Forbidden to buy sex – but what now?

"Of course they will. Of course this ban will not lead to the eradication of prostitution. Just the thought of it is ridiculous," says "Liv".

Steam ascends from a paper cup on the back-seat of the Church City Mission's mobile drop-in centre on Strandkaien - a worn-out Caravelle. "Liv" has just started the evening/night project - getting enough money for tomorrow's dose of heroin.

More move inside

"Only a fraction of the prostitution in Stavanger takes place here at the quay. There is also the internet, newspapers and the telephone. Here on the street, I think the ban will work for the first six months because the customers are afraid of being caught. This will make it even tougher for us girls than it has been the last few months. But things will change again," thinks "Liv".

Fewer on the streets

There are already fewer of them, these women who inadequately dressed, put up with all kinds of Stavanger weather in order to sell their bodies as a living. There were 30 per cent fewer during the first nine months of the year than at the same time last year, according to the Church City Mission's Albertine project. From January until September last year, the social workers met 62 different women and one transsexual on the streets in Stavanger. This year, the number has fallen to 51 women and one transsexual.

Altogether, Albertine were in contact with 131 persons last year who sold sex on the streets or from indoors in Stavanger. 93 of them were foreigners and 38 were Norwegian.

What now?

"I don't know," says «Benedicta» from Benin City in southern Nigeria. She therefore plans to stick with the little she has and stay here. She sees no alternative.

"I need the money to survive, and to provide for my family in Nigeria - my old mother, my four siblings, and my baby," says «Benedicta».

"How old is your baby?"

"Nine"

"When were you last in Nigeria?"

"Eight years ago."

She has a residence permit in Italy which needs to be renewed annually. They say they can't find work on the normal job market. It has been better for them on Stavanger quay than in Italy. But now they don't know what to do.

"I'm not on the internet or telephone. I just stand there. They come. They pick out a woman - different men every time. They don't come back," says «Benedicta».

Halt

Following the New Year, the street prostitution will come to a stand-still, predicts Asta Beate Håland of the women's group, Ottar.

She bases her prognosis on the experience of Sweden, which implemented a ban on the sale of sex in 1999.

"It will not be any easier for those women with no other alternatives following the ban. On the contrary," thinks researcher, Marianne Tveit of the charity, Fafo. Tveit is one of the authors behind the fresh report, "Diverse market: The extent, content and organization of prostitution".

Other places

There will be less street prostitution, she thinks. But what happens on the inside market depends on how active the police are in arresting customers. " If the police force do not use their resources, it will continue, because the market is there. If the police go after the websites, the women will probably find other arenas. Perhaps it will be night-spots, or maybe it will be more dependent on pimps," says Tveit.

30 are selling their bodies

The police in Oslo recently charged men behind a popular website for prostitution advertisements with pimp activity. On the two largest remaining electronic advertisement sites, there are 30 women who are selling their bodies in Stavanger or Haugesund this weekend. It's just a matter of ringing the given mobile phone number. Here we find Hungarian Roxy, a «dark, out-going beauty» with «private apartment» in Stavanger, Thailander, Arin, a «beautiful, young girl», British Eden with «luxury apartment», Czechian Ellen, Russian Elina, and blonde Estera with big breasts (E-cup).

Eastern European

The Church City Mission are the only ones, in addition to the police in Trondheim, who try to systematically gain an overview of the local indoor market, with the help of these advertisements, according to the Fafo-report. Last year, Albertine's social workers were in contact with 80 women by telephone. 38 of these later came to Albertine to get help with various things. But there is one group they seldom manage to make contact with - East European women.

"Either they don't answer the phone, or they hang up straight away," says Helge Årsvoll. He does not know whether this is because they are afraid to talk due to pimps, whether they do not understand the language, or whether they do not wish to spend time on such things.

The demand for a ban on the purchase of sex became serious when Nigerian women became a strong characteristic of the street picture on Karl Johan's street in Oslo. Many of these girls started their journey towards Oslo and Stavanger as the product of organized human trafficking, which is precisely what the sex-purchase ban is meant to fight.

But the ban does not solve the Nigerian womens' problems, maintains researcher, Marianne Tveit.

"No, we can't determine the global prostitution market," admits Asta Beate Håland."

"But we have the right to determine what kind of society we want here in Norway, and what kind of men we want here. I don't want my sons wandering around in a society where prostitution is the norm," she says.

The police

At Stavanger Police Station, Bengt Jacob Rode is glad that sex customers are now criminalized, and that he and his colleagues have got a new tool in their box. However, the leader of the Department of Order still does not know exactly how the police will deal with matters pertaining to the new legislation.

"So far, I can say that there will be reactions to the things that we come accross ourselves, and to tips from the public concerning the establishment of prostitution in apartments, for example. We also have a dialogue with Albertine and with the council, and will see how street prostitution develops," says Rode.

Above all, he hopes that the ban in itself will appeal to the law-abiding citizen when it comes to the purchase of sex, as does Asta Beat Håland.

"Most people want to be law-abiding. Just look at the consequences of the smoking legislation," she says.

Attitudes

The ban will mean that men think it beneath their dignity to buy sex, and will influence the whole view on sexuality, thinks Håland.

"Who will stop buying sex?"

"Those that think it is right and natural," says Asta Beate Håland.

Galleri Sult

Cold pre-Christmas rain drums on the roof of the Caravelle and and splashes into the already huge puddles in the pavement. "Liv" gets out her umbrella. She has to go out and earn money.

"What is necessary for you to stop prostitution?"

"In a dream-world - get rid of everything to do with narcotics from the face of the earth. Then I'll stop prostitution. I look down at the customers and hate this work."