Prevention of trafficking in persons 2010, para. 34
Paragraph- Paragraph text
- In addressing the demand for exploitative commercial sexual services, it is important to recognize that such demand is socially constructed in that the desire to buy sex is often encouraged by men's need to socially identify themselves as "real men" or "adults". The feminized entertainment and sex industry is predicated on male-centred ideological assumptions: that sex services are largely a male right and a commodity; that commercial providers of sex services are largely women; and that women in prostitution exist as sexualized and commodified bodies. The Special Rapporteur notes that there are divergent perspectives on how to tackle the demand for exploitative commercial sexual services. At one end of the spectrum is the argument that prostitution is inextricably linked to trafficking in persons and thus that trafficking cannot be prevented without curbing the demand for prostitution. On the basis of that approach, some States have adopted legislation that criminalizes the buying or soliciting of sexual services, which has reportedly led to a significant reduction in the number of foreign women engaged in street prostitution, thus creating an unprofitable market for sex trafficking. At the other end of the spectrum, the "free choice" advocates draw a clear distinction between prostitutes who voluntarily work in the sex industry and trafficked persons who are forced to work as prostitutes. They do not view the abolition of prostitution as an effective strategy for reducing the incidence of trafficking and advocate for prostitutes' right to earn their livelihood and to organize themselves to assert their rights.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Other
- Paragraph number
- 34
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