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In a human trafficking case last April in Trondheim, a 42 year old man from Trondheim and a 26 year old man from Estonia were accused of trafficking girls from Estonia to Trondheim for the purpose of prostitution. Unfortunately they were only convicted of pimping. Parts of the verdict is appalling. In the verdict, prostitution was considered a normal job, the pimps were mentioned as «entrepreneurs» and the fact that a prostitute must hand over the payments to a pimp was compared to a busman's obligation to hand over the payments to his employer.
The verdict was appealed to the Frostating Court of Appeal, where the two defendants were convicted of human trafficking, being the first time anyone has been convicted of human trafficking in Norway. Subsequently, the verdict was appealed to the Supreme Court, which started its hearing yesterday. This is the first time the Norwegian Supreme Court is trying the application of the new section on human trafficking.
The prostitution industry is a vast and cynical industry, based on a disgusting view of women as an object to be sold for the satisfaction of men. Trafficking of women living under difficult conditions in poor countries, to satisfy the prostitution market in rich, western countries, like Norway, is a corner stone of this industry.
It is of great importance that the Supreme Court decides upon this to be human trafficking if we really want this industry abolished. The verdict of the Supreme Court will establish precedent for future human trafficking trials. Criminalization of purchasing sexual services is of equal importance. A demand for sexual services is vital for the existence of such an industry, thus the purchasers of sexual services are responsible (a chronicle in Norwegian I had on print in the local newspaper at the time of the first verdict) for the existence of the industry.
Sweden has a law that prohibits the purchase of sexual services, and with great results. Between 1999 (when the law came into force) and 2002, the number of prostitues in Sweden has gone down from around 2,500 to 1,500. In comparison The Pro Centre estimate the number of prostitutes in Norway to be between 2,500 and 3,000 (there are approximately twice as many inhabitants in Sweden than in Norway). While trafficking human beings to Sweden has become a far less attractive business since 1999, the case from Trondheim shows that Norway can take over this position if we're not willing to take the required action to prevent it.
