Austria and the Netherlands
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Final Report of the International Comparative Study of Prostitution Policy: Austria and the Netherlands Hendrik Wagenaar Sietske Altink Helga Amesberger Final Report of the International Comparative Study of Prostitution Policy: Austria and the Netherlands Hendrik Wagenaar Sietske Altink Helga Amesberger Authors: Hendrik Wagenaar, Leiden University, Campus Den Haag and University of Sheffield Sietske Altink, Leiden University, Campus Den Haag Helga Amesberger, Universität Wien Publisher: Platform31 Postbox 30833 2500 GV Den Haag Den Haag, July 2013 Cover photo: Sietske Altink © All rights reserved Platform31 Inhoudsopgave 1. Introduction 9 1.1 D’s story - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9 1.2 The Primacy of Policy in Prostitution - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11- - - 1.3 What is Public Policy? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14 1.4 Policy Regimes - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14 1.5 Challenges to Prostitution Policy - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 16 - - - 1.6 Overview of the report - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -17 - - - 2. Prostitution in Austria and the Netherlands 19 2.1 General Country Information - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 19- - - 2.1.1 Austria - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 19- - - - 2.1.2 The Netherlands - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20 2.2 How many sex workers? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20 - - - 2.2.1 Obstacles to Obtaining Reliable Numbers - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20- - - 2.2.2 How Many Sex Workers? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 24- - - - The Netherlands - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 24- - - - Austria - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 26- - - - 5 2.3 Mobility - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 28- - - - 2.4 Key Indicators of the prostitution Sector in Austria and the Netherlands - - - - - - - - - - 31 - - 2.4.1 Number of Establishments - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 31- - - 2.4.2 Age - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -33 - - - - 2.4.3 Entry into Sex Work - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -34 - - - 2.4.4 Working hours - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 37 2.4.5 Earnings - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 39 - - - - 2.4.6 Labour Relations and Work Conditions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 41 3. The National Governance of Prostitution 45 3.1 Policy Design - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -45 - - - 3.2 National Policy in Austria - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 47 3.3 National Policy in the Netherlands - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -49 - - - 3.3.1 National Laws - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 49- - - - 3.3.2 Labour relations - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 52 3.4 Conclusions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -52 - - - International Comparative Study of Prostitution Policy: Austria and the Netherlands 4. Prostitution Policy as Morality Politics 55 4.1 Introduction - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 55- - - - 4.2 What is Morality Politics? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 55- - - - 5. The Local Governance of Prostitution 59 5.1 Policy Design and Policy Instruments - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 59 5.2 Policy Design and Implementation in Vienna and Oberösterreich - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 60 5.3 Local policy making in the Netherlands - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -67 - - 5.3.1 The social and policy environment in the Netherlands after the legalization of sex facilities - - -67 - 5.3.2 Local Regulation of Prostitution - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 71 5.4 Conclusions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -77 - - - 6. Prostitution, Exploitation and Migration 79 6.1 Introduction - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 79- - - - 6.2 Grappling with the Nature of the Problem - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 79- - - 6. 3 A Critique of the Legal Definition of Trafficking - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 82 - - - 6.4 An Alternative Conceptual Framework: Labour Migration and Exploitation - - - - - - - - - 84- - 7 Conclusions and Recommendations 87 7.1 Conclusions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 87- - - - 6 7.1.1 Prostitution - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -87 - - - 7.1.2 Policy - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 88 - - - - 7.2 Recommendations - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 91 - - - References 93 Appendix 1: Research Design and Methodology 99 1 Goals of the project - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 99 2 Research Questions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 99 3 Design of the Study - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 100- - - - 4 Partnered Research - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 101- - - - 5 Data-collection - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 102- - - - Appendix 2: Operationalization of Sexual and Economic Exploitation in Prostitution 107 Sexual Exploitation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 107 Economic Exploitation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 107 International Comparative Study of Prostitution Policy: Austria and the Netherlands Appendix 3: The Swedish Sex Purchase Act: Claimed Success and Documented Effects 109 Introduction - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 109 Background to the Swedish Sex Purchase Act - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 111- - - A Swedish tradition of anti-prostitution policy - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 112- - - Modern anti-prostitution grassroots-movements - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 112- - - The emergence of a broader radical feminist discourse - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -113 - - Cross party collaboration and the Kvinnofrid bill - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 113- - - The vote - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 114- - - - Swedish prostitution policy - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -114 - - - Our material - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 116 - - - - Prevalence - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -117 - - - - Trafficking for sexual purposes - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 120 - - - Does the law deter buyers? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -121 - - - Has the law changed attitudes? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 123- - - Unintented effects - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -126 - - - Conclusion - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -128 - - - - Bibliography 130 7 International Comparative Study of Prostitution Policy: Austria and the Netherlands 1. Introduction 1.1 D’s story D is Rumanian. She came to Austria at the age of 20 to work in prostitution. She says she had a normal youth. She finished school at the age of 19. Her mother always pushed her hard: “Learn, learn, learn. My mother was obsessed by it”. She wanted some quiet now. She says that perhaps “she had it too good”. She traveled to Austria with a girlfriend from school and the father of the girlfriend. Later three more women joined them. The father agreed with the women that they would give him their earnings. He would save these for them and when they would stop working he would give them the savings. D says she trusted him, but in hindsight she concludes that “he said one thing and what really happened was something quite different.” One of the women had been with this man much longer. One evening she drank too much and said in tears that the man lied and that he would never return their earnings. D tells that the evening before his arrest the man fought with his son. His son accused him of treating the women badly. The son’s girlfriend also worked for the man. The women decided to jointly file a complaint against the man for pimping, rape and physical abuse. D only filed a complaint for pimping; she said he never beat or raped her. The man received two years. The witness testimonies in court were not anonymous. He is now free and lives in Germany. Although he is her neighbor in her hometown in Rumania, she says she doesn’t fear him. “These people often threaten 9 but they don’t do anything; although you’re never sure. After she accused him the police has guarded her parental home for a while. D went to work in the establishment in Wels where she works now. She worked there from 2003 to 2006. After a change in Austrian immigration law she had to leave the country in 2006. She didn’t want to go back to Rumania so she and her partner (who is also a sex worker) decided to go to Italy. She and her partner worked in Italy for six months. “It was very difficult. The work is illegal there, you don’t know any- body, you live