Many anti-trafficking organisations and first responder organisations within the European National Referral Mechanism system try to avoid taking a stance on sex work. This is not a new phenomenon. When I first engaged with anti-trafficking organisations’ views on sex work in 2014, I encountered clear positions but I also received a number of answers like these:
‘I think there are two sorts of views. There is an official view and there's a sort of widely held unofficial view. The official view is, we are a [faith-based organisation], so our thoughts on prostitution are aligned with the teachings of [the Church]: ... it's sinful for both parties, but special consideration and sympathy must be given to the person who is selling the service. ... The unofficial position, which most people in our organisation hold, is … about ‘is anyone suffering?’. (A UK-based charity)
‘As a Christian organisation our view is based on faith. We do believe that sex is created for couples to express a loving relationship. … [Yet] we work around the world with women who are working in prostitution, in the sex industry, and we would be very careful not to be judgmental and careful not to treat people in a way that might make people feel inferior or judged.’ (A UK-based charity)
‘We have very heterogenous member organisations, due to their history or their political positions, so we integrate and represent very different organisations. But generally speaking we would view ourselves as ‘in the middle’ [with regard to views on sex work].’ (A Germany-based umbrella organisation)
This last interviewee went on to explain that, in practice, members of the organisation were pragmatic: they were focused on helping victims of trafficking rather than those voluntarily engaged in sex work, so their views did not matter for their work. They were ultimately staying out of the debate.
Not much has changed in the years which have passed. There continue to be many organisations who seem unsure of where they stand, or try to stand everywhere at once, or simply do their best to avoid the conversation. This tends to be justified in pragmatic terms: by occupying the middle ground they avoid both the puritanical zealotry that is sometimes associated with opposition to sex work and the controversy that would certainly come with endorsing decriminalisation. Moreover, it also comes with the advantage of insulating anti-trafficking organisations from potential changes in government policy. If the laws governing commercial sex change, it is less likely to damage your relationship with government if you don’t have a clear position.
