” “”Apart from these criminal assumptions, the problem must be fought at the source, by freeing women from any violence and duress”. This is the opinion expressed to SIR by Francesco D’Agostino, president of the Italian Catholic Jurists Association (Ugci), after the EU Commissioner for Justice, Security and Freedom, Franco Frattini, put forward the plan to prosecute those clients who are aware they are with prostitutes who are the victims of the trade of human beings. “I doubt – said D’Agostino, in commenting Frattini’s address to the EU Parliament about the subject, in the run-up to the World Football Championship that will begin in Germany on June 9th punishing clients will stamp out this illegal trade; in addition, it would be very difficult to establish whether a client is acting with malice or not, whether he is aware the woman has been forced”. According to the jurist, who believes "these assumptions must be regarded more as political than juridical in character”, however "the intention to firmly fight such forms of exploitation by trying to deploy all our energies" is praiseworthy. As to the means, D’Agostino points out in particular "an appropriate social policy, more checks at the borders and the strict enforcement of the applicable laws under which the trade of prostitutes is already a crime”. “I don’t think he concluded that adding just one mere criminal instance would be really effective”.” “
