The Swedish law prohibiting the purchase of sexual services went into effect in 1999 and has helped change the general view of prostitution. The law has become an important tool in the work against trafficking and has inspired other Nordic countries to change their approach. In 2009, Norway and Iceland passed similar laws, and in Denmark and Finland there is strong pressure to follow suit.

The network’s seminars at the Nordic Forum focused on the Nordic model and the resistance encountered in the work against the purchasing of sexual services. They also focused on the people who buy sex: Who are they? How do they justify their behaviour? How can attention be directed to the role of the buyer in prostitution? The seminar attracted a large crowd and the participants expressed that it gave them a good insight into why criminalisation of the purchase of sexual services is an important part of the work against prostitution.

The organisations that participated in the project gained increased knowledge about prostitution in the Nordic region and are continuing the work to spread the Nordic model together with organisations from across the Nordic region as well as Ireland and Germany.