This aim of this thesis is to investigate the impact of national prostitution legislation as well
as national policy and law enforcement efforts on the prevalence of the transnational issue
of trafficking for sexual exploitation. Sweden, Germany and Denmark have been selected for
a comparative case study based on their similarity including geographical proximity and
commitment to combating trafficking and their difference in prostitution legislation with
Sweden criminalizing the purchase of sex, Germany legalizing and regulating prostitution
and Denmark applying decriminalization. The legislations on prostitution are linked to
opposing feminist theories on prostitution and sex trafficking, radical and liberal, and the
assumptions of these theories regarding the impact on the prevalence of sex trafficking are
tested. The findings support the assumptions of radical feminist theory which claims that
criminalization of the purchase of sex leads to a decreased prostitution and sex trafficking
market whereas legalization or decriminalization increases the occurrence of both. The
results show that law enforcement efforts also have an impact but that this effect is not as
significant. The case studies also provide valuable insights about the strengths and
weaknesses of different law enforcement measures which can further assist in combating
this issue.
2015.
sex trafficking, prostitution legislation/legalization/decriminalization, radical feminism, liberal feminism