In 1999, Sweden criminalised the purchase of sex whilst simultaneously decriminalizing its sale. In so doing, it set itself apart from other European states, promoting itself as the pioneer of a radical approach to prostitution. In the context of its continuing international influence, this book draws upon fieldwork undertaken in Sweden in order to explore the effects of these laws, and their justifying discourses, upon the dynamics of sex work and the lived realities of sex workers. It demonstrates that the Swedish model has failed in its ambition to demonstrably decrease prostitution and the dangers experienced by sex workers.