41 sex buyers arrested in Stockholm prostitution sting
Dozens of people were arrested as part of a major crackdown on sex buyers in Stockholm.
Police hit three different addresses in Stockholm a few weeks ago, including the Götgatan street on hipster island Södermalm, Swedish public radio news broadcaster Ekot reported on Tuesday morning.
A total of 41 men were held in the operation, according to Ekot.
The raids targeted temporary apartment brothels, which police say are becoming more common.
"What was previously associated with prostitution, such as street prostitution, has been sharply reduced. The prostitution scene has moved indoors, to AirBnB apartments, hotels and the like," Johan Christiansson, prostitution and human trafficking investigator at Sweden’s Gender Equality Agency, told Ekot.
Almost all the men were brought to court via a new fast-track system which means that a court hearing can be scheduled at the point of arrest, and a few are still being investigated by a prosecutor.
Last year around 50 men in Stockholm county were convicted of buying or attempting to buy sexual services.
Sweden became the first country in the world to criminalize buying sex, rather than selling sex, in 1999. Anyone found guilty of buying sex can be fined or sent to jail for up to a year.
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Police hit three different addresses in Stockholm a few weeks ago, including the Götgatan street on hipster island Södermalm, Swedish public radio news broadcaster Ekot reported on Tuesday morning.
A total of 41 men were held in the operation, according to Ekot.
The raids targeted temporary apartment brothels, which police say are becoming more common.
"What was previously associated with prostitution, such as street prostitution, has been sharply reduced. The prostitution scene has moved indoors, to AirBnB apartments, hotels and the like," Johan Christiansson, prostitution and human trafficking investigator at Sweden’s Gender Equality Agency, told Ekot.
Almost all the men were brought to court via a new fast-track system which means that a court hearing can be scheduled at the point of arrest, and a few are still being investigated by a prosecutor.
Last year around 50 men in Stockholm county were convicted of buying or attempting to buy sexual services.
Sweden became the first country in the world to criminalize buying sex, rather than selling sex, in 1999. Anyone found guilty of buying sex can be fined or sent to jail for up to a year.
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