On June 26, 2023, Governor Janet Mills signed An Act to Reduce Commercial Sexual Exploitation, eliminating the crime of engaging in prostitution and maintaining penalties for patronizing. Two weeks later, An Act to Provide Remedies for Survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation followed suit, mandating that the state to offer comprehensive services survivors need to help them rebuild their lives. With these Acts, Maine became the first state in the nation to adopt a legal framework known as the Equality Model, also called the Nordic or Abolitionist Model. Enacted in eight countries around the world, including Sweden, France, Canada and Israel, the law recognizes the system of prostitution as a barrier to equality.

Read Taina Bien-Aimé’s op-ed in Women’s e-News.