Prostitution Policies in Switzerland and the City of Zurich
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Prostitution Policies in Switzerland and the City of Zurich A Critical Frame Analysis of Official Documents and NGO Papers Corinne Isler University of Helsinki Faculty of Social Sciences Sociology Master’s Thesis May 2016 Tiedekunta/Osasto – Fakultet/Sektion – Faculty Laitos – Institution – Department Social Sciences Social Research Tekijä – Författare – Author Corinne Isler Työn nimi – Arbetets titel – Title Prostitution Policies in Switzerland and the City of Zurich: A Critical Frame Analysis of Official Documents and NGO Papers Oppiaine – Läroämne – Subject Sociology Työn laji – Arbetets art – Level Aika – Datum – Month and year Sivumäärä – Sidoantal – Number of pages Master’s Thesis May 2016 107 Tiivistelmä – Referat – Abstract The phenomenon of prostitution has been controversial in many countries, including Switzerland. Policy regimes on prostitution differ drastically between countries. In recent years, there have been two opposing trends regarding the reform of prostitution laws. Some countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands, have moved towards legalisation and normalisation of the sex industry. Prostitution is thereby regarded as a normal trade and feminist supporters of this model focus mainly on legal rights and improved working conditions for people who sell sex. In contrast, other countries, including Sweden, Norway, Iceland and most recently France, have adopted a policy regime based on the assumption that prostitution per se is a form of violence against women and should thus be eradicated. In Switzerland, prostitution has been de facto legalised since 1942 and the cantons and municipalities can adopt their own policies regarding the regulation of the industry. The City of Zurich adopted a new Prostitution Industry Regulation in 2011, which brought a number of changes regarding licencing procedures and zoning laws for street prostitution and brothels. This research aims at examing the ways in which prostitution has been framed by different socio-political actors in Switzerland and the City of Zurich in particular. For this purpose I analyse a number of official documents published by the Swiss government and the City of Zurich as well as NGO papers regarding prostitution, all published between 2010 and 2015. The analysis draws on the methodological approach of critical frame analysis, which adopts a constructivist perspective on policy problems. It is assumed that different ways of constructing a problem also lead to different suggestions for solutions. For Switzerland and Zurich, two main frames could be identified and I outline their central features as well as their internal inconsistencies. Despite the differences between these two frames, they have some important aspects in common. Both frames take a clearly normalising perspective on prostitution and accept the sex industry as a social reality that cannot and should not be eradicated. Fragments of an abolitionist perspective on prostitution are present in only one of the studied documents. Voices that take a critical perspective on prostitution itself seem to be strongly marginalised in Switzerland. Avainsanat – Nyckelord – Keywords Prostitution, critical frame analysis, policy frames, Switzerland, Zurich, feminism, gender Table of Contents 1. Introduction and research questions .......................................................................... 1 2. Prostitution in Switzerland ........................................................................................ 4 2.1 General characteristics of prostitution in Switzerland and Zurich ..................... 4 2.2 Legislation of prostitution in Switzerland and the city of Zurich ...................... 7 3. Theoretical approaches to prostitution .................................................................... 11 3.1 Traditional and sex liberal approaches to prostitution ..................................... 11 3.2 Liberal feminist approach to prostitution ......................................................... 13 3.3 Sex radical and postmodern approaches to prostitution ................................... 17 3.4 Radical feminist approach to prostitution ........................................................ 21 4. Policy regimes on prostitution ................................................................................ 27 4.1 Harm reduction policies ................................................................................... 27 4.2 Elimination of prostitution ............................................................................... 28 4.3 Reduction of prostitution and its demand ......................................................... 28 5. Methodological approach ........................................................................................ 30 5.1 Policy frames .................................................................................................... 31 5.2 Critical frame analysis ...................................................................................... 33 5.3 Positioning of the researcher ............................................................................ 35 6. Empirical data ......................................................................................................... 37 7. Data analysis ........................................................................................................... 40 7.1 Regulation frame .............................................................................................. 40 7.1.1 Framing of the problem ................................................................................ 41 7.1.2 Proposed solutions ........................................................................................ 47 7.2 Sex work frame ................................................................................................ 51 7.2.1 Framing of the problem ................................................................................ 52 7.2.2 Proposed solutions ........................................................................................ 58 7.3 Shared basic elements within both frames ....................................................... 63 7.3.1. Acceptance of prostitution as a social reality ............................................... 63 7.3.2. Clear separation of sex work and human trafficking .................................... 64 7.3.3 Opposition to the criminalisation of the purchase of sex ............................. 68 7.4 Fragments of a neo-abolitionist frame .............................................................. 73 8. Discussion ............................................................................................................... 76 References ....................................................................................................................... 80 Appendix – Data excerpts (translation and original) ...................................................... 93 1. Introduction and research questions Prostitution in Switzerland has been de facto legalised since the entering into force of the Swiss Criminal Code in 1942. There is no law on the national level that prohibits the practice of prostitution and since 1973, it is protected under the economic freedom guaranteed by the Swiss Constitution. The regulation of the sex industry lies in the hands of the cantons and municipalities, who can adopt their own policies within the limits of the national law. These policies concern possible permits and licences for street prostitution and brothels, designated areas where prostitution is allowed to take place (‘zoning laws’), as well as issues concerning taxation and social security for people who sell sex. The legal ramifications and general characteristics of prostitution in Switzerland and the city of Zurich are described in more detail in Chapter 2. While debates on prostitution in Switzerland have their own particular features as will be demonstrated in this thesis, they cannot be separated from a global context. Prostitution has been debated vigorously for many decades and the conflicts between different positions on this issue often seem to be unresolvable. This also applies to feminist positions on prostitution and the sex industry (see Chapter 3). One side considers prostitution to be a form of violence against women and fights for its eradication, mainly by holding sex buyers and pimps accountable for their actions while aiming to decriminalise people who sell sex and offer exit services to those who wish to leave prostitution. Meanwhile, the other side takes a so-called ‘sex work’ position by focusing on legal rights and better working conditions for ‘sex workers’, asserting that it is mainly the stigmatisation of ‘sex work’ that leads to problems within the sex industry. These opposing positions as well as the more traditional view of prostitution as public nuisance or an offence against morality have also become apparent in policies on prostitution in different countries (see Chapter 4) and international conventions and recommendations addressing the sex industry. In August 2015, Amnesty International voted in favour of adopting a policy that decriminalises “all aspects of consensual sex work” (Amnesty International 2015), including the decriminalisation of buying sex and pimping. In contrast, the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution in 2014 that recommends, among other measures, the adoption of the ‘Swedish model’ of prostitution law, meaning the criminalisation of sex buying and pimping, 1 decriminalisation