Activities of Frances FITZGERALD related to 2022/2139(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Regulation of prostitution in the EU: its cross-border implications and impact on gender equality and women’s rights (debate)
Amendments (44)
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
— having regard to the Proposal for a DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas Member States should ensure that when an offence is committed with the intention of earning profit or gain or that an offence actually brought profit or gain from the prostitution of another person (i.e. profiting from human trafficking) that this profit is considered to be an aggravating circumstance;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
C c. whereas street-based prostitution represents an environment which is devoid of humane conditions for women;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas ensuring the physical integrity of all and guaranteeing equality and respect for women’s rights must be at the heart of Member State and EU policies in relation to prostitution;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
F a. Whereas the Turkish-occupied territories of Cyprus are used by human traffickers to exploit vulnerable women with the promise of student visas and student registration, only for them to be coerced into prostitution upon arrival and put through inhumane living conditions; whereas the Turkish-occupied territories of Cyprus serve as an area of impunity for human traffickers working in forced prostitution;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
F b. whereas a holistic approach is needed to protect women in prostitution and put an end to the impunity of perpetrators;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F c (new)
Recital F c (new)
F c. whereas the most common and widespread form of human trafficking in the EU is that for the purpose of sexual exploitation; whereas 60% of victims of human trafficking in the EU are trafficked for sexual exploitation;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F d (new)
Recital F d (new)
F d. whereas there is an asymmetry between national prostitution legislation within the EU (with countries where prostitution is legal and countries where it is illegal and where the demand for prostitution is criminalised);
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas numerous factors cause people to enter prostitution, including poverty, social exclusion, drug-addiction and a migration background;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
G b. whereas Ireland and New Zealand have similar populations but the amount of prostitutes working in Ireland is 5-8 times lower due to the introduction of the Nordic model;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
H b. whereas the fight against prostitution and trafficking can only be effective at saving women and girls when an approach which protects its victims and tackles the demand for prostitution is applied;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H e (new)
Recital H e (new)
H e. whereas prostitution is increasingly shifting into the virtual space, regardless of the legislation in force: whereas this relates not only to the recruitment and initiation “process”, but also to the way in which the sexual act itself takes place; whereas prostitution in the virtual space also has the same harmful effects on prostituted women as in the real world;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H f (new)
Recital H f (new)
H f. whereas Ursula Von Der Leyen has previously stated that prostitution is not a profession like any other and that exit should always be the goal;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H j (new)
Recital H j (new)
H j. whereas poverty is the primary driving force behind women becoming prostitutes; whereas drug addiction is used as a means to lure and entrap victims into prostitution;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H k (new)
Recital H k (new)
H k. whereas access to health care services, including contraception is vital for prostitutes to maintain their health; recognises that in some Member States, such as Poland, access to such health care provisions has been severely restricted, causing undue stress and anxiety as well as adverse health effects for those who need it;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that approaches to regulating prostitution vary across the EU and target three key components of this system: prostituted persons, the purchase of sex (i.e. demand), and pimping; stresses that the different laws have different effects on women in prostitution, their rights, women’s rights in general, gender equality, demand, societyal attitudes and neighbouring countries; Member States, as well as the ability for women to reintegrate into society;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Underlines that consent can only be given freely when there is no power imbalance between the people involved; notes, at the same time, that it can be extremely difficult for people to realise that they are victims, especially when they do not know their rights, and recalls the dynamics of an abusive relationship; underlines in addition that the voice of women should always be listened to and recalls the need for informative, respectful programmes so that women in prostitution are abreast of their rights and obligations;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Sresses that greater awareness is needed to better understand the increasingly shift of prostitution into the virtual space;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that the decriminalisation of pimping and of the purchase of sex increases demand, empowers the demand side and normalises sex buying; underlines that the stigmatisation of people, especially women, in prostitution nevertheless persists; notes that only if demand is reduced can the prostitution market shrink and thus the number of those exploited in it;
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Is concerned that the legalisation of prostitution promotes legal structures behind which traffickers can hide; therefore calls on the Member States to ensure that existing legislation and regulations are properly assessed so as to avoid any loopholes which allow criminals to act with impunity;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Draws attention to the recent findings indicating that traffickers are increasingly seeking to exploit victims through 'supposedly voluntary business arrangements', where victims must hand over a share of the earnings in exchange for protection and support; notes that this type of exploitation is particularly common in jurisdictions where prostitution has been legalised1a; _________________ 1a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/ etudes/STUD/2021/695394/IPOL_STU(20 21)695394_EN.pdf
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Underlines that the greater the asymmetry between national prostitution legislation within the EU, the more victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation there are; notes that some countries of the Union may attract more trafficking flows for the purposes of sexual exploitation;
Amendment 283 #
14 a. Stresses the need to tackle forced prostitution in the EU’s occupied territories, and calls on the Commission to address this issue with immediate effect;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Recalls that women in the LGB and Transgender communities, including prostitutes themselves must be meaningfully involved and included in the development of national prostitution policies and wider European discussions;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Recalls that the prostitution market and its actors operate across borders; Stresses that the divergent rules mean that some EU Member States have more victims of trafficking in human beings than others and that free movement within the EU helps to move people from one market to the next; calls Member States and the Commission to coordinate a pan- European approach and equal standards and possibilities of prosecution for those involved in prosecution;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Calls on EIGE to put together an analysis of how AI could serve to protect prostitutes from vulnerable and potentially dangerous situations; highlights the need for privacy for all parties when in compliance of the law but underlines as well that when used efficiently AI can both protect peoples’ identities and create a safe, managed place in which women can operate;
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17 b. Calls on Member States to promote STEM learning so that girls can play an active role in in developing technology for women’s needs;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses the different effects of different regulatory measures on men, young people and society as a whole; highlights that there appears to have been a significant and positive shift in attitudes among boys and men in Sweden after the introduction of the Nordic model, whereby women are seen less as objects to satisfy man’s sexual desire but instead as victims of exploitation; whereby this dissuades them from purchasing sex;
Amendment 317 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines the Member States’ obligation to protect women’s rights and physical integrity and promote gender equality, and highlights the EU’s role in doing this within the international community and in creating equal protection and equal rights across Member States; calls on all remaining Member States to ratify the Istanbul convention as soon as possible;
Amendment 320 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Calls on the Member States to ensure adequate provision of contraception as a means of preventing sexually transmitted infections as well as unwanted pregnancies for prostitutes; calls particularly on the government of Poland to ease the restrictions of contraception, especially emergency contraception;
Amendment 341 #
20 b. Urges Member States to introduce rehabilitation programmes that include safe accommodation and secure care, medical help, psychological help (trauma therapy), specialised help for women with addictions and specialised help for women with children;
Amendment 342 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)
Paragraph 20 c (new)
20 c. Calls for adequate protections for LGBTI prostitutes who have reported facing discrimination, humiliation and denial of services from healthcare workers, either based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or any combination of these; recalls that the denial of services based on the grounds of their sexual orientation is a breach of the European charter of fundamental rights; calls for better access to PREP and PEP medication as well as awareness about when and where they are available;
Amendment 361 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Member States for specific measures to assist women in prostitution with their social and professional reintegration; calls for such exit programmes to work gradually, for women to be supported on their personal paths and for people’s potential to be recognised, with and professional training and further education programmes being adapted to take account of this;
Amendment 364 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23 a. Recalls the highly successful RUPS exit programme in the Netherlands where any prostitute can go to for help, guidance and support irrespective of whether they work in a sex club, via the internet, in the street or in any other way;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Amendment 369 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)
Paragraph 23 c (new)
23 c. Notes that exit programmes for women seeking to leave prostitution are best able to help women and girls in a free market economy that is high growth and in turn able to provide women and girls with good quality, well-paying jobs that represents a viable alternative to prostitution;
Amendment 371 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 e (new)
Paragraph 23 e (new)
23 e. Calls on the Commission to launch a programme that would engage prostitutes (both former and current) into a training scheme that would help them kick start their own entrepreneurial activity;
Amendment 373 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls foron Member States to introduce comprehensive psychological, medical and socio- economic support for victims and survivors of prostitution; this support should include freely available health advice, financial support, housing; emphasises that this support should be confidential, and should be designed to protect the anonymity of the victim where requested;
Amendment 380 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24 a. Calls on the European Union to increase employment opportunities for those exiting prostitution, in particular through the European Social Fund +;
Amendment 382 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24 b. Recalls the need for informed decisions to be taken before wide sweeping conclusions can be drawn; highlights that while there is no one single Nordic model applied in the same way within the Union, the implementation of the Nordic model continues to take place; underlines that when implementing the Nordic model, Member States should take advantage of best practices employed in other Member States;
Amendment 384 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24 b. Calls on the Commission to improve data collection techniques in order to effectively monitor the levels of prostitution on an individual Member State and Union level;