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2022/2139(INI) Regulation of prostitution in the EU: its cross-border implications and impact on gender equality and women’s rights

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead FEMM NOICHL Maria (icon: S&D S&D) SCHNEIDER Christine (icon: EPP EPP), MELCHIOR Karen (icon: Renew Renew), VANA Monika (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), DE LA PISA CARRIÓN Margarita (icon: ECR ECR), PEREIRA Sandra (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54

Events

2023/09/14
   EP - Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
Documents
2023/09/14
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Documents
2023/09/14
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2023/09/13
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2023/08/30
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details

The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality adopted the own-initiative report by Maria NOICHL (S&D, DE) on the regulation of prostitution in the EU: its cross-border implications and impact on gender equality and women’s rights.

The report states that prostitution, its exploitation, and human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation are forms of gender-based violence , and thus a violation of women's rights and human dignity, representing a cross-border problem. Therefore, the report called for a Europe-wide approach to tackle prostitution by decriminalising people in prostitution and supporting those who want to leave it, while targeting sex buyers and exploitative third parties such as pimping. There is also a for a common approach to and understanding of force, coercion, the exploitation of vulnerability, abuse of power and inequalities in existing prostitution laws and regulations in various EU Member States.

Comparison between Member States

Members underlined the greater the asymmetry between national prostitution legislation within the EU, given that the prostitution markets and its actors operate across borders, the more victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation there are. Moreover, the report underlined that the difference between Member States’ regulations on prostitution create a fertile operating ground for organised crime groups and individuals. Member States are called on to introduce effective measures to reduce the demand for prostitution and therefore trafficking in human beings, sexual exploitation and the operating of organised criminal groups.

Lack of comparable data

Members regretted the lack of reliable, accurate data comparable across countries related to prostitution, sexual exploitation, violence in prostitution and the impact of exit programmes. They highlighted the urgent need to further improve and better coordinate cross-border cooperation in this area.

Different approaches

The report noted that in countries like Austria, Germany and the Netherlands, authorities have come to the conclusion that it would be most beneficial for the rights of people in prostitution to create a legal framework legalising all facets of prostitution , while other countries such as Sweden, France, Spain and Ireland have instead decided to protect the rights of women in prostitution by opting to decriminalise people in prostitution while criminalising buyers, by applying the ‘ Nordic/Equality model ’ approach.

Impact on women in prostitution

Members condemned the reality of coercion, manipulation, violence and exploitation in prostitution and pointed out that the lack of language skills of women and minors, as well as their vulnerabilities and precarious conditions, are exploited to make them enter and stay in prostitution.

Demand

Prostitution and trafficking for sexual exploitation exist because there is a demand for it. Demand reduction is a key instrument for the prevention and reduction of human trafficking. Therefore, Members believe that this should be developed further in the revision of the EU Anti-Trafficking Directive. Members also stressed the importance of discouraging demand in a way that does not harm or create negative repercussions for those in prostitution. The report noted that the decriminalisation of pimping and of the purchase of sex increases demand, empowers the demand side and normalises sex buying.

Cross-border impact

Members condemned the highly sexist, racist and marginalising nature of the system of prostitution, given that, on average, 70 % of the individuals in prostitution in the EU are migrant women, reflecting the social and economic differences in the EU and worldwide. Moreover, the majority of sex trafficking flows within the Union involve EU citizens and 53 % of the victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation within the Union have EU citizenship.

Role of the Member States

Member States should ensure that women in prostitution have equal access to justice, healthcare, housing, employment and public services and enjoy equal protection under the law. They should also take action in the areas of prevention, decriminalisation of people and especially women in prostitution, demand reduction, punishment of clients, destigmatisation and the elimination of stereotypes, and to ensure sufficiently financed, easily accessible, high-quality exit programmes and pathways out .

Member States are called on to ensure that it is punishable as a criminal offence to:

- solicit, accept or obtain a sexual act from a person in exchange for remuneration, the promise of remuneration, the provision of a benefit in kind or the promise of such a benefit;

- exploit the prostitution of another person even with the consent of that person.

Documents
2023/06/27
   EP - Vote in committee
2023/02/09
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2023/01/10
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2022/09/26
   EP - NOICHL Maria (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in FEMM
2022/09/15
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament

Documents

Activities

Votes

Réglementation de la prostitution dans l’Union européenne: implications transfrontières et incidence sur l’égalité entre les hommes et les femmes et les droits des femmes - A9-0240/2023 - Maria Noichl - Proposition de résolution (ensemble du texte) #

2023/09/14 Outcome: +: 234, -: 175, 0: 122
ES IT PT SE RO HR SK LT DE LV EL SI HU MT BG FI EE LU BE FR IE AT PL DK CZ NL
Total
51
57
21
19
24
11
6
10
80
8
4
7
9
3
7
13
6
4
17
60
11
16
32
12
18
25
icon: PPE PPE
131
2

Slovenia PPE

Abstain (1)

3

Malta PPE

For (1)

1

Bulgaria PPE

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

4

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1
3

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Netherlands PPE

For (1)

5
icon: S&D S&D
103

Slovakia S&D

For (1)

1

Lithuania S&D

2

Latvia S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

2

Malta S&D

2

Bulgaria S&D

For (1)

1

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Austria S&D

For (1)

4

Denmark S&D

2

Czechia S&D

Against (1)

1

Netherlands S&D

4
icon: The Left The Left
25

Portugal The Left

4

Sweden The Left

For (1)

1

Germany The Left

3

Greece The Left

Abstain (1)

1

Finland The Left

Against (1)

1

Belgium The Left

Abstain (1)

1

France The Left

For (1)

3

Ireland The Left

For (1)

4

Denmark The Left

1

Netherlands The Left

Against (1)

1
icon: NI NI
25

Croatia NI

2

Lithuania NI

Abstain (1)

1

Germany NI

Abstain (1)

2

Latvia NI

Against (1)

1

Greece NI

For (1)

1

France NI

Against (2)

2

Netherlands NI

Against (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
46

Sweden ECR

For (1)

3

Croatia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Slovakia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Germany ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Bulgaria ECR

Against (1)

1

Finland ECR

2

Belgium ECR

2

Netherlands ECR

Abstain (1)

4
icon: ID ID
52

Estonia ID

Against (1)

1

Austria ID

3

Denmark ID

Against (1)

1

Czechia ID

Abstain (1)

1
icon: Renew Renew
84

Italy Renew

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Sweden Renew

Abstain (1)

3

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Lithuania Renew

Against (1)

1

Latvia Renew

Abstain (1)

1

Slovenia Renew

2

Hungary Renew

Against (1)

1

Bulgaria Renew

Against (1)

1

Finland Renew

3

Estonia Renew

3

Luxembourg Renew

2

Ireland Renew

2

Poland Renew

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
65

Spain Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

3

Italy Verts/ALE

Against (1)

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Romania Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Lithuania Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Austria Verts/ALE

Against (2)

Abstain (1)

3

Poland Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3
AmendmentsDossier
389 2022/2139(INI)
2023/02/10 FEMM 389 amendments...
source: 742.470

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

docs/2
date
2023-09-14T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0328_EN.html title: T9-0328/2023
type
Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
body
EP
events/3
date
2023-09-13T00:00:00
type
Debate in Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-9-2023-09-13-TOC_EN.html title: Debate in Parliament
events/4
date
2023-09-14T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0328_EN.html title: T9-0328/2023
events/5
date
2023-09-14T00:00:00
type
End of procedure in Parliament
body
EP
forecasts
  • date: 2023-09-12T00:00:00 title: Debate scheduled
  • date: 2023-09-14T00:00:00 title: Vote in plenary scheduled
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Awaiting Parliament's vote
New
Procedure completed
forecasts/0
date
2023-09-12T00:00:00
title
Debate scheduled
forecasts/0
date
2023-09-13T00:00:00
title
Debate in plenary scheduled
docs/2
date
2023-08-30T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2023-0240_EN.html title: A9-0240/2023
type
Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
body
EP
events/2/summary
  • The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality adopted the own-initiative report by Maria NOICHL (S&D, DE) on the regulation of prostitution in the EU: its cross-border implications and impact on gender equality and women’s rights.
  • The report states that prostitution, its exploitation, and human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation are forms of gender-based violence , and thus a violation of women's rights and human dignity, representing a cross-border problem. Therefore, the report called for a Europe-wide approach to tackle prostitution by decriminalising people in prostitution and supporting those who want to leave it, while targeting sex buyers and exploitative third parties such as pimping. There is also a for a common approach to and understanding of force, coercion, the exploitation of vulnerability, abuse of power and inequalities in existing prostitution laws and regulations in various EU Member States.
  • Comparison between Member States
  • Members underlined the greater the asymmetry between national prostitution legislation within the EU, given that the prostitution markets and its actors operate across borders, the more victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation there are. Moreover, the report underlined that the difference between Member States’ regulations on prostitution create a fertile operating ground for organised crime groups and individuals. Member States are called on to introduce effective measures to reduce the demand for prostitution and therefore trafficking in human beings, sexual exploitation and the operating of organised criminal groups.
  • Lack of comparable data
  • Members regretted the lack of reliable, accurate data comparable across countries related to prostitution, sexual exploitation, violence in prostitution and the impact of exit programmes. They highlighted the urgent need to further improve and better coordinate cross-border cooperation in this area.
  • Different approaches
  • The report noted that in countries like Austria, Germany and the Netherlands, authorities have come to the conclusion that it would be most beneficial for the rights of people in prostitution to create a legal framework legalising all facets of prostitution , while other countries such as Sweden, France, Spain and Ireland have instead decided to protect the rights of women in prostitution by opting to decriminalise people in prostitution while criminalising buyers, by applying the ‘ Nordic/Equality model ’ approach.
  • Impact on women in prostitution
  • Members condemned the reality of coercion, manipulation, violence and exploitation in prostitution and pointed out that the lack of language skills of women and minors, as well as their vulnerabilities and precarious conditions, are exploited to make them enter and stay in prostitution.
  • Demand
  • Prostitution and trafficking for sexual exploitation exist because there is a demand for it. Demand reduction is a key instrument for the prevention and reduction of human trafficking. Therefore, Members believe that this should be developed further in the revision of the EU Anti-Trafficking Directive. Members also stressed the importance of discouraging demand in a way that does not harm or create negative repercussions for those in prostitution. The report noted that the decriminalisation of pimping and of the purchase of sex increases demand, empowers the demand side and normalises sex buying.
  • Cross-border impact
  • Members condemned the highly sexist, racist and marginalising nature of the system of prostitution, given that, on average, 70 % of the individuals in prostitution in the EU are migrant women, reflecting the social and economic differences in the EU and worldwide. Moreover, the majority of sex trafficking flows within the Union involve EU citizens and 53 % of the victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation within the Union have EU citizenship.
  • Role of the Member States
  • Member States should ensure that women in prostitution have equal access to justice, healthcare, housing, employment and public services and enjoy equal protection under the law. They should also take action in the areas of prevention, decriminalisation of people and especially women in prostitution, demand reduction, punishment of clients, destigmatisation and the elimination of stereotypes, and to ensure sufficiently financed, easily accessible, high-quality exit programmes and pathways out .
  • Member States are called on to ensure that it is punishable as a criminal offence to:
  • - solicit, accept or obtain a sexual act from a person in exchange for remuneration, the promise of remuneration, the provision of a benefit in kind or the promise of such a benefit;
  • - exploit the prostitution of another person even with the consent of that person.
forecasts/0
date
2023-09-13T00:00:00
title
Debate in plenary scheduled
forecasts/0
date
2023-09-11T00:00:00
title
Indicative plenary sitting date
forecasts/1
date
2023-09-14T00:00:00
title
Vote in plenary scheduled
docs/2
date
2023-08-30T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2023-0240_EN.html title: A9-0240/2023
type
Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
body
EP
events/2
date
2023-08-30T00:00:00
type
Committee report tabled for plenary
body
EP
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url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2023-0240_EN.html title: A9-0240/2023
events/2
date
2023-07-19T00:00:00
type
Committee report tabled for plenary
body
EP
events/2
date
2023-07-19T00:00:00
type
Committee report tabled for plenary
body
EP
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Awaiting committee decision
New
Awaiting Parliament's vote
events/1
date
2023-06-27T00:00:00
type
Vote in committee
body
EP
commission
  • body: EC dg: Justice and Consumers commissioner: DALLI Helena
forecasts/0/date
Old
2023-07-10T00:00:00
New
2023-09-11T00:00:00
forecasts/0/date
Old
2023-06-12T00:00:00
New
2023-07-10T00:00:00
docs/1/docs/0/url
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/FEMM-AM-742470_EN.html
docs/1
date
2023-02-09T00:00:00
docs
title: PE742.470
type
Amendments tabled in committee
body
EP
committees/0/shadows/1
name
MELCHIOR Karen
group
Renew Europe group
abbr
Renew
docs/0/docs/0/url
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/FEMM-PR-740605_EN.html
docs
  • date: 2023-01-10T00:00:00 docs: title: PE740.605 type: Committee draft report body: EP
forecasts
  • date: 2023-06-12T00:00:00 title: Indicative plenary sitting date
forecasts
  • date: 2023-06-12T00:00:00 title: Indicative plenary sitting date
forecasts
  • date: 2023-06-12T00:00:00 title: Indicative plenary sitting date
committees/0/shadows/1
name
VANA Monika
group
Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
abbr
Verts/ALE
committees/0/shadows
  • name: SCHNEIDER Christine group: Group of European People's Party abbr: EPP
  • name: DE LA PISA CARRIÓN Margarita group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group abbr: ECR
  • name: PEREIRA Sandra group: The Left group in the European Parliament - GUE/NGL abbr: GUE/NGL
committees/0/rapporteur
  • name: NOICHL Maria date: 2022-09-26T00:00:00 group: Group of Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats abbr: S&D
events
  • date: 2022-09-15T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament body: EP
procedure/dossier_of_the_committee
  • FEMM/9/09650
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Preparatory phase in Parliament
New
Awaiting committee decision