Sweden promises action against illegal sex doll sales
BERLIN (AP) — The Swedish government vowed Friday to combat online sales of child sex dolls after previous examples of such trafficking were reported in the country.
“I think I’m reacting on behalf of all parents; as a mother, your heart really breaks when you watch the images and pictures of these babies,” Swedish Social Services Minister Camilla Waltersson Grönvall told The Associated Press.
He said the Swedish government wanted to “make sure that these products can no longer be sold or purchased anywhere.”
He spoke after a meeting of the Swedish government on Friday “in response to several major e-commerce companies selling childlike sex dolls,” according to a statement from the ministry. Child protection groups, online retailers and government agencies participated.
Waltersson Grönvall said online platforms have announced the measures they are taking to ensure that such products are no longer sold online.
When asked whether the ministry considered these measures sufficient, Waltersson Grönvall said: “I made it clear that we will follow this very closely and will not hesitate to take further steps, which could include further legislation if deemed necessary.”
He said the government was preparing a strategy to protect children from violence, including steps to prevent sexual and online abuse.
The online sale of the controversial dolls in Sweden came to public attention after child protection group ChildX filed a police report against Amazon and several other e-commerce platforms earlier this month over the sale of sex dolls with a distinctly childlike appearance.
“The products, which are approximately one meter long, are often disguised as school uniforms and marketed in a sexually explicit context,” the group said. “Swedish legislation prohibits materials depicting children in a sexualised manner. Therefore, the sale or distribution of realistic child-like sex dolls may fall within the criminal provisions of child sexual exploitation.”
“Our police complaint and public advocacy against Amazon and other sites for selling child-like sex dolls led to the removal of these listings on Amazon,” ChildX Secretary General Ida Östensson, who also spoke to the AP by phone, said.
“We are taking this step because these products are designed to sexualize children,” Östensson said. “Their blatant sales and marketing fuels a culture that normalizes the sexual abuse of children. This is unacceptable. Children should never be commodified for sexual purposes.”
Online retailer Amazon, when reached by email, said it had nothing to share beyond what it had previously told other media, namely that the company would attend Friday’s meeting and pick up items marked offline.
“We have strict policies and guidelines in the adult products segment and have always strictly prohibited child pornography,” an Amazon spokesperson was quoted as saying by French newspaper Le Monde on November 12.
French government in November in question It was moving to suspend access to the Shein online marketplace until it could prove its contents complied with French law after authorities found illegal guns and weapons. childish sex dolls It is on sale on the fast fashion giant’s website.
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Claudia Ciobanu reported from Warsaw, Poland.
