Regularisation is not the way forward, the Nordic model is

“We like the Nordic model, she said. This would mean the decriminalisation of the person who is a prostitute, the criminalisation of the people abusing prostitutes, the prostitute is helped out and children are taught at school that prostitution and using women is criminal. In Malta, loitering is illegal, and men who use prostitutes are accepted. The regularisation of prostitution would only result in men being able to live off the women and to get the taxes from their abuse.”

“Regularisation would mean talking about sexwork. One of the things they tell us abroad is that speaking about it as ‘sex-work’ regularises the whole thing. If we refer to the abuse and exploitation of women and call it ‘work’, then we think its fine, but they are still doing the same thing. These are women who have ended up in prostitution.”

Asked whether regularisation would further protect the women, she said it wouldn’t. “These women tell you they want to get free of their drug addiction, but the first thing they want to stop doing is prostituting themselves. They are happy to tell you they are drug addicts, but they are weary of saying they are prostitutes. They will be in a state of continuous denial.”

Vella said that Finland and Norway decided to regularise prostitution instead of going for the Nordic model, and created places where prostitutes have free access to medical care, etc. “Trafficking exploded upwards. You are only encouraging men to get more women, as there it is ok. Trafficking is a problem in Amsterdam and Berlin. In France, the amount of trafficking fell after they decided to use the Nordic model.”

At the end of the day, the situation in Malta results in prostitutes being abused and sent to prison for loitering, she said, and thus the system as it is does have to change, but it should not be regularised. She believes that if the people who use prostitutes, are punished, they would think twice. The kind of clients who use prostitutes, she said – quoting a Swedish study – are mainly middle-class married men.

Sex tourism

Regularisation will bring about sex tourism, she said. “There would be no option, as we will be a haven. This is one of the problems with Berlin and Amsterdam. It will be just like how we think of Amsterdam: people think Holland is one big red-light district, which the Dutch get quite angry about.

What is the Nordic Model?

It is something that would bring in a certain type of tourist that spends money. We will have filth and we will bring in filth. If they come from Europe, we would have to give them free treatment as well – just like we give it to the Maltese.”

Regularising abuse

In Malta, women are still behind, she said citing politics and management positions as examples. “Imagine what we will say by giving these women a nice bed in which to be abused. We would be regularising abuse.”

Asked about people who go into prostitution because they would want to, she said that she knew a person who started out like that, but today sings a different tune.

Vella explained that prostitutes never kiss and, in fact, they feel violated if they are kissed. For them, kissing is equated with love. Some of the things prostitutes are asked to do – being used as urinals, being covered in food… things you wouldn’t even imagine.

“What worries me is that some of these women have no idea what love is.”