The Swedish government wants to make paying for sexual services online a criminal offense. The law could have global implications for online services and put creators at risk, warns Yigit Aydin. He fights for the rights of sex workers on behalf of the association ESWA.
  • null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    14·
    8 months ago

    The article does cover this, but I still don’t really understand the purported benefit of discouraging sex work. Is it just a moral thing?

    • no banana@lemmy.worldEnglish
      92·
      8 months ago

      I added some more context, but the sex work itself isn’t discouraged by the law (though it certainly isn’t encouraged either - there are certain caveats to the situation). Buying sex is. And that’s what they want this law to do as well.

      Do bear in mind that I’m not commenting on whether or not this is the correct way to construct the laws around sex work. I am, rather, conveying what the essence of intent is in the current legal framework.

      • null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        11·
        8 months ago

        I get it. I understand that that the buyer is the criminal and that the provider is not. The article explains that.

        What it doesn’t explain is why there can’t be a regulated market for digital adult services.

        • no banana@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          8 months ago

          Sure. That’s a valid question.

          Since I’m trying to be pretty neutral, I can only say that such a thing wouldn’t be in the spirit of current legal thinking on the subject.

          If I allow myself to deviate a little, I do see the problem. It does restric a sex workers’ ability to sell their service(s) and that is of course a problem for them. I’m personally leaning more towards a well regulated legal market, but I also understand that such a market is difficult to control and I am sympathetic to understand the legal thinking that lead to this current framework because of that.

          There are things, other than blanket legalization of buying sexual services, that could be done to help increase the status of sex work which probably should be done in my opinion. Like making it easy for the sex worker, who isn’t doing anything illegal, to file for taxes and get the benefits of others who run their own business. I don’t think those issues exist to intentionally make things difficult. I think they exist because of negligence. They could be fixed, but the thinking seems to be that it is not important.

          edit: clarified the intention of a sentence.