The way the country deals with prostitution is untenable and the government is studying legal models in other countries to propose changes, Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli told Times of Malta.
Labour deputy leader Toni Abela last week asked if the country should consider regulating brothels and the 'oldest profession'.
“The government is looking at different models in other countries, assessing their successes and shortcomings. Our main concern is the wellbeing of the persons involved in the sex industry, ensuring their safety and that they are not exploited by pimps or clients alike,” the minister said.
She noted long-standing differences in the approaches to prostitution. “On the one hand, there is the ‘Swedish model’ where selling sex is not a criminal act while purchasing sex is. The aim of this model is to protect vulnerable women and make the purchasing of sex a form of violence.
“Others have taken a diametrically opposed approach by decriminalising sex work to ensure access to safe working conditions and healthcare for sex workers.”
Nationalist Party spokeswoman Claudette Buttigieg said she was all for protecting vulnerable women and controlling infectious diseases but felt that the debate should make a clear distinction between regularising and legalising the sex trade.
Other countries followed these roads before and, therefore, Malta should consult thoroughly and study what happened elsewhere to see if these model cases fit the island’s scenario, she added.
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