Norway was the first country to implement these sorts of measures, and Kristoff believes it has been successful for the several reasons.
When a woman does not have the legal right to sell her own body, prostitution becomes incredibly dangerous.
If a woman is threatened or beaten by a customer, she cannot turn to the police nor can she take any preventative measures, since she is engaging in an illegal activity. To avoid being put in harm’s way, female prostitutes usually hire pimps to protect them because the law will not. Because of a prostitute’s dependence on her pimp, she is often subject to extremely violent behavior and harsh living conditions. By giving prostitutes the legal right to sell their own bodies and protection under the law, pimps are eliminated and therefore the risk of violence declines.
The Help Offered By NGOs
When it comes to finding solutions to human trafficking, NGOs often focus their help on countries with undeveloped economies. It is here that many of the poorest women sell their bodies because it is the only way for them to participate in the economy. Education is a way to move young women out of harm’s way by giving them more opportunities and skills. In a country as advanced as the United States, women who turn to prostitution usually do so because they are forced against their will. Education has played a big role in stopping the problem. Many experts believe that the United States needs to assume greater global responsibility by modeling and demanding more proactive measures against prostitution in very poor countries.
The American government often holds the view that human trafficking is a problem that impacts the “other side of the world.” And yet, the lives of many American girls are impacted by traffickers. Additionally, our international standing and moral authority are negatively affected.
Girls from around the world are trafficked into the United States.
Instead of accepting part of the blame for the problem and working towards solutions, American officials frequently hide and ignore the issue. Such a visionless attitude only harms the girls involved.
The Norway Solution
Amnesty International
Kristof’s expert opinion offers one of many solutions for human trafficking that have been both theorized and implemented. Amnesty International, an organization devoted to preserving human life and the betterment of humankind, agrees with him and has found that Norway’s approach is the best way to protect victims of human trafficking. Not only does Amnesty International want to decriminalize the workers, but they also want strong legal protections to be added to existing laws in order to protect the well-being of those trafficked.
The organization decided to take a long awaited stance on this issue because it wanted a solution that addressed both underage prostitution and rampant sexual inequality.
This inequality is mainly derived from inherent discrimination in legal systems against female sex workers. Instead of prosecuting large, powerful male-led organizations, women take the blame for crime involving both sexes. In advocating Norway’s plan, Amnesty International acknowledges that prostitution will not drop off the face of the planet, but with new legislation a point will be reached where prostitution can be regulated and controlled.
Nicholas Kristof, author of Half the Sky, and one of the leading experts on sex trafficking has proposed that the United States adopt Norway’s approach to fighting human trafficking. The central point of this prototype takes the blame away from those being trafficked and instead places it on the traffickers. A second point of importance is that Norway’s plan does not promote full legalization of the sex trade, but instead semi-legalization. It decriminalizes the act of prostitution while shifting the legal burden to the traffickers and their clients. It is they who become the subjects of legal scrutiny and prosecution. By raising the judicial cost for sex work, traffickers are discouraged from entering the market, leaving women to govern their own work. A further intention of the Norwegian plan is to lower the risk of abuse for women in need of money choosing sex work as an occupation. Kristoff sees implementation of these changes as essential to solving the global human trafficking problem.
