Alternattiva Demokratika submitted recommendations to the Parliamentary Secretariat for Reforms on the public consultation on reform on human trafficking and prostitution. In their recommendations, AD stress the need for a reform dealing with prostitution to be based on the principle of harm reduction and that effective policy in these areas can only happen if people involved in prostitution are consulted. While the two reforms have some connections, it would have been better to address these in separate consultations. Additionally, AD points out other policy areas that should also be kept in mind when reforming policy on human trafficking, in particular migration and asylum policy, and for more research to be carried out locally.

AD spokesperson on EU Affairs Mina Tolu said “the reform on prostitution should be a social policy reform, where resources are allocated to holistic support services, including health and education, which resources should be accessible. When criminal legislation, based on the so-called “Nordic Model” which seeks to criminalise clients, are used to address prostitution, police resources are wasted on surveillance of prostitutes in order to catch clients, instead of being used to investigate and address actual crimes like violence, exploitation and trafficking.”

AD spokesperson on ssocial affairs Anna Azzopardi added “the public consultation has shown the need for a much wider conversation to happen in Malta about sex, consent, self-determination and agency. We would welcome these conversations to go beyond moralistic judgments, it is not ok to shame or stigmatise people for having consensual sex. It is also time to invest in comprehensive sexual education and invest more in the GU clinic and other sexual health services.”