Activities of Eleni STAVROU 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 (39)
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas different regulatory measures in the Member States concerning prostitution have different effects on gender equality;
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 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas there are strong links between forced and sometimes non-forced prostitution and organised crime such as human trafficking;
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 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 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
G a. whereas we should take advantage of the opportunities offered by the free market economy, which promotes healthy competition and creates high growth and innovation, and in turn offers high- quality jobs as a viable option for those who want to leave;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas prostitution has cross- border implications and affects women’s rights and gender equality; whereas in cross-border regions the systems should be coordinated to avoid hot spots in border regions; whereas the disparity of legislation on prostitution in the EU benefits traffickers and organised crime networks; whereas all Member States have a legal obligation to discourage and end human trafficking and organised crime;
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 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H h (new)
Recital H h (new)
H h. whereas LGBTI prostitutes are subjected to discrimination and criminalisation as both LGBTI people and as prostitutes; whereas there is not equal access to preventative HIV medication, such as PREP and/or PEP drugs across the Union;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H i (new)
Recital H i (new)
H i. whereas the dual identities of LGBTI prostitutes have the potential to further marginalise individuals and render them more vulnerable to increased levels of violence, human rights’ abuses, and decreased access to services and justice;
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 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Regrets the lack of reliable, accurate and comparable data across countrisome Member States apropos of trafficking, violence within forced prostitution, as well the success(es) of exit programmes;
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 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines that the European Parliament recognised, in its resolution of 26 February 2014 on sexual exploitation and prostitution and its impact on gender equality, that prostitution and sexual exploitation are violations of human dignity, contravene human rights principles such as gender equality and are therefore contrary to the principles of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; recalls that it defined prostitution as a serious form of violence and exploitation in its resolution of 5 July 2022 on women’s poverty in Europe4 ; _________________ 4 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2022)0274.
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Condemns the fact that women in prostitution lack legal security because of their criminalisation, meaning they face the constant threat of police and judicial persecution, are subject to additional vulnerability and stigmatisation that negatively affect their physical and mental health, consequently experience difficulties in contacting support services and lack access to fundamental rights; deplores the fact that, at the same time, abusive and other non-law abiding clients, brothel owners and human traffickers often remain unpunished; calls on the relevant authorities within Member States to increase their efforts to end the impunity for those who commit forced prostitution;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that prostitution and trafficking for sexual exploitation only exist because there is a demand for them; recognises that any service based economy works on the concept of supply and demand but that through the promotion of a strong, competitive and free market European economy fewer women will enter prostitution as a last resort to provide for their families;
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 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 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that the different approaches to regulation in the EU have different effects and that women in prostitution have different rights and protections in different EU Member States; underlines that, on average, 70 % of the individuals in prostitution in the EU are migrant women and that trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation mostly affects women and girls coming from the east of the European Union;
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 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 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 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;