EU's sex work report: Key omissions

This week, Euractiv’s Beyond the Byline podcast looks into the hotly contested report on the regulation of sex work.

EU lawmakers adopted a report advocating the decriminalisation of people engaged in sex work, while suggesting the 'punishment' but not criminalisation of those who use their services.

The report, although lacking direct legislative impact, sparked controversy as it initially proposed the Nordic model, criminalising sex buyers, but later opted for a milder stance.

It also called for support and exit programmes for sex workers, highlighting a division among MEPs on the issue of whether buyers should be criminalised and if prostitution should be viewed as gender-based violence or a profession.

We talked with the rapporteur of the report, MEP Maria Noichl, and Euractiv’s journalist Silvia Ellena to better understand what the report is about.

We also talked with MEP Karen Melchior and Sabrina Sanchez, director of the European Sex Workers Alliance, to find out what was not considered during the report and how this report could affect sex workers and the regulation of prostitution.