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Sex workers or escorts who come to Switzerland from different parts of Europe are still struggling to be legally recognised. Often stigmatised by society, they are still not able to practice their profession in full freedom.
This is because the profession is constantly being dragged through the mud. Sensationalist journalists never miss an opportunity and use every uneventful time to declare sex workers victims per se and criminalise their professional environment.
Better conditions = better opportunities
Various articles in the media about human trafficking and exploitation, to which the majority of sex workers are allegedly exposed, do massive damage to the industry. Sex workers, known as working girls, who come to Switzerland from various parts of Europe have been fighting for years for recognition so that they can practise their profession freely and without reservation.
An article published by The Swiss Times in 2022, which is dedicated to legal prostitution, mentions more than 20,000 sex workers registered in Switzerland 1.
In the 2022 annual report of the FIZ (Fachstelle Frauenhandel und Frauenmigration), 195 victims of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and four victims of the promotion of prostitution are named 2. 199 tragic cases in total. In relation to the more than 20,000 sex workers mentioned, this is 0.9 per cent.
The police crime statistics for 2022 list 63 cases of human trafficking among the registered offences, 45 of which were for the purpose of sexual exploitation 3. This means that the figure actually falls to 0.22 percent. And it is not clear what proportion of this is attributable to illegal prostitution. Conversely, this means that 99.7 per cent of the sex trade in this country operates in compliance with the law.
The opponents of prostitution are only too happy to pick up on the sad individual fates, multiply this by a considerable number of unreported cases and then present the result (or rather their very own assumption) in big headlines.
"Switzerland is becoming a stronghold of human trafficking" 4 or "Rape with the state's blessing" 5 or most recently in the publication by Roland Gamp and Simone Rau in the Tagesanzeiger Schweiz 6, in which the tale of woe of "Hanna Varga" is used as a pretext to accuse the Swiss sex trade of malicious deception in the majority of job adverts abroad.
Let me explain: the number(s) of unreported cases are an unknown number of incidents that are not recorded. These are assumptions, often serious misjudgements, exaggerations and ultimately wishful thinking in the current smear campaigns.
What happened to the young lady "Hanna Varga" is deeply saddening, but should not be taken as an opportunity to discredit an entire industry.
The cases of Romanian plasterers who were lured to Switzerland by a company from Sankt Gallen show that there are also black sheep in other trades who recruit labour abroad. Those affected report false promises, rent rip-offs, exploitation and wage theft 7. There is also the case of a restaurant owner who allegedly trafficked people in his business and illegally employed kitchen staff 8.
It is often written in such articles that the women who go into prostitution are very young. The implication is that they don't have a clue about the job and are only doing it out of financial necessity. In the fictitious accounts of self-proclaimed psychoanalysts, these young women are often victims who experienced loss at an early age or were abused in childhood.
It should be noted that we are talking here about adults of at least 18 years of age who have reached mental, physical and psychological maturity by the time they turn 18 and are now able to make decisions on their own responsibility.
And with regard to the emergency situation, it should be mentioned that all those who work regularly to earn a living do so out of economic necessity.
The sex trade in Switzerland - combating human trafficking
Together with sex workers, other reporting platforms, specialised agencies and other stakeholders , we at my-Ladies.ch are fighting for fair conditions in sex work.
Criminal, mafia-like structures that recruit and forcibly prostitute women are usually based in Eastern European countries with their masterminds. This is where we need to clean up! Human trafficking is a serious crime (Article 182 StGB).
It is the task of the police and judiciary to consistently prosecute exploitation and human trafficking and convict offenders. At some point, we have to stop spreading horror and anti-prostitution stories in unobjective articles and mixing legal, authorised sex work that is accessible and controllable by the authorities at all times with serious crime.
It is also about persuading free, self-determined sex workers that they are only doing it because there is some kind of compulsion. And if there is absolutely no such reason, then "earning money with sexual services" becomes "a financially disadvantaged woman who had no other choice".
According to the Association of Erotic Businesses Switzerland, which includes studio and club operators, landlords and portals, there are many myths surrounding confidentiality and the poor conditions in erotic establishments.
"Meanwhile, the conditions for sex workers in the establishments and flats belonging to us are rock solid. We offer the ladies a safe, clean and healthy environment," says a representative of the Swiss Erotic Establishments Association.
The Swiss erotic businesses have been working transparently with the authorities for years and comply with all regulations and laws. They are well known to the police and the authorities, thanks to the authorisation process and regular inspections. And finally, Switzerland is one of the safest countries in the world and our industry also contributes indirectly to this favourable ranking.
In this context, it should also be mentioned that there are many requirements for erotic businesses and that they are regularly inspected by the POLICE . The responsibility of the studios and clubs, the working conditions and work permits of the women working there are checked.
The public image of human trafficking and slavery in Swiss sex clubs is already inaccurate based on the offences registered by the police.
"Most of the ladies come on the recommendation of friends or they simply write to us or they see our studios on the internet and contact us directly," says an interview with one of these clubs.
As far as the working conditions of sex workers in clubs are concerned, they hardly differ from other professions that offer body-related services. Well-run studios also pay attention to regulated rest periods for the ladies and their safety.
"We have camera-monitored entrances, don't let groups of men in and don't receive guests who are under the influence of drugs. And, of course, no ID cards or passports are retained" - said the on enquiry.
As mentioned at the beginning, it is estimated that there are around 20,000 sex workers in Switzerland. They receive their clients in studios, clubs, massage parlours or in zoned, approved flats. They offer their services to willing customers via various adverts on erotic advertising portals.
On portals such as and6, fgirl or my-ladies.ch there are thousands of such massage offers and sex adverts. The ladies themselves decide which photos, videos and services they want to use to attract customers. Of course, it sometimes happens that they want to gain an advantage with certain offers.
But: anything that is too offensive, harmful to health or offends common decency is removed from the responsible ad portals.
The association Erotikbetriebe Schweiz also confirms that every sex worker has the right to decide on her own services, to refuse customers, to take a break and , of course, the ladies can also stop working at any time.
"It is thanks to the moral preachers and the tabloid press that people believe that sex workers first have to pay their pimp X amount of money and then still owe the broker for the procurement before they can even return to freedom and regain their passport. Unfortunately, this is a widespread cliché," says the Swiss Erotic Business Association.
Women who need help on their way into a new phase of life have various contact points at their disposal that specialise in supporting people in prostitution.
What does a woman who earns her living with sex say? Is this job as dangerous as they say?
Mia May, a sex worker who offers her services on erotic websites such as xdate or myLadies, tells an for myLadies that sex work is something of a dream job for her, allowing her to pay rent, taxes, health insurance, eat and live.
Can she stop? Laughing, she says that this is unlikely as long as she enjoys her work.
"I feel very comfortable in my job. After all, I chose it. I love my work. It's important and it's centred on people's needs. My customers are not pigs because they visit a prostitute. They are good people who are recharging their batteries to cope with their everyday lives in a positive way," she says.
According to Mia May, it is high time to respect sex work and to correct the false, deliberately propagated image of helpless prostitutes under criminal influence.
Can the practice of prostitution be dangerous for sex workers? Mia May admits that there are sometimes unpleasant moments, but for the most part, she says, "There are certainly no more unpleasant situations in my profession than in a bakery.
Final note:
In 2017, the term "alternative facts" was named "unword of the year" by German linguists. Alternative facts are false claims, distorted facts or fake news. For decades, horror stories have been circulating in the media that are supposed to reflect the bitter everyday life in the sex trade.
Driven by personal antipathy and lacking expertise, these stories often portray drug-addicted street prostitutes who "pay" for their consumption with the currency of sex, together with the dealers and fences operating in the area, as a representative model of sex work for the public.
Or they refer to illegal prostitutes without valid papers, who work in secret as outlaws and who are naturally at risk under such dubious conditions. Otherwise, you pick out a rather rare, sad individual case from the legal trade and project it onto tens of thousands of sex workers.
We have to assume that the systematic smear campaign against the sex industry will continue, that lawful sex workers will continue to be lumped together with unlawful ones and that the service of sex for money will continue to take place thousands of times a day, meaning that sex work is needed but never really recognised.
We should also come to terms with the fact that the ban on discrimination enshrined in the Swiss Federal Constitution actually applies to everyone, but not to sex workers and those working in the industry.
Not so - but not with us!
There is no doubt that we will continue to refute exaggerations, counter half-truths with facts, call lies by their name and fight the targeted influencing of the public with disinformation with all means at our disposal.
Tolerance instead of repression!
The formal recognition of sex work as an occupation on paper must finally go hand in hand with acceptance, understanding and equality in social life.
Illegal prostitution and involuntary sex work (forced prostitution) have absolutely nothing in common with voluntary, self-determined sex work based on one's own convictions. We must all stand up for this! A distinction must finally be made here!
Banks, landlords and insurance companies that discriminate against sex workers by denying them essential basic services because of their employment should be fined heavily for discrimination. Sex work has to fight against many prejudices and injustices. It is high time to act.
Raise your voice with us and fight back!
Addendum
There are currently reports in the press about women from China who were sexually exploited by a couple from Aargau and a third person. The incident was uncovered in 2017 and took place several years ago.
The case is currently being heard in court and is therefore being mentioned in the media 9 10 11.
It is hard to put into words how unbearable the suffering must have been for the Chinese women and it also makes us incredibly angry.
Nevertheless, it is necessary to make it clear that we are talking about unauthorised brothels and women who were in Switzerland illegally. It is therefore important to us to emphasise that legal sex work clearly distances itself from illegal activities.
Source reference
