Response to interpellation 2024/25:708 on action plan against human trafficking and prostitution
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
1 L considers prostitution and human trafficking to be a priority issue where people are cynically exploited 1. 2 L welcomes the debate on the demand for sexual exploitation and argues that resources for the police and the justice system are central to increasing the number of convictions 2. 3 L argues that the government's direction with increased resources and stricter penalties yields results and that one must chase the money in organized crime 3. 4 L emphasizes that the action plan will be clear and trackable 4. 5 S argues that Sweden receives international criticism for poor results and that the government is lax 5. 6 S wants the purchase of services to be called the purchase of abuse 6. 7 S considers that the government is failing by not having answered when an action plan will be developed 7. 8 SD argues that human trafficking is our time's modern slavery 8. 8 SD considers that the government delivers action through an action program, stricter penalties, and increased appropriations to the police 8.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)
Mr. Speaker! Sofia Amloh has asked me when I intend to present the action plan against human trafficking and prostitution and what I intend for it to contain.
I want to start by thanking Sofia Amloh for raising an important and pressing issue. Through prostitution and human trafficking for sexual and other purposes, people are exploited in a cynical and ruthless way. Often, it concerns individuals who are already in a vulnerable situation. Preventing and combating prostitution and human trafficking is a priority for the government.
The government added 10 million kronor for support for those vulnerable to prostitution through the budget bill for 2025. The funds have been used to finance new assignments which, among other things, are based on proposals in the report Out of Vulnerability (SOU 2023:97).
The Government decided on 5 June 2025 on a mandate to the Children's Ombudsman and the Agency for Family Law and Parenting Support regarding developed parenting support and contact paths for children who have been subjected to violence in partner relationships, sexual violence, or sexual exploitation (A2025/00608).
On 12 June 2025, the government tasked Jämställdhetsmyndigheten, Socialstyrelsen, the county administrative boards, and Statens beredning för medicinsk och social utvärdering to prepare for regional and national support so that municipalities and regions can offer exit programs for persons who have been subjected to human trafficking for sexual purposes, prostitution, or abuse during the production or distribution of pornography, as well as programs for children who have been subjected to human trafficking for sexual purposes or other forms of sexual exploitation (A2025/00637).
Work is currently underway within the Government Offices to develop a new national action plan against prostitution and human trafficking. The purpose is to consolidate efforts in the work to prevent and combat exploitation in prostitution and human trafficking for all purposes, as well as to strengthen the protection for vulnerable persons.
As part of the work, a round-table discussion was held on June 4 this year to gather civil society's views and proposals in the area. The action plan will also be based on proposals and recommendations submitted by national and international actors and authorities in the area. It will have a clear timeframe and contain proposals for follow-up.
What will be included in the action plan, I cannot comment on beyond that until a decision on a new action plan has been made.
Sofia Amloh (S)
Mr. Speaker! Sweden has repeatedly received international criticism for poor results in the fight against human trafficking. During 2022, 2023, and 2024, around 600 cases of human trafficking were reported in Sweden, but none of the reports led to a conviction. This is about the fact that it is possible to conduct organized human trafficking in Sweden without risking anything. Rather, there are quite large profits to be made for those who commit this type of criminal act.
There are uncertainties in the courts regarding the interpretation of laws. That lies at the core of this. We can work on all the things that the Minister for Equality set out in her response, and we can discuss those further, but the elephant in the room is still that it is possible to conduct this activity in Sweden without risking anything. One is not convicted when one has committed such criminal acts.
We can discuss exit programs and agency cooperation, have round-table discussions with civil society and develop an action plan – that is good. But if one can still commit this type of very serious crime in Sweden without being convicted, it becomes somewhat futile, I must assert. The Minister said that the government takes this very seriously and is developing an action plan. Action plans in all their glory, but one can commit this type of crime systematically and regularly. Many times, it also involves very extensive criminal activity.
Based on this, I need to ask why the government does not take the initiative to make changes to existing legislation. Deficiencies in the legislation have emerged in investigations, and even the Gender Equality Authority itself points this out. Why are there not more convictions? I wonder why the government has not taken more initiatives to change the legislation to deal with this. It is still a government that takes a hard line against crime on many levels. Here, one shows direct laxity, I would argue.
I still wonder when you intend to present the action plan. There is nothing wrong with producing an action plan. The Minister said that it is being prepared in the Government Offices, but it appears a bit aimless that she cannot say approximately when it will be ready. I do not believe that is how work is conducted in the Government Offices, but I believe that you have a plan for approximately when you intend to present the action plan. Approximately when can that happen?
Sara Gille (SD)
Mr. Speaker! When we speak of human trafficking and prostitution, we are speaking of our time's modern slavery. Women and children are sold, abused, and exploited by criminals who see people as commodities. It is a brutal cynicism that destroys lives, and it is a direct threat to our rule of law.
We know that Sweden is both a transit country and a market. Here, people are recruited, transported and exploited. This does not happen in secret but in the middle of our society. It is a betrayal of every crime victim but also of all honest citizens who expect safety.
Now the Social Democrats stand here and demand an action plan. It is the same Social Democrats who governed Sweden for eight years – eight years when they could have acted, eight years when they could have built up the police's capacity, eight years when they could have tightened the penalties. But instead, they chose to appoint an inquiry in 2022 and hand over the work to the next government. It is the Social Democrats' policy in a nutshell: many words and many inquiries but zero workshop.
Mr. Speaker! It was the Social Democrats' passivity that opened the doors for the gangs. With open borders, a police force without resources and a social service crying out for help, Sweden became an attractive market for criminal networks.
We see the difference now. The Government has already begun extensive work. A three-year action program for 2024–2026 with over 130 measures has been decided, where human trafficking and prostitution are explicitly included. In addition, work on a new national action plan for 2025–2027 is already underway. The plan has not yet been adopted, but during 2025, the Government has given authorities several assignments to prepare concrete measures.
Mr. Speaker! The Police Authority has received significantly increased appropriations to grow and build up specific expertise. The police shall have resources and specialists who drive the cases all the way to a conviction. Human traffickers and sex buyers shall face tangible punishments.
Punishments for serious sexual offenses have been tightened, and international cooperation through Europol and neighboring countries has been strengthened. Customs has also received increased powers and can now contribute to the fight against criminal networks.
At the same time, we are strengthening the support for the vulnerable. The Government has been tasked with creating exit programs for both children and adults who have become trapped in prostitution, and social services are receiving new tools to protect women and children from being drawn even deeper into exploitation.
This is crucial. It is not enough to strike against the perpetrators; we must also rescue and restore the victims.
Mr. Speaker! The Sweden Democrats intend to push on until Sweden is a country where perpetrators are met with harsh punishments, where crime victims are protected, and where the rule of law regains its grip.
While the Social Democrats are trying to rewrite history, we stand for what is important: real politics that protects the most vulnerable and stops the criminals. It is the difference between eight years of talk and a government that delivers action.
Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)
Mr. Speaker! I thank members Sofia Amloh and Sara Gille for interesting aspects and important contributions in these matters.
What enables this type of human rights violation is the demand that exists, linked to both sexual exploitation and other purposes. The work against this requires a lot, and here the legislative part, which Member Sofia Amloh was touching upon, can have a normalizing effect, which I believe is immensely important. As we also live our lives online, this demand has also been transferred to the internet, where pimping now occurs and offers of sexual acts are made. This is a comprehensive problem that we need to address more, and therefore I welcome the debate.
During 2024, 166 individuals were identified as victims of human trafficking for sexual purposes. However, we can assume that the dark figure is enormous. It likely concerns hundreds or even more, primarily women but also men, who are affected by human trafficking for sexual purposes, which is based on the demand that exists in the country and which we must address through various forms of normative measures.
Legislation is important and central in this, and this year an adjustment of the sex purchase legislation has been made so that it should become more technology-neutral and also criminalize the purchase of sexual acts online. This provides an immensely important signaling effect with a likely normative effect. Now that this activity has moved to the internet to such a large extent, the state clearly shows that it is completely unacceptable to buy another human being. A human being is not just any commodity.
When it comes to how the legislation looks and the challenges that exist, it is complex, and for a long time there has been a low number of convictions, just as Member Amloh pointed out. It is important that the police and prosecutors do what they can to investigate and proceed with cases to prosecution. The work of catching and identifying these crimes is also important if the prosecution is to be able to increase. Here, the resources for the police and the justice system are completely central, and the government has increased them.
We have also tasked the Swedish Police Authority and the Swedish Prosecution Authority to give special consideration to victims of human trafficking in their work and to improve methods to be able to take this further.
Sofia Amloh (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for Equality for the answer.
It is important to problematize the fact that there is a demand that enables this market, because if the demand did not exist, no one would enter this market. Fundamentally, it is therefore about money and about using people, many times children and women, who are already incredibly vulnerable, in the absolute worst way and systematically exposing them even further. I do not think we should speak here about the purchase of services, but about the purchase of abuse. I believe it is important to use these words more to describe what this de facto is.
Mr. Speaker! There are major deficiencies, and the Swedish National Audit Office has now taken the initiative to audit the issue of human trafficking for sexual purposes. I believe it is necessary to see what initiatives need to be developed going forward.
What is already on the table is the low number of convictions. The police and other authorities do a lot of work, but there are over 600 cases that have not led to a conviction. These are extensive cases. Building these types of cases within the police requires a lot because these people are afraid and vulnerable, and the activity is conducted in the shadows. Building these cases therefore requires many resources, and the fact that it still ends up in no conviction is problematic. We need to deliberate on that.
I still want to hear the Minister for Equality answer the question: Why are no initiatives being taken here? It is clearly evident where the problem in the legislation lies today when it comes to why there are no convictions.
It is good to allocate funds to the justice system in this area, but if the legislation is poorly designed, it doesn't matter. Why don't we review the legislation so that we can get more convictions, so that it is not profitable to commit these heinous crimes and so that one is punished for it? There my question remains: Why has the government not taken that type of initiative?
I want to remind that we still have not received any kind of time horizon for the action plan. I think that is important.
Taking into account what Member Sara Gille mentioned earlier, that we handed this over and placed it on the government's table, I want to say that we commissioned an investigation which we handed over. We Social Democrats would have gladly continued that work. The government has been very slow there, and it is a bit disappointing. But now we stand here, and there is some kind of initiative from the government. Then I want to know that it is not completely aimless. When can we expect something? That is a reasonable question.
Sara Gille (SD)
Mr. Speaker! It is almost like a theater to listen to you Social Democrats. You had eight years in power. We now see the result of the previous government's passivity. Human trafficking has been able to grow, international gangs have established themselves in Sweden, and women and children are being exploited in a way that should never be allowed in a rule of law. It is the result of your passivity.
Now we have a government that, together with the Sweden Democrats, is actually making a difference. We are cleaning up. We have started the work with a new national action plan that is to be sharp, not symbolic. We have tightened the penalties for serious crimes, given the customs increased powers and invested in more police officers with the right competence. These are real tools, not empty promises.
Mr. Speaker! Sweden shall not be a market for the criminals. No, the victims shall receive support, and the perpetrators shall be met with harsh punishments. The Social Democrats are welcome to continue their speeches about what they think should be done, but the truth is that it is this government that is actually doing something for once. We measure politics in results: more arrests, more convictions, and more people being rescued from exploitation.
Mr. Speaker! I would like to conclude my final speech by thanking the Minister for good cooperation.
Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)
Mr. Speaker! I thank members Amloh and Gille.
I want to begin by agreeing that it is problematic that we do not see more convictions – that is it without doubt. I am, however, convinced that the government's general direction, with increased resources to the police, prosecutors, and judicial authorities, will yield results. At the same time, an extensive reorganization and tightening of penalties is occurring within a number of different areas. In total, it has an important signaling effect, and it will also have an effect on this area. That I am convinced of.
We must not, however, lean back in these issues, which are exploited by very strong economic interests in the criminal environments. The issues also risk being exploited by foreign powers striving to divide Sweden and increase our vulnerabilities.
I largely share member Sofia Amloh's description of the problem that the economic opportunities for the criminal environment are an enormous driving force. We must address this by following and chasing the money in serious organized crime, just as the government has been involved in. This also has an effect here.
But it is not just about money. That is where I return to the fact that, fundamentally, I problematize what is linked to demand. We have a situation where there are ordinary people in Sweden who choose to commit abuse and purchase sexual acts from very vulnerable people. It is a shift in norms and a shift in values where we must push forward actively on an enormous number of levels. The legislative part is an important component, and there the government is acting in a number of areas.
I do not rule out that we may need to go further in these issues. What view we have on human dignity in this country is a central signal issue. We must never normalize that one chooses to purchase a sexual act from a vulnerable person in the way that occurs many times today.
An important signal issue is that we have adjusted the legislation by changing the wording from sexual service to sexual act. Just as MP Sofia Amloh pointed out, it is not just any service. It is a vast difference, and it is very vulnerable people who are affected. It is an activity that we must counteract with all our might and address in different ways.
Sofia Amloh (S)
Mr. Speaker! I appreciate this debate with the Minister for Equality. I believe we both have ambitions when it comes to more that needs to be done in this area. We see how it is for every individual who is incredibly vulnerable in the slavery that we have described here today. We need to do more.
When it comes to reaching the point where more is done, I feel that the government is failing. I believe we can be somewhat in agreement on this. We have not received an answer as to when an action plan will be developed. It has been said that it will be done, it has been said that it is necessary, and it has been said that it is being prepared.
Now that there is not much left of the parliamentary term and given that the government highlights the importance of these issues, I think it should be urgent for it to be able to account for approximately when the action plan will arrive. Is it a month away? Is it half a year away? Approximately when does one intend to present the action plan? I think this is a relevant question.
One is still considering reviewing initiatives for legislation. Even if we do not get convictions, we can continue to work with crime victims, but it is an important signal if one thinks that it should be completely free to conduct that type of activity in Sweden. Such crimes can be committed without having to serve time for them. I think this is an urgent matter. I would like to see stronger initiatives from the government to review the legislation, especially when the criticism of what is wrong with it is so clear.
Finally, it is about how the rule of law and society function. It may not be the most beautiful side, but it still needs to be reviewed.
Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)
Mr. Speaker! Many thanks to Member Sofia Amloh and Member Sara Gille for the opportunity to discuss these extremely pressing issues!
Regarding the action plan, it is a work in progress, and I will return to that issue. This government is extremely clear on the point of combating prostitution and human trafficking, and we have taken a number of measures linked to the crime victims to protect them and improve their position, but also measures with a normalizing effect in the form of more resources for the police and the judiciary which will lead to more convictions.
This is an activity that is horrible and that we must press on to address in many different ways. The action plan will be an important part of that work. It will be clear and trackable, and I will return regarding both the exact content and when in time it will be in place.
We are today in an incredibly difficult situation for equality issues as such. Equality is under attack, and the view on prostitution is a piece of that which it is extremely urgent to counteract. We must never reach a situation where we normalize the purchase of sexual acts. It is a despicable crime against a very vulnerable person, and the money goes straight into serious organized crime. It must be stopped. This government has taken a number of measures for that, and we intend to continue with that.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.