During her stay in Strasbourg, the minister also had time for a bilateral meeting with the Deputy Secretary General Maud de Boer-Buquicchio and a visit to the organisation Mouvement du Nid. This is a NGO that exists at several places in France as well as in other countries. They are working with prostitution from three perspectives: helping prostituted men and women in Strasbourg, public awareness raising, and different measures to prevent prostitution.

Etienne Burger and Isabelle Collot described the work of the organisation and their different challenges. They meant that the situation for the prostitutes in Strasbourg has gone worse since the clients have become more violent and demanding. An increasing number of prostitutes, today especially from Africa, are in a vulnerable and exposed situation which leads to that all prostitutes ends up in an even more inferior position. Mouvement du Nid welcomed the Swedish law that criminalise the buyers but not the sellers. They want to, like Sweden, fight all kinds of prostitution and makes no difference between voluntary and forced prostitution.

Sabuni was interested in the French debate concerning prostitution. Collot said that it was a low priority in France and that far from enough was being done. The debate of today mostly touched upon whether or not disabled persons should have the right to buy sexual services. Mouvement du Nid wants to obtain an acceptance that prostitution is a form of violence against women and to put pressure on the French government. They said that a country who stands up for human rights has to fight prostitution with powerful measures. Mouvement du Nid put a great value to the discussion with the minister and the work within the Council of Europe to protect human rights and the fight against violence against women.

To read more about the conference and the minister’s speeches, please visit the website of the Council of Europe.