vary from canton to canton, data collection is not harmonised, it is

difficult to have country-wide estimations, let alone data.

In the Netherlands, I was impressed with the professionalism of people dealing with prostitution in the

various branches of the administration, at national and local level. They seem to have a good knowledge of the