| | The link between prostitution and sex trafficking is undeniable. The root cause of both is the male demand for women and girls who can be bought and sexually exploited.
It is also a fact that almost invariably where large groups of men are gathered together prostitution as a form of rest and recreation for them flourishes. World Cup venues are examples, as are places where foreign military (including UN peacekeeping forces) and male civilian personnel are gathered.
As in any industry, without the demand the supply would not be necessary and the market would collapse. This aspect of sex trafficking is the least visible and the least analysed. It is, therefore, easy to forget that people are trafficked into the ‘sex industry’, not to satisfy the demands of the traffickers, but of the purchasers who are mostly male.
Most organisations working for and with prostitutes and survivors of trafficking argue that prostitution is incompatible with human dignity and is a form of gender-based violence. There is a sense in which all prostitutes are trafficked people. That is why groups that hold this view would not support criminal penalties for prostitution itself but would support the criminalisation of those who buy sex and live off the proceeds of prostitution.
| | | Sweden was the first country to introduce a law to this effect. It came into force on 1 January 1999. Since then, the level of both prostitution and trafficking are greatly reduced in the country.
The Swedish model is not the only one. The Indian government also plans to decriminalise ‘sex workers’ and target clients. In Britain the Home Secretary has published proposals (19 November 2008) aimed at prosecuting men who pay for sex with a woman who has been trafficked or is under the control of a pimp. If they do so knowingly, they could face rape charges and a potential life sentence. The onus would be on clients to prove they were unaware the person had been trafficked.
| Demand: whose responsibility?
It is perhaps time that the men, the majority, who do not pay for sex, stand up and say something to those who do. It is clear that any effort to tackle the demand aspect of TIP must include men as well as women since it is an issue that concerns both sexes.
However, I would suggest that ‘demand’ is an area that is ultimately beyond legislation. It requires a complete change of mindset on the part of ‘clients’. The Church has a leading role to play in facilitating such change.
The social teaching of the Church addresses the full range of human rights and responsibilities - a special concern for the poor and those on the margins of society, the call to stewardship of the earth and global solidarity. Underpinning all of this and at the very heart of Catholic social thought is the inherent dignity of every individual as a member of the human family. So, one might ask, why are there so few homilies or statements from national hierarchies on the issue of TIP?
The Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travellers addressed the problem of prostitution and sex trafficking at an international meeting on Pastoral Care for the Liberation of Women of the Street in July 2005. It released a document which sets out clearly the task of the church in this regard. The following statement in the document concerning ‘clients’ speaks for itself:
“The ‘clients’ need both information and formation with regard to gender, respect, dignity, interpersonal values and the whole area of relationships and sexuality. In a society where money and wealth are dominant values, appropriate relationships and sexuality education are necessary for the holistic formation of different groups of people. This type of education can explore the true nature of interpersonal relationships based not on egoistic interest or exploitation but on the dignity of a human person, who should be respected and appreciated as a God given gift.” General Propositions, #16
The fullness of life offered by Christ is real and can be enjoyed by all if we have the will to confront those evils that are obscuring it. A more proactive approach to the grievous issue [one] of sex trafficking on the part of the church, hierarchy, clergy, parishioners, could be effective in stopping the flow of women and girls for sexual exploitation.
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