Persons involved in prostitution should not be viewed with prejudice or through the prism of fanciful moral superiority but should be protected from violence and exploitation and be enabled to equally exercise all the rights that belong to them by law, said the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Brankica Janković, at a round table dedicated to improving the legislative framework, practice, and behavior when it comes to women involved in prostitution. The round table entitled “Prevention of sexual exploitation and prostitution in Serbia” is part of the project of the same name, jointly implemented by the NGO Atina and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of France to the UN in Vienna.

Society must consciously make an effort to treat persons involved in prostitution as citizens who need help because prostitution is rarely a voluntary choice, but rather one of the cruelest forms of exploitation and discrimination, often connected with human trafficking and slavery, the Commissioner pointed out. Sexual exploitation, as the cruelest form of human rights violation, is directly related to the gender inequality of women, who are the most frequent victims. The Commissioner emphasized that the term “sex workers” is not only inadequate but also represents a form of social self-deception, which avoids facing the inhumane reality of sexual exploitation. The decriminalization of prostitution for people who engage in it could be one of the first steps because it would send a message that society understands their position and has the capacity to expand the scope of protection for these people, Janković stated and emphasized that a detailed analysis and amendment of Article 16 of the Law on Public Order and Peace is needed, as well as some articles of the Criminal Code.

The Commissioner recalled the fact that today a large part of sexual exploitation and prostitution takes place in the digital space, where private photos and videos that were taken or shared without the consent of the persons in them are often misused. Janković invited those present to join the Bodyright campaign implemented by the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality in cooperation with UNFPA Serbia, with the aim to improve the protection of private photos and recordings from Internet abuse, as well as the effective removal of such content.

The First Counselor at the Embassy of the Republic of France, Fatih Akcal, opened the meeting, and, besides Commissioner Janković, the Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, Tomislav Žigmanov, and the Director of the NGO Atina, Marijana Savić, also participated, as well as dozens of experts from Serbia and France, representatives of parliamentary parties, civil society, police, prosecution, and courts.