Doc. A2-44/86: Texts adopted by the European Parliament
Wednesday, June 11, 1986

Resolution on violence against women

Prostitution

54. Calls attention to the hypocrisy of those societies which condemn and penalize prostitutes, while their 'clients,' who are ultimately responsible for the prevalence of this phenomenon, have neither slur, nor stigma, nor prosecution to fear;

55. In view of the existence of prostitution, calls on the national authorities in the Member States to take the necessary steps:
    1. to decriminalize the exercise of this profession

    2. to guarantee prostitutes the rights enjoyed by other citizens,

    3. to protect the independence, health and safety of those exercising this profession,

    4. to reinforce measures which may be taken against those responsible for duress or violence to prostitutes, notably those forcing women to practise prostitution for their own financial gain,

    5. to support prostitutes' self-help groups and to require police and judicial authorities to provide better protection for prostitutes who wish to lodge complaints against pimps in order to reduce their fear of being threatened by them;

    Considers that Member States' policy with regard to prostitution should come within the framework of policy on emancipation and that when establishing policy on prostitution the women concerned should be involved in the deliberations;

56. Since the existence of prostitution represents a further form of exploitation of women, calls on the authorities in the Member States to take the necessary social and legal measures to:
    1. prevent prostitution of young women and facilitate the reintegration of prostitutes into the labour market and society;

    2. punish severely those who lure children and adolescents into prostitution;

57. Urges the authorities of the Member States to give support to organizations whose aim is to prevent women from taking up prostitution and to help those who have already taken it up to leave the profession;

58. Calls particular attention to the problem of drug-related prostitution among often very young girls, and calls for the setting-up of special aid programmes:
    1. to help them break their drug habit and

    2. to train them for other employment;

Child prostitution

59. Calls for a study to be carried out at the earliest date to take stock of this tragic phenomenon in each Member State;

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