A ban on buying sex (also known as "criminalization of johns") makes the purchase of sexual services a criminal offense - the sex workers remain unpunished, only the customers are prosecuted. The model is the Nordic Model (Sweden 1999, Norway, Iceland, France, Ireland, Israel, Canada).
In Switzerland sex work has been legal since 1942 and there is no ban on purchasing sex. Political initiatives (centre party, EPP, parts of the SP) regularly call for a ban - most recently in the Federal Parliament in 2024/2025. However, studies by the INFRAS research institute and the Bern University of Applied Sciences (2025) show that sex workers in countries with a ban on buying sex experience violence more often because the business is becoming illegal and protective structures are breaking down.
Sex worker associations (ProCoRe, FIZ, Aspasie) and the WHO reject bans on buying sex. Proponents argue with the protection of women and the fight against human trafficking.