Sweden - Facts on Trafficking and Prostitution

Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation

Sweden

Trafficking

Sweden is used as a transit country for trafficking Latin American women to brothels in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. (Mansson, 1995). ("Trafficking of Women to the European Union: Characterisitics, Trends and Policy Issues," European Conference on Trafficking in Women, (June 1996), IOM, 7 May 1996)

Prostitution

There are 2,500 prostituted women in massage parlors, escort agencies, private apartments and on the streets in Sweden. An estimated 650 women are street-prostitutes. (Belinda Goldsmith, "Swedish sex buyers feel law’s weak slap," Reuters, 14 June 1998)

An estimated 125,000 men purchase sexual services each year in Sweden. (Government spokesman, Belinda Goldsmith, "Swedish sex buyers feel law’s weak slap," Reuters, 14 June 1998)

Policy and Law

Beginning in 1999 purchasing sex will be a criminal offense in Sweden. (Belinda Goldsmith, "Swedish sex buyers feel law’s weak slap," Reuters, 14 June 1998)

New legislation, marking Sweden’s attitude towards prostitution will prohibit purchase of sexual services. Obtaining casual sexual services (prostitution) against payment is to be prohibited, punishable by fines or imprisonment for up to six months. The attempted offense including all forms of sexual services, whether they are purchased on the street, in brothels, in so-called massage-institutes, etc are also to be an offense. Prostitution is not a desirable social phenomenon. The government considers that it is not reasonable to punish the person who sells a sexual service. In the majority of cases at least, this person is a weaker partner who is exploited by those who want only to satisfy their sexual drives. ("Violence Against Women," http://www.kvinnofrid.gov.se/regeringen/faktaeng.htm, 1998)

Pornography

Policy and Law

As of 1997, possession of child pornography is not a crime. ("Child sexploitation within the law's reach." The Nation, 02 Jul 1997)

In December 1997, plans were announced to outlaw by January 1, 1999 the possession, procurement, import, or export of child pornography using whatever means available, including the Internet. It will specifically outlaw computer-generated pornography. ("Sweden - Anti Child Porn Legislation Plans," Newsbytes, 23 December 1997)

In May 1998 Sweden moved to make the possession of child pornography illegal. The legislation is to take effect from January 1, 1999. ("Sweden takes first step to criminalise child porn," Reuters, 13 May 1998)

Official Response and Action

Swedish police seized 300 hours of film showing Western men with Sri Lankan children in 1995. ("Sri Lankan children for sale on the Internet," (Julian West, New Delhi, London Telegraph, 26 Oct 1997)

Public Response

Photographs of naked teenage boys were exhibited in Sweden’s Stockholm Historical Museum. Despite complaints that the photographs were tantamount to child pornography, the board of the Cultural Capital organizing committee decided that the exhibition would continue. The exhibit was later destroyed by a gang of youths. ("Swedish youths destroy photo show of naked boys," Reuters, 30 June 1998)

Organized and Institutionalized Sexual Exploitation and Violence

Policy and Law

A new offense is to be introduced into the Penal Code, to deal with repeated punishable acts directed by men against women having a close relationship with the perpetrator (gross violation of a woman's integrity), but also covers children and other closely related persons (gross violation of integrity). Gross violation of a woman's integrity, means: if a man commits certain criminal acts (assault, unlawful threat or coercion, sexual or other molestation, sexual exploitation, etc) against a woman to whom he is or has been married or with whom he is or has been cohabiting, he shall be sentenced for gross violation of the woman's integrity, instead of for the crime that each of the acts comprise. A necessary condition for sentencing for the new offense is that the acts were part of a repeated violation of the woman's integrity and were suited to seriously damage her self-confidence. The punishment is imprisonment for at least six months and at most six years ("Violence Against Women," http://www.kvinnofrid.gov.se/regeringen/faktaeng.htm, 1998)

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Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation
Donna M. Hughes, Laura Joy Sporcic and Nadine Z. Mendelsohn