The Nordic Model (also "Swedish Model") is a prostitution policy approach: The purchase of sexual services is punishable, while the sale remains legal. Sex workers are to be decriminalized as victims of a "patriarchal violence industry," while clients ("johns") are to be deterred.
Introduced in 1999 in Sweden, adopted by Norway (2009), Iceland (2009), Canada (2014), Northern Ireland (2015), France (2016), Ireland (2017), and Israel (2018).
The effectiveness is disputed. Proponents (Swedish State, EU Parliament 2014) point to decreased street prostitution and a shift in stigma. Critics (UNAIDS, Amnesty International since 2016, WHO, Human Rights Watch, ILO, Swiss ProCoRe) provide studies showing higher risks of violence, poorer access to health, and increased migration into illegality. Switzerland has examined the model multiple times and has so far rejected it.