The Prostitution Reform Technical Committee is in the initial stages of drafting a legal framework that aims to decriminalise sex work, Parliamentary Secretary for Equality and Reforms, Rosianne Cutajar, has told this newsroom.
The reform itself has brought on a number of heated debates, one side pushing for full legislation and regulation (the German model), while the other side calling for the decriminalisation of prostitutes and the criminalisation of those who buy sex (the Nordic model).
The framework aims to; “Decriminalise sex work; ensure the safety and well-being of sex workers by protecting them from coercion, exploitation and other violence; Safeguard the human rights of sex workers and protect them from exploitation; Promote the welfare, health and safety of sex workers; while providing a framework that is conducive to public health, which includes the promotion and adoption of safer sex practices by sex workers and their clients.”
When asked whether brothels or pimping will be legalised, the government has no intention to legalise brothels and pimping will still remain illegal and laws will be harshened in this regard.
When asked whether the buyer would be criminalised, it was explained that sex work is a “transaction between adults (sex worker and the client)”. The sex worker being either female, male, gender non-conforming, cisgender or transgender, will receive money in exchange for sexual services, either regularly or occasionally. “Criminalising one aspect of that transaction will not decriminalise sex work.”