Eva Marree Kullander Smith

Eva Marree Kullander Smith (24 April 1986 – 11 July 2013), also known as Petite Jasmine, was a Swedish woman who lost custody of her two children to her abusive ex-boyfriend when authorities learned about her job as an escort girl which she only practiced for two weeks . She then became a sex workers' rights activist. She was murdered in 2013 by her ex-boyfriend, leading to protests by sex worker support groups around the world.

Eva Marree Kullander Smith
Born(1986-04-24)24 April 1986
Died11 July 2013(2013-07-11) (aged 27)
Västerås, Sweden
Cause of deathMurder
NationalitySwedish
Other namesPetite Jasmine
Occupationsex workers' rights activist
Children2

The case

After she had separated from her abusive boyfriend with two small children, Kullander Smith worked for two weeks as an escort, selling sexual services to a total of five clients. A cousin, whom she had told about the experience, informed authorities. While selling sex is legal in Sweden, buying it is not and prostitutes are considered victims of violence (see Prostitution in Sweden). Social services removed her two children and placed them with her ex-boyfriend, arguing that "she lacked insight and didn't realize sex work was a form of self-harm".[1] She was not allowed to see her children.[2]

Kullander Smith became an activist and a board member of the Swedish sex worker rights organization Rose Alliance, arguing against the stigmatization of prostitutes.

She went to court and was finally able to obtain a visitation with her son. It took place on 11 July 2013, at a social service station in Västerås, with two social workers and her ex-boyfriend present. He became violent and stabbed her to death, also injuring one of the social workers.[3]

Aftermath

In the aftermath of Kullander Smith's murder and a murder of Dora Özera, a transgender Turkish prostitute that occurred at around the same time, protests by sex worker support groups took place in front of Swedish and Turkish embassies in 36 cities on four continents.[3]

In November 2013, her 31-year-old ex-boyfriend Joel Kabagambe was sentenced to 18 years in prison for murder and attempted murder. The defense had argued that an ill-medicated personality disorder contributed to the deed.[4]

The Rose Alliance subsequently created the Jasmine Prize in Kullander Smith's memory, an annual award given to individuals "who actively contribute to improve the rights of sex workers and who work against stigma, discrimination and violence."[5] The 2018 French documentary film Là où les putains n'existent pas ("Where hookers don't exist") describes her case with interviews of her mother, her lawyer and footage of her activism. The film ends with the statement that to this day Kullander Smith's mother has not been allowed to meet the children and does not know where they live.[2]

References
  1. "Sex workers cry foul over activist's death". www.thelocal.se. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  2. Là où les putains n'existent pas, Ovidie, 2018
  3. "Jasmine and Dora 4-Ever". Research Project Korea. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  4. "Han döms för mordet på Eva-Marree". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). 8 November 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  5. "Jasmine Prize to Jens Rydström". Genusvetenskapliga institutionen (in Swedish). 21 December 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
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