General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I have the right to perform a sexual service in exchange for money. [View all]reorg
(3,317 posts)Like in previous discussions about whether trafficking has increased in Germany due to the reforms, the only "hard" data used by the anti-prostitution propagandists are the numbers of victims in ongoing investigations as reported by the police, within a relatively short time frame (a few years before and after). As has been pointed out previously, even if these data represent actual trends, they don't show that trafficking actually increased due to the reforms, they only show that in the course of investigations a somewhat greater number has been detected which could be due to a change in focus. More resources, more success.
This study adds a lot of "estimates" and statistical speculation in lieu of more specific investigation and facts. Which may look impressive to some people, but don't count me among them.
On page 25 of your summary:
Okay, so why did the number decline in these years? Did prostitution become more illegal between 1996 and 2001? And the "estimates" vary by 100 percent? And why do the statisticians fail mention the estimates for 1996? Perhaps because these numbers vary every year, in different directions?
Wow, a ten percent rise in one year? Clearly, the reforms were the reason.
This increase is partly attributable to the change in the definition of human trafficking victims in 2003; German nationals are also included in the category from 2003 onwards. However, this change does not fully explain the increase because German nationals amount to only 10.3% of all victims in the given year (German Federal Police Office, 2005).