Traditionally, instead of protecting the human rights of sex workers, responses to the sex industry have focused on using criminal law to limit or eliminate the sector. A repressive or restrictive policy model has often been chosen over an integrative model.
The chapter develops a new categorization
Petra Östergren’s chapter develops a new typology for prostitution policy model, consisting of three general models, or regimes, based on an inductive methodological approach:
- repressive, when the policy aims to eliminate the sector, using penal law and other repressive measures,
- restrictive, when the aim is to limit the sector, by the means of strict and arbitrary regulation,
- integrative, when the aim is to integrate the sector and workers into society with the help of labor laws and other policy tools.
Analytical tool
The intention of such a tripartite typology is that it can serve as a tool for assessing, evaluating and comparing prostitution policies, even in cases where they seem to contain contradictory or incoherent elements. Besides using the prostitution policy typology for analytical purposes, it can also serve as a tool for developing context-sensitive measures against violence, exploitation and trafficking in human beings in the sex work sector. Furthermore, it can be applied to the governance of other issues of moral politics, such as drugs, abortion and homosexuality.
Petra Östergren developed the typology when she was project manager for the interdisciplinary EU project DemandAT - Demand-side Measures Against Trafficking - a research project that examined initiatives and policies that focus on the demand side of human trafficking.
DemandAT drawing on insights on regulating demand
Trafficking in human beings covers various forms of coercion and exploitation of women, men and children. Responses to trafficking have traditionally focused on combating the criminal networks involved in it or protecting the human rights of victims. However, European countries are increasingly exploring ways in which to influence the demand for services or products involving the use of trafficked persons or for the trafficked persons themselves. DemandAT aimed to understand the role of demand in the trafficking of human beings and to assess the impact and potential of demand-side measures to reduce trafficking, drawing on insights on regulating demand from related areas.
About the book
The Sage Handbook of Global Sexuality provides a major thematic overview of global sexualities, spanning each of the continents, and its study, which is both reflective and prospective, and includes traditional approaches and emerging themes. The Handbook offers a robust theoretical underpinning and critical outlook on current global, glocal, and ‘new’ sexualities and practices, whilst offering an extensive reflection on current challenges and future directions of the field. The broad coverage of topics engages with a range of theories, and maintains a multi-disciplinary framework.
- Photo: Catherine Healy, New Zealand sex workers' rights activist.
- * Professor Hendrik Wagenaar on Twitter 2020-09-18. Read Hendrik Wagenaar's post on Twitter.
- DemandAT working paper number 10 Prostitution Policies Typology June 2017 is available at demandat.eu.
- A European Policy Brief based on this research is also available on demandat.eu.
- Petra Östergren’s personal page here on soc.lu.se/en.