Swedish model
noun · first attested 21st century
Sweden made buying sex a crime while leaving selling it legal, and the arrangement now travels under the country's name.
The policy of combating prostitution by criminalizing the purchase of sex rather than its sale.
Record
- Relationship
- From the people of the place
- Confidence
- Well attestedThe place link is the standard scholarly account.
- Attested
- 21st century
- Part of speech
- noun
Explanations here are written for this atlas. Dictionary text is not copied; the sources are linked so the claim can be checked.
- Step 1
Sweden
- In English
Swedish model
The Sex Purchase Act took effect in 1999, making Sweden the first country to punish only the buyer. Norway and Iceland followed, which is why the approach is also called the Nordic model, and France, Ireland, and Canada have since adopted versions of it. It remains contested, with sex worker organizations arguing that it pushes the trade into more dangerous conditions.