Call to adopt Sweden's prostitution laws

[Starlight]

"A sex industry lobby group in Tasmania is pushing for the introduction of laws which penalise the clients of prostitutes."
If this is coming in Tasmania then it might be coming in NSW as well (sooner or later). The story on ABC News at

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-04/call-to-adopt-sweden27s-prostitution-laws/4176870

might have passed through some bros eyes. There is not much detail about it that why & how the clients would be penalized. Just for using street hookers?, or for doing un-protective sex?

I don't think they can out law the prostitution as it is the world's oldest profession, isn't it?!:startle:

[Littlewonder]

"A sex industry lobby group in Tasmania is pushing for the introduction of laws which penalise the clients of prostitutes."
If this is coming in Tasmania then it might be coming in NSW as well (sooner or later). The story on ABC News at

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-04/call-to-adopt-sweden27s-prostitution-laws/4176870

might have passed through some bros eyes. There is not much detail about it that why & how the clients would be penalized. Just for using street hookers?, or for doing un-protective sex?

I don't think they can out law the prostitution as it is the world's oldest profession, isn't it?!:startle:

If its only Street workers does it make any diffference? Basically Street Prostitution is illegal in NSW and in my opinion a Parlour is much better anyway its usually cleaner, and you also have a choice of girls, and also safer.

[Licker]

(From the article)
Dr Christy Giselsson from the Nordic Model Australian Coalition, says the group believes changing the focus of the legislation would reduce the demand for sex workers.
"For example in Sweden it's been shown to halve street prostitution.
"And compared to countries around Sweden such as Norway and Denmark they actually have three times the amount of street prostitution than Sweden," Dr Giselsson said.

Couple of points on this:
The lobby group calls themselves: "the Nordic Model Australian Coalition" - this is interesting as Sweden is the only Nordic country to have these laws (and to my knowledge the only country in the world to criminalize only one party of a transaction, the client). In all of the other 4 Nordic countries prostitution is legal.

"For example in Sweden it's been shown to halve street prostitution." - What do they mean by "for example"?
Sweden is the only place were selling sexual services is legal, but buying them is illegal.
And it's not just street prostitution, it involves all prostitution.

These laws came to effect about 6-7 years ago, so naturally it will have an effect on both supply/demand.
1. Demand: If there's a chance that you would be jailed for buying sex (or even trying), naturally you think twice, compared to previous situation when it was legal.
2. Supply: Since the demand has gone down, the girls have either gone underground; work as privates in apartment or in illegal brothels run by criminal gangs (there is no such thing as a legal brothel in Sweden, so these places are now run by either Russian mafia or motor cycle gangs) or the girls have moved to neighboring countries (there is free movement between Nordic countries).

So what are the things Sweden has accomplished with this legislation?
The government run by the Social Democratic party (who passed the law) will quote things like in the article.
Basically out of sight, out of mind mentality.

The police (who are forced to enforce these laws) and the support groups for prostitutes (who have to deal with the new problems that have been created) don't have such a rosy view.

Since "brothels" are run by criminal groups other criminal activities have gone up; sex slavery (girls from Russia and poor Eastern European countries), the same gangs are involved in drug trafficking and the risk of the girls picking up a habit has gone up, the safety of the girls is now seriously compromised.
For example previously if a customer met an abused prostitute or a sex slave he was likely to report this to the police.
Now that he would be implicating himself when doing so it does not happen anymore.
From government point of view: no sex slaves reported = no sex slaves = pretty statistics = problem solved (or brushed under the carpet)

Secondly Sweden has actually pushed up prostitution in neighboring countries.

Denmark was mentioned in the article.
Well, there is a city of about 1.5 million called Malmo in the south of Sweden, only half an hour drive (or ferry) from the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen. Where do you think the girls who used to work in Malmo work now? And where do you think the Johns will go to get some action?

Stockholm (the capital) does not have a neighbor quite as close. However the cruise boat traffic to Estonia, Latvia and Poland has doubled since the start o this legislation. At least 5 cruise boats with 2000 passenger capacity leave Stockholm daily; 2 to Tallinn, 2 to Riga and 1 to Gdansk (Estonia, Latvia and Poland respectively). You can take and overnight cruise or stay a night in any of the cities.
And what happens on the boat, stays on the boat.


Speculation part of the post

What will happen in Australia if similar laws are passed?

The Brothels will go under ground, run by gangs and girls are supplied by Asian gangs specializing in human trafficking.
There will be no checks by State Health organizations to these illegal brothels, so in the long run the public health is at risk.

Sex travel to South East Asia will probably boom. =>
Bruce will get his share of pussy, possibly not quite so often though. =>
All that money out of the Aussie economy =>
Soon enough Bruce won't have the money to fly to Bangkok =>
Bruce will seek to relief from a local illegal brothel =>
The pimp or one of the girls introduce Bruce a new great pill that will make him feel so much better =>
Few months later Bruce is hooked, his work efforts are failing, he's sold his car to pay for the habit...

Question part of the post
It's a gloom picture I painted above, and even if laws like that are passed, does not necessarily go that way or effect many.

However, do you think possible consequences like this should be considered when planning, lobbying or passing new laws?

[TheTiger]

Treat it with a grain of salt.