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13 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 SEPTEMBER 2020 NEWS ply of prostitutes and wom- en trafficked to Malta. It says that, like Sweden when it criminalised the purchase of sexual services, this would shrink the sex industry and reduce human trafficking. "Less demand, less supply," Laiviera said. The Malta Women's Lob- by, with whom Laiviera was once an activist prior to her ap- pointment, also took aim at the technical committee's apparent lack of experts and profession- als working along prostituted and trafficked individuals. Dr Marie Therese Cuschieri said any decriminalisation of prostitu- tion would send out a clear mes- sage that women and girls are viewed as commodities. "If legalisation of prostitution occurs, the government would be giving the green light to those who abuse, exploit, and control pros- tituted individuals. The idea that 'consent' exists amongst adult individuals is false, as it is well known that individuals caught in prostitution are generally forced or trapped by this horrendous ex- ploitative industry." Malta's anti-trafficking problem It is Malta's own issues with rule- of-law matters and criminal prose- cution that is troubling many of the NGOs and experts who have come out in force against premature plans to decriminalise prostitution. By decriminalising sex work and the buyer, there is no guarantee that this legitimised space of prostitution can extricate women who already lack agency, from their dependence on a pimp. Or in the case of trafficked women, from a transnational criminal gang with influence both in Malta and in her country of origin, where threats to her family might take place. "Prostitution and sex trafficking operate in parallel, and as such they should never be separated, but tack- led collectively. Unless appropriate laws are in place, Malta risks in be- coming a hub for sex tourism and trafficking," Cuschieri said. The Malta Women's Lobby fears that when prostitution is turned into a job, a legal front is opened for the men who control the prostitutes. An analogy – even though it does not deal with humans turned into commod- ities – can be found in Malta's gaming industry. It is one of the most highly-regu- lated industries attracting big names of quali- ty employers, but it has proven to be permea- "Persons who are involved in prostitution need to have a voice, and a platform to inform the lawmakers what they are experiencing, and what they really need" ble to interests from the Sicilian mafia, the 'Ndrangheta and the Camorra. It takes time for the law to catch up with the work of organised criminality inside these industries, but until then, the proceeds of criminal activi- ties are used to set up companies and finance remote gambling operations. The normalisation of gambling itself allows a legal outlet for criminals to channel funds. And some companies can employ corporate social respon- sibility initiatives to further ob- fuscate a murky image. It is arguable that the crimi- nalisation of gambling does not stop the existence of illegal gambling. Indeed it furthers it. But with women stuck in a cycle of dependence and vio- lence, the sanitisation of sex work could nor- malise prostitution without an equal effort to fight trafficking or slavery. "Such a term assists in groom- ing cultural norms of prostitu- tion, as it is not only sanitising the sex industry, but also pro- moting it," Cuschieri said ear- lier in the week. "Within the 'safe sex' narrative… rape, child prostitution, sex trafficking, post-traumatic stress, and even murder, are rendered invisible to a society which is taught to turn a blind eye to the realities which are experienced by those (adults and children alike) who are caught up in prostitution." A case in point are prostitutes who also support drug habits. A study conducted 10 years ago by the psychologist Ma- riella Balzan Dimech and her colleagues, had described the dangers, difficulties and abuse drug addicts endure in prosti- tution. "In order to keep their habits, and in order to appease their dealers, who are often al- so the pimps, they prostitute themselves. As another stud- ies, it shows that within this environment there is a greater risk of violence, abuse, low so- cio-economic status, lack of ed- ucation and lack of skills to be a healthy part of society. And this is just one cluster of persons in prostitution." A Sherpa for women The dangers of ushering in such prostitutes into a world of legality was further amplified by the anti-trafficking coalition of NGOs, who fear the dark side of tourism it would generate as normalised demand fuels sup- ply. A new raft of questions come into focus: Does prostitution get zoned in red-light or enter- tainment districts alone or is it allowed to thrive in residential neighbourhoods? Can it take place outside a permitted es- tablishment? How will the State tackle the people who control prostitutes or take cuts of their income – pimps, property own- ers, and other criminal associ- ates seeking to get a foothold in this legal avenue? "Prostitution does not stand alone," Balzan Dimech says. "Whilst it is a positive move to legalise prostitution with the aim of creating a safe and sup- portive environment for persons working within this sphere, one must understand the persons who choose, are coerced or feel they have no option but to be- come prostitutes." Indeed there is a missing link between the government's de- sire to take prostitutes out of illegality: where are the women themselves who can shepherd prostitutes into a world of le- gality with the agency to take control of their own lives? Eas- ier said than done. State-funded unions such as the New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective (NZPC) are inexistent here to support sex workers' rights and educates prostitutes about minimizing the risks of the job. "You need to ensure realistic support," Balzan Dimech says. "Persons who are involved in prostitution need to have a voice, and a platform to inform the lawmakers what they are experiencing, and what they re- ally need. More often than not besides legalising prostituition, one needs to address the social, educational, mental and emo- tional needs of the prostitute and very often, their children. "If a person is suffering from an addiction, mental illness, poverty, and other serious so- cial and psychological issues he or she may not really be able to benefit from the support be- ing suggested. Just like abused persons within a household or workplace endure many years of abuse so will prostitutes not know how to leave their 'job' should they wish to do so." Sex in Cologne: The Pascha is a 12-storey brothel in Cologne, Germany. At 1,000 customers per day, it is the largest brothel in the world. But does legalisation offer sex workers a decent life extricated from the realities of violence and control by men?