Gov. Janet Mills signed a law Monday that partially decriminalizes prostitution in Maine.

The new law will eliminate criminal charges for sex workers while maintaining that those who pay for sex services can still be criminally charged.

“We are long overdue to better protect and decriminalize sellers engaged in prostitution without legalizing pimping and sex buying, acts that would expand the market in Maine,” Reckitt said.

In addition to eliminating the crime of engaging in prostitution, the amended bill elevates solicitation of a child for commercial sexual exploitation from a Class D crime to a Class C crime and alters state law to include the word “sexual exploitation” to refer to the paid solicitation of sex from minors and people with mental disabilities.

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Maine moves closer to ending criminal charges for prostitution

Many view the bill as a crucial step towards protecting those engaged in sex work. Supporters have pointed to the success of the partial decriminalization model in countries such as Canada, Ireland, Sweden and France as a way to decrease demand for the sex trade and stave off sexual exploitation.

However, some members of the sex work industry have criticized the bill for its failure to fully decriminalize their work, arguing that as long as the purchase of sex remains illegal, sex workers will continue to face threats to their safety and wellbeing.

Critics have also denounced what some see as the bill’s conflation of sex trafficking and...

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