The Nordic Model approach to sex work , [ 1 ] also marketed as the end demand , [ 2 ] equality model , [ 3 ] neo-abolitionism , [ 4 ] Nordic and Swedish model , [ 5 ] is an approach to sex work that criminalises clients, third parties and many of the ways sex workers operate.
The model was first instituted in Sweden in and then into effect in Norway in as part of the Sex Buyer Law. Organizations for the rights of sex workers , such as the Global Network of Sex Work Projects , as well as global human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International , do not support the Nordic model, and have called for the decriminalization of sex work.
Its purpose was to evaluate how the law had affected the sex industry since its implementation in until The report stated that street prostitution had been reduced by half; it reported that in Copenhagen , Oslo , and Stockholm , street prostitution was at similar levels in , but it was three times higher in Copenhagen and Oslo than in Stockholm in The Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality of the European Parliament stated in that "Sweden's prostituted population is one-tenth of neighbouring Denmark's where sex purchase is legal and has a smaller population.
The law has also changed public opinion. Moreover, the Swedish police confirm that the Nordic model has had a deterrent effect on trafficking for sexual exploitation. A report by the Swedish government stated that street prostitution had halved in the previous 10 years but that escort advertisements had increased from to 6,; however, the report also stated that an increase in advertisements did not necessarily mean that the number of escorts had increased. Neo-abolitionist laws have been debated in Norway since During that time, the Norwegian government conducted several evaluations of the prostitution laws in the Netherlands and Sweden.
The prostitution laws in both countries were seen as faulty. The practical effects of the law are in dispute. A report conducted by the Norwegian authorities five years after the law came into effect found that the model had a dampening effect on prostitution and reduced sex trafficking; [ 38 ] however, other academics say that there are too many uncertainties in the data to claim success. Although the figure dropped in , the number of victims was still higher than in The number of victims again increased in Surveys of prostitutes suggest that customer attitudes and behavior changed after the law was introduced.
