Why Europe Lacks the Courage to Regulate Sex Work

Introduction

Europe likes to talk about human rights, dignity, and individual freedom. It likes to present itself as a space of enlightenment, the welfare state, and progressive values. But when it comes to sex work, this same Europe suddenly shrinks. It becomes insecure, moralistic, frightened. Instead of courage, it chooses silence, instead of regulation, repression, or – what is worse – apparent neutrality, which in practice means shifting responsibility to the weakest.

Between Morality and Reality

Sex work exists in Europe. It always has and always will. Regardless of whether legislation recognizes, tolerates, or criminalizes it, the reality remains the same: demand exists, supply exists, money flow exists. What differs is the level of safety, transparency, and protection of the people participating in this work.

Europe knows this reality but is afraid to address it. Why? Because regulating sex work means publicly acknowledging that sexuality is part of society, the economy, and human exchange – and that it is not merely an intimate, private, or shameful category. Instead of treating regulation as a tool for safety and rights, Europe disguises it as a moral dilemma.

Criminalization as an Alibi

A large part of Europe hides behind models of partial or indirect criminalization. Officially, "abuse", "human trafficking", or "exploitation" are criminalized, but in practice, autonomous sex workers are caught in the same net. Police, inspections, and judicial systems become tools of control, not protection.

Criminalization is politically comfortable. It allows authorities to show determination outwardly while avoiding serious work: creating clear rules, social protections, labor standards, and safe digital and physical environments. Criminalization acts as an alibi for inaction.

Fear of Regulation is Fear of Responsibility

Regulating sex work means taking responsibility. It means admitting that the state and community are not just judges, but also co-creators of conditions. It means establishing systems that protect workers from violence, exploitation, health risks, and digital abuse.

But Europe fears exactly this: responsibility. Regulation requires dialogue with those who have been silenced for decades. It requires including sex workers in policy-making. It is easier to maintain the status quo and pretend that the problem lies elsewhere.

Regulation is Not Normalization – It is Protection

One of the biggest myths in the European debate is that regulation means promotion. This is not true. Regulation does not mean encouraging someone into sex work. It means acknowledging the existence of reality and deciding whether to leave people in this reality alone or to protect them.

Just as regulating dangerous jobs does not mean encouraging people to danger, but ensuring safety standards for them. Sex work is no exception – it is just the last social taboo that Europe has not yet dared to look in the eye.

Where Next?

If Europe wants to remain credible when speaking about human rights, it must stop treating sex work as a moral anomaly and start treating it as a socio-economic fact. This means: clear distinction between coercion and voluntariness, inclusion of sex workers in legislation drafting, development of safe, transparent, and non-exploitative platforms, and a shift from punishment to protection.

The question is not whether Europe will regulate sex work. The question is how much more damage it will cause before it gathers the courage to do so.