BERLIN (AP) — The Swedish government vowed Friday to crack down on the sale of child sex dolls online after earlier cases of such trafficking were reported in the country.
“I think I speak for all parents when I say that it really breaks a mother’s heart to look at these images and photographs of these dolls,” Swedish Social Services Minister Camilla Waltersson Grönwall told The Associated Press.
The Swedish government wants to “make sure that these products can no longer be bought or sold anywhere,” she said.
She spoke after a meeting the Swedish government held on Friday “in response to several notable cases of e-commerce companies selling child sex dolls,” according to a statement from her ministry. The event was attended by child protection groups, online retailers and government agencies.
According to Waltersson Grönvall, online platforms have described the measures they are taking to ensure that similar products are no longer sold online.
Asked whether the ministry considered these measures to be sufficient, Waltersson Grønvall replied: “I have made it clear that we will monitor this very closely and will not hesitate to take further action, which may include further legislation if deemed necessary.”
She said the government was preparing a strategy to protect children from violence, which included steps to prevent sexual and online violence.
The online sale of controversial dolls in Sweden has gained public attention after child protection group ChildX filed a police report earlier this month against Amazon and several other e-commerce platforms for selling sex dolls with an apparently childish appearance.
“Products measuring around one meter in length are often in school uniforms and are sold in a sexualized context,” the group said. “Swedish law prohibits material depicting children in a sexualized manner. Therefore, the sale or distribution of realistic child sex dolls may fall under criminal provisions related to the sexual exploitation of children.”
ChildX general secretary Ida Ostenson, also speaking by phone with the AP, said that “our police complaint against Amazon and other sites selling child sex dolls, as well as public outreach, led to the removal of these listings on Amazon.”
“We are taking this step because these products are designed to sexualize children,” Ostensson said. “Their open sale and marketing feeds a culture that normalizes child sexual abuse. This is unacceptable. Children should never be commodified for sexual purposes.”
In an email, online supplier Amazon said it had nothing to share other than what it had previously told other media outlets, namely that the company would attend Friday's meeting and pick up products that were marked offline.
“We have strict policies and guidelines in the adult segment and have always strictly prohibited child pornography,” an Amazon spokesperson was quoted as saying by French daily Le Monde on November 12.
In November, the French government said it was moving to suspend access to online marketplace Shein until it could prove its content complied with French law, after authorities discovered illegal weapons and child sex dolls for sale on the fast fashion giant's website.
