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Switzerland has some of the world's most liberal laws related to prostitution (Keystone)

September 14, 2012 - 15:05

Prostitutes in the city of Geneva have formed the country’s first sex workers’ union, citing foreign competition and the high cost of rent in Switzerland as reasons for needing to unionise.

Sex workers’ unions already exist in many European countries, including Germany and the Netherlands. Despite having some of the most liberal prostitution laws in the world, Switzerland has never before been home to a formal union for sex workers.
 
The new union, which has formally called itself the Sex Workers’ Syndicate (STTS) and is based in the Pâquis neighborhood of Geneva, aims to operate alongside the organisation Aspasie, which has advocated for prostitutes in Geneva since 1982.
 
Aspasie primarily concerns itself with the health and well-being of sex workers, while STTS was mainly founded to address prostitutes’ financial concerns and working conditions.
 
It is understood that some 80 sex workers attended the union’s first meeting this week.

Legal age

The Trade Union Federation says it would consider admitting the new sex workers’ union to its organisation in the future if the union so desired, pending certain conditions.
 
“We could imagine that the new prostitutes’ trade union could eventually become a member,” a spokesperson told swissinfo.ch.
 
“However, we have not had any conversations about it and nothing is concrete. If they wanted to become members, it would be important that they share our political views, but they have not yet asked to be included.”
 
Switzerland has long been criticised by the international community for allowing prostitution by teens as young as 16.
 
The government has proposed changes to the criminal code which would make it a crime to hire or sell the services of a prostitute who is younger than 18. The change would bring Switzerland in line with its obligations under a Council of Europe convention it signed in 2010 that requires signatories to implement such a ban.
 
Under the proposed change, which has not yet gone into effect, young sex workers would not be prosecuted for their actions – only those who seek or sell their services would be held responsible.
 
In some cantons, including Geneva, prostitution under the age of 18 is already illegal.

swissinfo.ch and agencies

 

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Links

• Aspasie (French)
• International Union of Sex Workers