Z solt stands in front of St Stephen's basilica in Budapest's city centre every night from 8pm until the early hours. His job is to direct passing tourists towards a nearby "gentleman's club". He speaks five languages and is happy to answer questions during what he says is a "slow" evening. Even so, he talks to 12 English-speaking interested men within a minute period. The commercial sex industry is not legal in Hungary , but it is tolerated and exists largely in plain view.
Hungary is a key "source" location for women and girls being trafficked to countries where prostitution is legal, such as Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands. In those countries, women and girls are brought in to supply the legally sanctioned demand. Those who support the legalisation and decriminalisation of prostitution often do so with the intended goal of making prostitution better and safer for those involved.
Yet, survivors of sex trafficking have repeatedly stated that legalisation and decriminalisation of the commercial sex industry does just the opposite. A statement signed by verified sex trafficking survivors from Sex Trafficking Survivors United STSU suggests that: "Without the buyers of commercial sex, sex trafficking would not exist. If we start penalising and stigmatising the buyers, we could end sex trafficking in our lifetime β¦ prostitution is not a victimless crime; it is a brutal form of sexual violence.
Europe is finally starting to listen. A new trend is emerging β criminalising the buyers, traffickers and pimps that fuel the commercial sex industry, while decriminalising and providing services and exit options to people in prostitution. Starting in , Sweden, Norway and Iceland implemented this "Nordic model" of prostitution policy. These laws aim to reduce all demand, recognising that due to the widespread coercion within legal prostitution sectors, it is simply not possible to differentiate the demand which is exploitative from that which is not.
France has recognised this and its assembly voted in favor of adopting the model last week; Ireland is due to follow shortly ; Finland's Ministry for Justice has called for the same.
