this post was submitted on 20 May 2025
209 points (99.5% liked)

Europe

5953 readers
895 users here now

News and information from Europe 🇪🇺

(Current banner: La Mancha, Spain. Feel free to post submissions for banner images.)

Rules (2024-08-30)

  1. This is an English-language community. Comments should be in English. Posts can link to non-English news sources when providing a full-text translation in the post description. Automated translations are fine, as long as they don't overly distort the content.
  2. No links to misinformation or commercial advertising. When you post outdated/historic articles, add the year of publication to the post title. Infographics must include a source and a year of creation; if possible, also provide a link to the source.
  3. Be kind to each other, and argue in good faith. Don't post direct insults nor disrespectful and condescending comments. Don't troll nor incite hatred. Don't look for novel argumentation strategies at Wikipedia's List of fallacies.
  4. No bigotry, sexism, racism, antisemitism, islamophobia, dehumanization of minorities, or glorification of National Socialism. We follow German law; don't question the statehood of Israel.
  5. Be the signal, not the noise: Strive to post insightful comments. Add "/s" when you're being sarcastic (and don't use it to break rule no. 3).
  6. If you link to paywalled information, please provide also a link to a freely available archived version. Alternatively, try to find a different source.
  7. Light-hearted content, memes, and posts about your European everyday belong in !yurop@lemm.ee. (They're cool, you should subscribe there too!)
  8. Don't evade bans. If we notice ban evasion, that will result in a permanent ban for all the accounts we can associate with you.
  9. No posts linking to speculative reporting about ongoing events with unclear backgrounds. Please wait at least 12 hours. (E.g., do not post breathless reporting on an ongoing terror attack.)
  10. Always provide context with posts: Don't post uncontextualized images or videos, and don't start discussions without giving some context first.

(This list may get expanded as necessary.)

Posts that link to the following sources will be removed

Unless they're the only sources, please also avoid The Sun, Daily Mail, any "thinktank" type organization, and non-Lemmy social media. Don't link to Twitter directly, instead use xcancel.com. For Reddit, use old:reddit:com

(Lists may get expanded as necessary.)

Ban lengths, etc.

We will use some leeway to decide whether to remove a comment.

If need be, there are also bans: 3 days for lighter offenses, 7 or 14 days for bigger offenses, and permanent bans for people who don't show any willingness to participate productively. If we think the ban reason is obvious, we may not specifically write to you.

If you want to protest a removal or ban, feel free to write privately to the primary mod account @EuroMod@feddit.org

founded 11 months ago
MODERATORS
 

Sweden's parliament has passed a law banning the purchase of sexual performances for viewing online, including those on platforms like OnlyFans, marking a major update to the country’s sex purchase legislation.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Saleh@feddit.org -3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The Wikipedia article refers to the decades after legalisation of prostitution. The recent report from 2024 shows that Germany is still behind the EU standards. I don't know what you mean with "SWERFs". It is a simple matter of fact that in Germany legalisation of prostitution did not come with proper safeguards and helped enable human trafficking.

Also it remains clear that Germany is still lacking behind EU standards. While it is true that it takes time to implement new standards, the EU processes to establish them take years, so the German governments know about these standards since much longer. There is also no prohibition on implementing these before they become official EU standards.

And this brings us back to the problems with digital sex work. While countries can enforce protections against human trafficking in analog spaces, it is much more difficult in digital spaces. The "onlyfans model" in some other country could have traffickers standing outside the video with a gun pointed at them and there is hardly any way to find out. There is no access for street workers or investigators to talk with the people involved. They could be kept in some basement and never see the light of day and the consumers seem rather willfully ignorant to that possibility. As in the example with the "casting couch" trafficker ring, human trafficking is rather happily ignored by the consumers, who ultimately make themselves complicit in heinous crimes.

Sweden is doing the right thing here. It is impossible to regulate that "market" to prevent human trafficking. Thereby the only option is to shut that market down.

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I don’t know what you mean with “SWERFs

Sex-worker exclusionary radical feminist. TBH not knowing that acronym disqualifies you from discussing the issue.

The “onlyfans model” in some other country could have traffickers standing outside the video with a gun pointed at them and there is hardly any way to find out.

And that doesn't also apply to call centre employees, youtube hosts, news anchors, whatnot?

As in the example with the “casting couch” trafficker ring, human trafficking is rather happily ignored by the consumers,

Ignoring requires knowledge. Consumers are happily unaware of issues, sure, but so are you when it comes to who picked the coffee you're drinking.

I'm all for throwing the book at anyone who traffics people, for whatever reason, sex work included. And the only way to do that, that has actually data behind it and not just "sex work inherently bad" type of ideology, is regulation.

Sweden is doing the right thing here. I

Read this.

[–] Saleh@feddit.org -1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Sex-worker exclusionary radical feminist. TBH not knowing that acronym disqualifies you from discussing the issue.

Does this apply to people who are voluntarily or by force engaged in sex work too? This seems more like academic leftists gatekeeping.

And that doesn’t also apply to call centre employees, youtube hosts, news anchors, whatnot?

Who are at a much lower risk of human trafficking, have access to labor unions and workplace protections...

but so are you when it comes to who picked the coffee you’re drinking.

While not perfect, i buy fair trade coffee, which means at least some level of oversight. And picking coffee under exploitative circumstances is terrible, but a different level than being raped for the entertainment of millions of people, where the recordings remain even decades after, if the exploitation can be stopped.

And the only way to do that, that has actually data behind it and not just “sex work inherently bad” type of ideology, is regulation.

Which is much harder in the digital space and cannot be enforced realistically by Sweden. Even if they would create a certification process and do regular workspace inspections, these could only be enforced inside Sweden. And even that is limited by the trivial ease of using VPNs to claim a different location. So the only option is to prohibit that market.

Read this.

Earlier you criticized that i provided a source discussion the situation multiple years ago. Now you provide a source that is from the same time and does not address nor distinguish between analog and digital.

There is a fundamental difference between digital and analog. So the criticism needs to distinguish between these two. You gave the example of street workers yourself.

If you criticise the Swedish ban on buying digital sex work, how do you envision to protect digital sex work from human trafficking, provide access to social work and the like? What is the better alternative?

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee 5 points 2 days ago

have access to labor unions and workplace protections…

And Swedish sex workers don't. I rest my case.

Earlier you criticized that i provided a source discussion the situation multiple years ago. Now you provide a source that is from the same time and does not address nor distinguish between analog and digital.

It explains, in detail, how the Swedish model hurts sex workers. The Swedish model didn't change so it's still up to date.

It also goes into detail, and that is something you should really have a look at, how SWERFs systematically deny and undermine the agency of sex workers. For SWERFs it is not possible to choose, out of your own free will, to be a sex worker, so all are victims so all must be ignored if they're saying that sex work should be legal and regulated so they can have a safe working environment.

There is a fundamental difference between digital and analog. So the criticism needs to distinguish between these two. You gave the example of street workers yourself.

I wasn't talking about digital at all but reacted to the claim that Germany wouldn't give a fuck about human trafficking.

So... you're saying that Sweden should completely outlaw porn? At least the procurement of it? Because that'd be the equivalent of what they're doing in the analog space. Then the only people left producing porn would be criminal organisations and I don't think they care much about being kind to the workers.

Prohibition never works when there's demand. It just doesn't, never has, never will, not with alcohol, not with cannabis, not with porn, not with prostitution. Regulation does work.

And just for the record Sweden is just as prudish when it comes to alcohol and cannabis. All they know is abolitionism, and bringing up anything else is politically impossible.