In Switzerland, prostitution is legal and is taxed liked any other business
Keystone
A company has won the right to build a brothel in the industrial district of Magadino in Italian-speaking Switzerland. The town authorities failed to convince the courts that prostitution was not a commercial undertaking.
The company, Goblatime, had submitted an application for a construction permit for a brothel in Magadino in March 2013. The town officials objected because they deemed prostitution contrary to the norms in the industrial, commercial and artisanal quarter of Quartino, they said in a statement on Wednesday.
The conflict first became the subject of discussion in Ticino cantonal parliament. The case was then passed on to the cantonal administrative court. The last court of appeal, the Second Court of Public Law of the Federal Supreme Court, decided that prostitution had both commercial and service aspects, and was thus in accordance with the norms of the industrial zone.
In Switzerland, prostitution is legal and is taxed liked any other business. But some cantons and cities have their own specific regulations.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Authorities relieved by sex box success
This content was published on
“The overall situation has clearly improved,” said Richard Wolff, head of the Zurich police department, on Tuesday. “The sex boxes have good supplies and services, there’s advice, it’s safe – there are showers and changing rooms. It’s completely different from how it used to be. Bearing this in mind, I think the situation’s much better…
Many sex workers in Switzerland still go unprotected
This content was published on
Sex workers in Switzerland know about safe sex, yet many skip condoms for the sake of business, says a new study by the University of Lausanne.
This content was published on
Two brothels, one in a rural area of canton Schwyz and another in the picturesque town of Nidau in canton Bern, were raided simultaneously by police back in 2007. At least 23 women were found to be working under coercion, prosecutors say. One of Switzerland’s largest human trafficking scandals, the Bolenberg case finally came to…
This content was published on
For the past 20 years a special version of the short-term “L” work permit was issued exclusively to cabaret and exotic dancers from countries not in the EU or the European Free Trade association (EFTA). The special status for cabaret dancers was introduced in 1995 and it allowed women from countries that do not have…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.