CLOSED DOORS AND OPEN WINDOW: TRAFFICKING WITH HUMAN BEINGS AND THE DEMAND FOR PROSTITUTION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENDA

In European studies, the current European Union agenda on human trafficking is the dominant framework for analysis of the legal aspects of sex business. The paper analyses the discursive framing of numerous feminist actors operating within the European Union agenda on human trafficking in order to attain a window of opportunity. By examining the results of the individual frame analyses, the authors endeavour to establish a typology of discursive narratives found in the European Union agenda on prostitution. The focus is put on the feminist position on prostitution which frames it as a form of sexual violence. The position of sexual violence often works with the linear narrative of violence which perceives the legalisation of prostitution as one of the "pull" factors of human trafficking. The article analyses how the demand for sexual services is framed by various actors in order to push for the feminist agenda in an environment which, due to the principle of subsidiarity, allows only limited options and resources for these actors. Upon analysis, no single narrative of prostitution reflected in the European Union agenda was found to suffice to resolve the known social, economic and ethical issues associated with prostitution in the European context.