Reykjavik to develop coordinated support for leaving prostitution

Reykjavik’s welfare council has approved a proposal to create a coordinated process for helping people leave prostitution and human trafficking, mbl.is reports.

The proposal calls for a working group with representatives from the city’s welfare department, Bjarkarhlíð, Stígamót and Félagsbústaðir. The group will also ask the police in the capital area to take part. The proposal was put forward by representatives of the Independence Party, Viðreisn and the Progressive Party on the council.

The group is due to submit a proposed procedure and plan to the welfare council by December 20. Its task will be to clarify how people seeking to leave prostitution or trafficking can access services, define each organisation’s responsibilities and ensure continuity of support.

The proposal places particular emphasis on quick access to safe housing, social support, trauma-informed counselling and other necessary services, without requiring people to approach multiple institutions and repeat their stories.

Ragnhildur Alda Vilhjálmsdóttir, an Independence Party city councillor and member of the welfare council, said the idea arose after she visited Stígamót. Drífa Snædal had highlighted the lack of exit routes for people seeking to leave prostitution and trafficking, she said.

“There have been efforts against human trafficking and prostitution, but Stígamót has encountered systemic barriers. It is difficult for someone who wants to stop to have to go from one institution to another and tell their story again and again,” Ragnhildur Alda said. She added that women can lose heart in the process, making it necessary to create a way out.

She said the aim is for service providers to agree on a clear process. People seeking help would have one designated contact person to guide their case in cooperation with the relevant services, leaving responsibility for coordinating support with the system rather than the person in need.