Events 2009
Ambassador Swanee Hunt Met with Czech Women Leaders and NGO’s
Ambassador Swanee Hunt (right) at the round table withwomen from Czech governmental and non-governmental organizations (left Olga Šifferová of Ministery of Interior
February 12, 2009
Ambassador Swanee Hunt met with Czech women leaders and NGO’s during a visit sponsored by the U.S. Embassy on Feb. 9 and 10.
Her meetings included a working lunch with Chargé d’Affaires Mary Thompson-Jones and women legislators in the Czech and European parliaments.
She met with Czech government officials, international organizations, and NGO’s to discuss international approaches to reduce demand for trafficking in women. Ambassador Hunt also met with journalists from Radio Free Europe and Czech NGOs People in Need and Berkat.
She concluded her visit with a round table with Czech women’s groups to plan ratification of a National Action Plan for UN Security Resolution 1325, which calls for a greater role for women in peace negotiations and peacekeeping.
During her visit, Ambassador Hunt discussed a successful Swedish model that combats the root cause of trafficking in women and resulted in a 40% drop of prostituted women in Sweden over five years.
Buying sex in Sweden, according to the “Sex Purchase Law” is punished by fines or up to six month in prison, while the sale of sex is decriminalized. This shifts prosecution from prostitutes, who are often victims of trafficking, to clients.
The law, which has helped shift the social mindset on purchasing sex, has also been adopted by Norway, but taking it one step further by making it illegal for Norwegian citizens to buy sexual services anywhere in the world. Other countries, including the UK, have already drafted similar legislation. Find more information on http://www.huntalternatives.org/pages/4_programs.
