Since the terms prostitution and human trafficking are often mixed up or even equated, we believe it is important to have one Clear distinction between prostitution and human trafficking to clear up misunderstandings that also shape society's perception of sex work.

Since the adoption of the Additional Protocol under the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime in 2000 (Palermo Protocol), the expression "Human trafficking" as Activity of “recruiting and transporting persons for the purpose of exploitation and under deception, threat or use of force or taking advantage of helplessness” Are defined.

At human trafficking it is therefore one criminal offence , which does not only serve the purpose of sexual exploitation.

It also includes “Practices similar to slavery or forced labor” and other cross-border, exploitative or abusive employment relationships and not just abduction for the purpose of forced prostitution.

In case of sexual exploitation is talked about at about 99% from female victims from poor regions of origin , which are intended to meet the sexual needs of male prostitution customers in affluent societies. This is why trafficking in women is often mentioned in this context.

Labor migration , which also occurs in the prostitution trade, is just as often equated with human trafficking or trafficking in women. But this is misleading because a The majority of women are often aware of it from economically disadvantaged EU countries to wealthier countries - such as Austria - emigrated , as there are prospects of better working conditions and higher income for them. It is therefore wrong to generalize migrant workers in sex work as victims.

It definitely cannot be denied that there are people in prostitution who are forced into exploitative working conditions by creating relationships of dependency. However, it is not the sexual service per se that is the problem here, but rather the circumstances under which it is provided and the reasons that can put sex workers in such predicaments.

Mixing up the terms inevitably creates a very deficient image of sex work for people who are unfamiliar with the topic. As a result, sex workers are seen as having immature, involuntary work in the industry and are declared victims of their working and living conditions, which in turn promotes stigmatization and thus actually negative consequences for living and working conditions.
To counteract this, it is an extremely important step clear distinction between sex work and human trafficking to undertake and follow this consistently: Trafficking in women is a violation of human rights and should be combated. Sex work, on the other hand, is work that should be recognized and respected as such .