With 84% of trafficking victims in Europe subjected to sexual exploitation, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has pinpointed legislation and policies on prostitution as indispensable anti-trafficking tools, given the obvious close link between trafficking in human beings and prostitution.
The parliamentarians acknowledge that it is difficult, though, to propose a single model of prostitution regulations that would fit all member States. The resolution adopted today points out that, depending on the countries, prostitution legislation and policies range from legalisation to criminalisation, with a number of systems combining the two approaches to varying degrees. But, following the conclusions of the rapporteur, José Mendes Bota (Portugal, EPP/CD), the Assembly stated that criminalising the purchase of sexual services, based on the Swedish model, appears as the most effective tool for combating trafficking in human beings.
The PACE also calls for research and data collection on prostitution and trafficking in all Council of Europe member States.
