Talita is a non-profit organization that offers a way out of prostitution, pornography and human trafficking for sexual purposes and into a whole new life.
Our preventive work aims to prevent women and children from becoming involved in prostitution and pornography. Our outreach work involves seeking out people in the settings where prostitution takes place and offering them support. Our rehabilitation work enables women and children to leave the sex trade and become fully integrated into society. In Sweden, we work exclusively with adults and operate a shelter with rehabilitation services in Stockholm (Villa Talita) as well as a counseling center.
Our primary focus is on rehabilitation, and our goal is always to take a holistic approach to the victim’s situation. This type of program is often called an “exit program,” but we have chosen to call it rehabilitation, since “exit” (i.e., leaving prostitution) is only part of the process. An equally important part is entering a new life—that is, integration into society.
Our one-year rehabilitation program is based on a method we have developed using the knowledge we have gained over the 20 years we have worked with this target group. And the method works. 94% of the women who have completed Talita’s program in Sweden leave prostitution for good.
Men and transgender people are also exploited in the sex trade, but unfortunately, far too little is said about it. At present, we do not have housing for them, but at our clinic in Stockholm, we offer various types of support services.
Using a digital tool called CRI (Client Rehabilitation Information), we regularly collect feedback from clients in Sweden. Every month throughout the year that a woman stays with us, we work together to assess her well-being and her experience of the program using this tool. The data we collect helps us evaluate and improve the support provided to that specific woman, but it also enables us to develop and improve the method as a whole.
Talita has a very good working relationship with the police and social services. They often refer women to us in connection with raids targeting pimps and sex buyers.
We have space for four women at a time—three who are part of Talita’s long-term program and one who has been referred on an emergency basis by the police, social services, or a regional coordinator for a shorter period. Support staff are available during the day, and during the first few days, evening and night staff are also on site as needed. We also have transitional apartments with space for a total of four women at a time. Talita has an emergency hotline that residents can call 24/7.
Women in Talita’s target group who seek long-term support enroll in a one-year rehabilitation program. The program, which has been evaluated by Malmö University with positive results, is based on a method (the Talita Method) that we have developed using the knowledge we have gained over the past 20 years of working with this target group.
94% of all women who have completed Talita’s program leave prostitution for good. The Talita Method includes safe housing, trauma or talk therapy, education, future planning, as well as transition and integration into society. Thanks to our transition apartments, we can extend support to the woman for an additional year if needed, which gives us a little more time to explore future possibilities.
At our clinic in Stockholm, we also offer various types of support services for men and transgender individuals.
If the police, social services, or a regional coordinator wish to refer a woman to us, they can reach us via our 24/7 hotline, every day of the week. We provide shelter at our safe house in Stockholm, where the woman is given her own room where she can settle in and feel safe. Often, the woman then participates in the preliminary investigation and, later, possibly in the trial.
We offer full board (housing, food, hygiene supplies, and clothing) and provide support in every way we can through counseling sessions (with an interpreter if needed). We ensure that residents are connected with doctors, psychiatrists, and lawyers, and we accompany them to government offices and during police interviews. All women who come to us are asked if they wish to stay and participate in our one-year program.
However, most of those who arrive, referred in the manner described above, wish to return home as soon as possible. We then provide long-term support in their home country, including by helping them apply to join the return programs of the Gender Equality Agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
A staff member who previously completed Talita’s program and now works with us leads our outreach efforts targeting people involved in prostitution on online escort sites and on the streets.
The goal is to spread information about the long-term support Talita can offer, as well as to identify minors who are in (or at risk of ending up in) prostitution and assist them in contacting the authorities. Our outreach team also collaborates with hotels that, if they discover prostitution is taking place on their premises, can contact the team and ask them to speak with the women and offer assistance.
If our outreach team comes into contact with someone who, for various reasons, cannot or does not need to move in and participate in the full rehabilitation program, we offer them supportive services at our clinic.
The number of children being offered payment for sexual acts online is on the rise. The age at which children are involved in prostitution is dropping, and today, sexualized violence in the form of pornography is just a click away for young people. This is a major social problem.
The overall goal of our prevention work—which consists of education, advocacy, and research—is to prevent women and children from falling into the sex trade and to ensure that those who are already being exploited receive adequate help.
Talita delivers lectures and provides training to professionals within various government agencies and organizations. We also engage in advocacy and lobbying efforts aimed at changing legislation and encouraging politicians and decision-makers to fulfill their responsibilities.
Our former clients are the best testament to the effectiveness of our advocacy work. That is why we launched in 2026 Talita Voices, a group consisting of twelve experts on the sex trade, all with prior experience of prostitution, pornography, and human trafficking.
With experience, knowledge, and a force that cannot be ignored, they will speak at conferences, participate in seminars, give lectures, appear in the media, and meet with decision-makers, both in Sweden and abroad.
Talita Voices is not just stories. It is leadership. It is influence. It is change. It is the future.
Part of Talita’s preventive work consists of research. Through our research, we aim to increase knowledge on various issues related to our work and to improve and ensure the quality of Talita’s various initiatives.
Over the years, Talita as an organization has observed a link between pornography, prostitution, and human trafficking for sexual purposes. Many of our clients first entered the sex trade through pornography; others were filmed during sex purchases for pornographic purposes; still others were subjected to human trafficking and exploited in the porn industry.
In 2019, Talita conducted the first-ever study of the Swedish porn industry. Since then, a staff member has continued to conduct research in this area, and thanks to that, we now have a great deal of knowledge about exploitation in the industry. Read more in our Knowledge Bank.
