NOMAS Opposes Amnesty International’s Policy on Decriminalization of Prostitution/Sex Trafficking

Press Release

August 18, 2015

On August 11, 2015, Amnesty International (AI) turned its back on Feminism by voting to adopt policy supporting decriminalizing prostitution (also known as sex trafficking).
However intended or motivated, the decision by Amnesty International is an act in support of male supremacy and privilege.

NOMAS, the National Organization for Men Against Sexism, opposes the legalization of prostitution and has taken an abolitionist stance against prostitution/sex trafficking since its founding more than 40 years ago.

Decriminalizing prostitution frees sex providers (pimps and brothels) and sex buyers (johns) from any restraint, thus enabling the explosive growth of sex trafficking and it does nothing to protect the prostituted or trafficked women from the violence, degradation and oppression of the trafficking industry. In countries where decriminalization has occurred sex trafficking has risen.

Amnesty’s legalization policy was approved by its Board despite strong opposition from many feminists and organizations. The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) released an open letter, signed by over 400 women’s rights groups including US-based and international groups, medical doctors, and survivors of the sex trade asking AI to reconsider this decision.
Amnesty International and any others who support total decriminalization [Feminist Majority Foundation recently re-posted a statement very supportive of AI’s position on its Facebook page] should be listening to the survivors of sex trafficking, many of whom have expressed their opposition to AI’s seeming collaboration with the prostitution/trafficking industry.

If Amnesty really wants to protect the human rights of women who are sex trafficked, then they should support the Nordic Model, which decriminalizes only the prostituted. To date, it is the only model which shown a reduction in sex trafficking.