Israel’s parliament on Monday unanimously passed legislation
which bans paying for sex, making it the tenth nation in the world
to use this route to crack down on prostitution and provide further
protections for sex workers.
Israel has already criminalized sex trafficking, brothels, and
pimping — though prostitution itself remains legal.
The legislation passed Monday will penalize the purchase of sex
with a NIS 2,000 ($534), which doubles for a second offense.
Repeated violations could carry fines of up to NIS 75,300 ($20,000)
and criminal prosecution.
Referred to as the “Nordic Model,” the law reflects an
international push to institute legal punishments to combat sex
trafficking and the violations of sex worker rights.According to
Israel’s Welfare Ministry, about 14,000 people are sex workers in
Israel, including approximately 3,000 minors.
In Israel, a sex worker’s average lifespan is 46, compared to a
national average of 82.The “Nordic Model” emerged in Sweden in 1999
with the Sex Purchase Act. Norway, Canada, France, Iceland,
Northern Ireland and several states in the US have since passed
similar legislation.
International groups involved in the fight for sex worker rights
support the model as a proven means of reducing the demand for
prostitution, effectively reducing the number of people in sex work
as well as human trafficking practices.