Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1517916
15 Unity SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2024 MEP Maria Noichl and got approved so that's a very big win for us. What needs to be done? It's a tough question to answer but an important one. I think for starters we need to just keep on fighting for the introduction of the Nordic Model in as many countries as possible and hopefully it gets accepted in the en- tire EU. We've had countries, after Sweden, adopting, following us and which have enacted even better laws, for example like France. I also think the Noichl report will help further. So, we just need to keep on working and pushing hard. Can you tell me more about the dis- tinction between prostitution and 'sex work'? For starters, I understand why wom- en or others involved in prostitution want to look at it as it as 'my body' and that 'it is my choice'. But overall, you're still stuck in this very patriar- chal system. For example, if you look at the Only Fans website, the ones making the most money out of it are the owners – the founders of the plat- form, which are the men – whilst the people involved in it, by comparison, get almost nothing for it. So, you are still stuck in their hands basically. I just wish that everyone could see the bigger picture that there are men hovering above, making most of the money out of it, and they are treat- ing 'your' body as property or as an object. Saga, what is wrong with men? Why do they behave in this way? I have been thinking about this so many times and also because I often come across men who are capable of empathy, love and warmth. When some women say that men are ani- mals I do not believe that, because I want to believe that you aren't! I be- lieve that we need to fight this prob- lem together. But then we have to realise that statistics show that 98. 99 per cent of all the perpetrators are men. I think it is a mix of power, a history of men always being in power and always treating women like this, and it goes on and on, over a number of generations. But we can stop it. I just think we have to work together more, men and women, against this problem. You are working in places where there are wars and conflicts because it is known that over there, abuse happens more systematically… I am not involved directly but we are in contact with organisations that are on the ground working with these women. For example, when the war in Ukraine broke out, we were in contact with some people who were on the borders trying to detect hu- man trafficking. It's a huge tragedy and problem, and I am very worried that with all the conflicts around the world that are going on, that it will increase human trafficking. Are there particular reasons why it is easier for people, especially women and girls, to end up in such situations in, for example, certain regions in the world, where there is poverty or a cul- ture where people end up in prostitu- tion? Yes there are plenty. We call it 'risk factors', because for instance here in Sweden or countries that have it bet- ter financially, the biggest risk factors are sexual assault in childhood and. being brought up in abusive homes, or being groomed online. When we talk about migrants coming to Swe- den, the majority of people in prosti- tution here in Stockholm, are actually migrants. So yes, certain social con- ditions make it riskier. How come these women are unable to escape? Most often it is the result of fake promises from the traffickers. They promise easy money and food and they mostly offer work so that you can pay off all your debts and can send money back home to your fami- ly. For example, most of the migrants here in Sweden are from Romania, Bulgaria, Nigeria – countries that are very poor – and other countries like Ukraine which have an ongoing war. So, they are very exposed to being trafficked because they feel they have no other choice. Is there hope for these people? Yes. You just need to get the right help and you need to get it right. You need to be in an environment where people really help you out with the traumas and all that you've been through. Because if you are given the support and you treat the traumas that you've been through it is very possible to live a happier life after. Interview first broadcasted on RTK 103 and newsbook.com.mt The 'Nordic Model' is about criminalising sex buyers and decriminalising the people in prostitution, which means that the government is stating: 'you were not in it by free choice, so you are not a so called sex- worker'. It is men's violence against women and it's a structural problem