What’s the Equality Model?
The Equality Model addresses structures of violence, incorporates transformative justice, and breaks cycles of oppression.
The Equality Model is a comprehensive approach to abolishing the sex trade by repealing laws that criminalize people in prostitution, providing exit programs for Survivors, and reducing the demand for prostitution by penalizing and holding accountable buyers, exploiters, and traffickers.
The Equality Model, also referred to as the Nordic Model or partial decriminalization, was developed in Sweden in 1999 by listening to Survivors of the sex trade and has been adopted by a host of countries that have prioritized human rights and gender justice including Ireland, Northern Ireland, Iceland, France, Israel, and Norway.
Decriminalize Prostituted People
The Equality Model repeals the crime of selling sex and laws designed to criminalize people being prostituted and vulnerable populations. This helps Survivors exit cycles of violence and access support and programming.
Decrease the Demand
By legalizing the selling of sex but upholding laws against buying, we can decrease the demand that exposes more people to harm and hold buyers, exploiters/traffickers, and brothel owners accountable.
Comprehensive Exit Programming
This will open “off-ramps” like investing in Survivor-led exit programming that helps prostituted people exit ‘the life’, access to programming for Substance Use Disorder, transitional housing, access to education, training programs, and job opportunities for vulnerable populations.
LIFT is part of a Survivor-led coalition working to implement the Equality Model in Massachusetts. In addition to legislative action, we also work to provide community education in understanding that the sex trade is inherently violent, racist, sexist, and exploitive. Learn more about the EMMA Coalition, here.