TAMPEP IV Final Report

T A M P E P Transnational AIDS/STD Prevention4 among Migrant Prostitutes in Europe/Project F I N A L R E P O R T May 1998 - October 1999 NETHERLANDS ITALY GERMANY AUSTRIA n TAMPEP n Comitato per i n Amnesty for n LEFÖ International Diritti Civili delle Women Kettenbrückengasse Foundation Prostitute Grosse Bergstr. 231 15/4 Westermarkt 4 Casella Postale 67 22767 Hamburg 1050 Vienna 1016 DK Amsterdam 33170 Pordenone Tel: +4940/ 38 4753 Tel: +431/ 58 11880 Tel: +3120/ 624 7149 Tel. & Fax: Fax: +4940/ 38 5758 Fax: +431/ 58 11882 Fax: +3120/ 624 6529 +390434/ 64 0563 E-mail: E-mail: E-mail: E-mail: Amnesty4Women@ [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] t-online.de Co-ordination: Co-ordination: Co-ordination: Co-ordination: Maria Cristina Boidi Licia Brussa Pia Covre & Veronica Munk Carla Corso Contents § Preface § Transnational AIDS/STD prevention among migrant prostitutes in Europe § Materials developed by TAMPEP § European survey on migrant prostitution NETHERLAND § Overview § Central and Eastern European sex workers § Latin American sex workers ITALY § General Consideration § Italian policies regarding prostitution § The influence of new laws and local policies § Position paper drafted by mobile UDS operators reunited at Bologna § Cities involved in TAMPEP activities § CGIL § National data § TAMPEP and the province of Turin § Data collected at Turin § The Free Woman Project § A profile of the target AUSTRIA § Background § Prostitution in Austria § TAMPEP in Austria § Trafficking in Women and Prostitution GERMANY § Introduction § A look at Germany § A look at Hamburg § Further activities § Summary § Study TAMPEP PROJECT-FINAL REPORT December 1999 Editor Licia Brussa © TAMPEP International Foundation Preface LICIA BRUSSA his publication concerns TAMPEP’s activities during the past six years and more particularly the period of ’98-’99. TAMPEP stands for Transnational AIDS/STD Prevention among Migrant Prostitutes in Europe/Project. Launched by the Mr A. T de Graaf Stichting, also known as the Dutch Institute for Prostitution Issues, its partners are Amnesty for Women in Germany, Comitato per i Diritti Civili delle Prostitute in Italy, and LEFÖ (Lateinamerikanische Emigrierte Frauen in Österreich) in Austria. In 1997 TAMPEP and its partners founded a federation of NGOs called TAMPEP International Foundation and thus became a European centre for assistance, consultation, training and advice on policy with regard to health promotion and advocacy of non-discriminatory policies concerning prostitution and migration. The headquarters of TAMPEP International Foundation are located in Amsterdam. TAMPEP got started in 1993. Between October 1996 and October 1999, TAMPEP and Europap (European Intervention Projects AIDS Prevention for Prostitutes) collaborated on the European Network for HIV/STD Prevention in Prostitution. Alongside its co- operation with Europap, TAMPEP carried on its activities in the four member countries and participated in other international networks for the protection of human rights and the prevention of trafficking in women. TAMPEP has produced three annual reports thus far. The co-operation of TAMPEP and Europap led to the publication of Hustling for Health, Developing services for sex workers in Europe, and the final report of the network for the years 1998-1999. The detailed description of TAMPEP’s activities in 1998-1999 can be found in the Final Report. May 1998 - October 1999. TAMPEP has also produced materials such as manuals in the languages of the target countries. A list of this material is included in the chapter describing the methodology of TAMPEP. This publication comprises a description of TAMPEP’s work, a map of prostitution in the four European member countries and an analysis of migration patterns within Europe. It aims to paint a realistic picture of the present situation and to address the relevant issues in the context of constant transition and transformation. Of course we realise the futility of the task we have set ourselves inasmuch as the situation changes quicker than the pen can write. Prostitution has so many different facets that we can never hope to be complete, but perhaps we can reproduce some of the mosaic. This volume itself has the character of mosaic as it has been written by authors from a variety of organisations around the world, all of whom share the same strategy, working philosophy and methodology. Final Report TAMPEP 4 October 1999 3 TAMPEP’s objective is to develop models of health promotion for women and transsexuals from Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia who come to work in prostitution in Western Europe, from Greece to Scandinavia. Our focal point is HIV/STD prevention, but with a view to behavioural change, we are also concerned with the overall health of migrant prostitutes, as well as their social position and working conditions. The context of prostitution and migration policies has a direct bearing on the general welfare of the target group. The continuous evaluation of these factors constitutes a very important part of our work. TAMPEP is thus devoted no less to action than research. In addition to our field activities, we also study migrant prostitution in Europe, including the relevant legislation and its impact on the well-being of migrant sex workers. Internationalisation has a profound influence on the organisation of prostitution and therefore on health care services. Prostitution can no longer be viewed as a local or national phenomenon; it is international, involving multi-cultural groups and international organisations. The internationalisation of prostitution means that the number of nationalities involved is steadily growing. This was the conclusion of a European survey carried out by TAMPEP, based on a comparison of figures from 1997 and the present. New policies should thus take account of the changes caused by internationalisation. Local conditions for migrant sex workers will differ in response to national laws pertaining to both prostitution and immigration. The individual reports of the four TAMPEP partners contain analyses of and data concerning these conditions. Especially in the report from the Netherlands, where new legislation concerning prostitution has recently been introduced, this problem will be described in detail. Our experience has taught us that repressive policies jeopardise the self-protection and autonomy of sex workers. We find that promoting the health of these persons is an integral part of their civil and human rights. This conviction is the basis of our working philosophy. From our point of view, policy makers and planners should accept the fact that the sex industry is a vital source of income for many non-nationals who are excluded from the formal economy or otherwise unable adequately to support themselves. Sex work should be protected and regarded as an independent and autonomous activity in the framework of the informal economy. It should therefore receive the support of organisations such as trade unions. The Italian branch of TAMPEP writes in its report that the first steps have been taken to involve the trade union CGIL in this activity. The recognition of prostitution as legitimate work in the informal economy does not of course imply the acceptance of crimes against sex workers or of forced prostitution or sexual exploitation. The last few years have witnessed many international initiatives to stop trafficking but all of them approach the issue from a different perspective. Our goal is not to describe all those different points of view, but to clarify what trafficking in women means for TAMPEP. According to TAMPEP, trafficking is one of many ways in Final Report TAMPEP 4 October 1999 4 which migrants are exploited. Those involved are forced to migrate by economic and social pressure, and then deprived of their rights by repressive immigration laws and the lack of legal protection. TAMPEP has observed that there are two official models for helping victims of trafficking. Firstly, the protection of the civil and human rights of these women, secondly, the protection of public order by ‘rescuing’ them from the grip of prostitution. TAMPEP has learned that the second model often leads to new forms of abolitionism and TAMPEP therefore regards this perception of trafficking as inadequate. We believe that the protection of the civil and human rights of (migrant) sex workers is the only effective way of dealing with these problems. TAMPEP is convinced that the acceptance of prostitution and the process of internationalisation are particularly important for effective health care, HIV/STD prevention and survival strategies for migrant sex workers. Forms of self-organisation and protection, which tend to strengthen a collective identity, will improve the health conditions of those who work in this market and provide more effective protection against exploitation. TAMPEP insists that this is the only viable model for preventing HIV/STD among (migrant) sex workers. Reverse effects of immigration legislation This year has seen the introduction of ad hoc policies regarding (migrant) sex workers in many European countries. Such policies are often designed to camouflage more repressive anti-prostitution measures rather than to prevent the exploitation of (migrant) prostitutes. After all, the authorities associate migrant prostitution with crime, which prompts them to write new laws in order to combat the phenomenon. The present report therefore emphasises the importance of creating a

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