The Coalition for the Abolition of Prostitution publishes a manifesto entitled ‘For a Feminist, Anti-Racist and Equal Europe: Abolish the Prostitution System’ within the scope of the European elections. The manifesto, supported by the Brussels Call European platform, calls on the candidates to take concrete action against the prostitution system, which targets the most marginalised women and girls in the European Union.
31 political figures and candidates to the European elections from 8 countries officially support the manifesto.
“FOR A FEMINIST, ANTIRACIST, AND EQUAL EUROPE: ABOLISH THE PROSTITUTION SYSTEM”
Manifesto of feminist, survivor-led and grassroots NGOs for the 2024 EU elections
We feminist, survivor-led and grassroots NGOs, call on candidates to the EU elections to support the Equality Model recognising prostitution as a form of violence against women.
We observe that throughout the world, prostitution is a violence that first and foremost impacts women and girls from discriminated communities: Indigenous, migrant, refugee, poor women and girls, those from oppressed castes or minorities. Europe does not escape this reality: 70% of prostituted persons are migrant women!
In Europe, hundreds of thousands of women are victims of the prostitution system every year for a sole reason: to satisfy the male demand for the purchase of sexual acts. At a time when women and girls are facing increasing inequalities and a backlash on their most fundamental rights, we call on the EU to harmonise legislations on prostitution towards the Equality Model protecting persons in prostitution and tackling the impunity of perpetrators.
Fighting the prostitution system is a way towards a Europe of equality between women and men, anti-racism and social justice!
WE OBSERVE THAT:
- Prostitution is a form of violence: the repetition of sexual acts without desire but that are socioeconomically, physically or psychologically coerced is in and of itself a violence;
- Prostitution is an obstacle to sexual freedom and to a sexuality free of all constraints, including economic ones;
- Prostitution is a violation of human dignity as enshrined in International Human Rights Law;
- Prostitution is neither sex nor work, but a system of sexual and economic exploitation of the most vulnerable;
- The demand for the purchase of sexual acts is at the root of the prostitution and trafficking of women and girls;
- Both prostitution and trafficking in human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation explode in countries that have regulated prostitution.
OUR DEMANDS:
We call on the candidates to endorse an EU approach based on the Equality Model and to harmonise the EU legislation on prostitution towards it by adopting legislative provisions aiming at:
- Recognising prostitution as a form of violence
- Decriminalising persons in prostitution
- Guaranteeing support services and exit pathways to persons in prostitution
- Ending demand by prohibiting the purchase of sexual acts and penalising:
“Soliciting, accepting or obtaining relations of a sexual nature from a person in prostitution, including on an occasional basis, in exchange for remuneration, a promise of remuneration, the provision of benefits in kind or the promise of such benefits.”
- Prohibiting pimping in all of its forms by penalising:
“1. Procuring, hiring, or enticing another person for the purpose of prostitution, even with the consent of that person;
- Obtaining any profit from the prostitution of another person;
- Helping, assisting, or protecting the prostitution of another;
- Maintaining, monitoring, running, financing, or managing a brothel or any place suspected of accommodating prostitution;
- Knowingly letting or renting a building or other place or any part thereof for the purpose of the prostitution of others.”
We further call on candidates to the EU elections to reject:
- Any distinction between “free prostitution” and “forced prostitution”
- Any measure aimed at decriminalising pimping and the purchase of sexual acts
- Any assimilation of prostitution to so-called “sex work” and use of this term in contradiction with the UN and EU agreed language.
SIGNATORIES:
- The Coalition for the Abolition of Prostitution, a coalition of 35 grassroots and survivor-led organisations providing direct support to 18,000 victims of prostitution and trafficking for sexual exploitation in 28 countries.
- The Brussels’Call is a partnership coalition of over 120 civil society organisations, as well as survivors and experts, committed to working at the international, European, Member State and local level to end prostitution and sexual exploitation in Europe.
SUPPORTERS
- Sandra Gauci, ADPD, Malta
- Carine Delahaie, French Communist Party, France
- Fabien Roussel, French Communist Party, France
- Léon Deffontaine, French Communist Party, France
- Hélène Bidard, French Communist Party, France
- Sigrid Gérardin, French Communist Party, France
- Shirley Wirden, French Communist Party, France
- Rasa Juknevičienė, Homeland Union, Lithuania
- Matas Maldeikis, Homeland Union, Lithuania
- Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, Lithuania
- Ieva Budraitė, Lithuanian Greens Party, Lithuania
- Fergal Landy, Labour Party, Ireland
- Leïla Chaibi, La France Insoumise, France
- Cécilia Gondard, Socialist Party, France
- Dieynaba Diop, Socialist Party, France
- Daniel Guiraud, Socialist Party, France
- Murielle Laurent, Socialist Party, France
- Christophe Clergeau, Socialist Party, France
- Adrien Naizet, Socialist Party, France
- Justin Amiot, Parti Socialiste, France
- Maria Noichl, SPD, Germany
- Christine Schneider, CDU, Germany
- Annette Widmann-Mauz, CDU, Germany
- Abir Al Sahlani, Centerpartiet, Sweden
- Alice Kuhnke, Miljöpartiet de gröna, Sweden
- Evin Incir, Swedish Social Democratic Party, Sweden
- Helene Fritzon, Swedish Social Democratic Party, Sweden
- Carina Ohlsson, Swedish Social Democratic Party, Sweden
- Ilan De Basso, Swedish Social Democratic Party, Sweden
- Hanna Gedin, Vänsterpartiet, Sweden
- Rosa D’Amato, Independent, Italy