The Human Cost of 'Crushing' the Market

Source
Amnesty International
Year
2016

Amnesty International has published their research The Human Cost of 'Crushing the Market: Criminalization of Sex Work in Norway to accompany their Policy on State Obligatoins to Respect, Protect, and Fulfil the Human Rights of Sex Workers. Their research demonstrates that human rights abuses against sex workers in Norway are directly related to the criminalisation of clients and third parties in Norway. Amnesty International also found tha sex workers themselves were penalised and criminalised under the "Nordic Model". The resaerch is the result of three weeks of interviews with 54 sex workers in Norway as well as desk research. 

Contents include:

  • Executive summary;
  • Methodology;
  • Human rights and commercial sex in Norway;
  • How Norway hardened its approach towards commercial sex;
  • 'Crushing' the market: police enforcement of sex work laws and the penalization of sex workers;
  • Violence against sex workers;
  • The impact of laws and policing on how sex workers operate;
  • The tensions between anti-sex work, anti-trafficking and anti-immigrations enforcement; 
  • Stigma and discrimination against sex workers;
  • Recommendations. 

This resource is useful for all sex workers, sex workers' rights advocates, and allies interested in debunking the myths about how the "Nordic Model" supposdely helps sex workers.

You can download this 101 page PDF above. This resource in available in English. The executive summary is available here