Prostitution: a View from the Other Side of the Window
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29 autumn-winter 2019/HesaMag #20 Special report 20/33 Prostitution: a view from the other side of the window Prostitution, migration, urban planning, social status and working conditions: the new book by Brussels-based historian and writer Hans Vandecandelaere covers a wide spectrum of themes. Don’t Ask Me Why is a study of the prostitution business and the working conditions affecting female sex workers in Belgium, including foreign nationals. Interview with writer Hans Vandecandelaere Interview by Mehmet Koksal ETUI Why such interest or special focus on and the windows on one hand, to the digital prostitution? phenomenon of prostitution by webcam on the other. You need to apply a separate meth- Hans Vandecandelaere – My book’s title is, odology to some degree for each branch, funnily enough, En vraag niet waarom (Don’t but, when it came to the windows, I devel- Ask Me Why). I think that’s the big question oped what I call in my book the "twee-mi- that every sex worker keeps getting asked: nuten-klant-strategie", which means acting "So, why do you do this job?" In the end, she’ll as a client for the two minutes needed to make just reply with "Stop asking me why, will you!" it into the worker’s bedroom before openly re- I get the same treatment because journalists vealing the nature of my "visit": "I’m actually constantly ask me the same question: "Why called Hans, and I haven’t come here for that. did you write this book?" (Laughter). Any- I’ve come about my book." way, to be serious for a moment, when I wrote my first book on migration in Brussels, I was But weren’t the prostitutes afraid? You have already doing my research in Rue d’Aerschot to admit, seeing a client like that is a bit odd. in Brussels (the red-light district). Although Did you have to pay for these "visits"? I had been intrigued at the time by this sub- ject area, my approach to it was clearly no dif- No, they weren’t scared, just a little intrigued. ferent from that of many other researchers, For the girls in the windows, I’d say that, 80% inasmuch as I wouldn’t speak with the sex of the time, I did have to pay for the interview, workers themselves. So, this means you opt because let’s not forget that they conduct their for the main, traditional research methods, business in a really expensive rental sector. such as going to speak with the police and For a 12-hour shift in Rue d’Aerschot in Brus- health-sector professionals, but you are less sels, they’ll pay 250 euros a day. En vraag niet waarom: likely to dare to have a conversation with the Sekswerk in België (Don’t sex workers themselves. As I said, this subject You mean that the prostitute pays the Ask Me Why: Sex Work In started to fascinate me as far back as eight 250 euros for the 12 hours to the landlord? Belgium) years ago, and I just thought there should be a by Hans Vandecandelaere, much more anthropological approach, inter- Not to the landlord, no – to the window published by EPO, Brussels, 2019 viewing the sex workers as a journalist right operator. French version to be published in where they work, "on their beds" so to speak. March 2020 by 180° éditions We also find out in the book that the In fact, you describe a somewhat unusual nationality of the women behind the method in this book. Can you tell us a little windows has changed a great deal over bit about how you managed to persuade the years. In the past, there seemed to have them to talk to you? been many Belgian and French prostitutes. But the arrival of foreign nationals in the The book provides an insight into all branch- 1990s brought a diversity to the face of es of the sex industry, from street prostitution window prostitution. There’s a lovely turn 30 autumn-winter 2019/HesaMag #20 Special report 21/33 of phrase in the book about the windows that she is a prostitute. Why is that? Because entails maintaining those provisions of crim- being mirrors that reflect the economic when you have a contract of employment that inal law that are absolutely vital, such as crises prevailing in the women’s countries refers to prostitution, the prostitute’s boss au- measures to combat human trafficking and of origin. The shifting nationality of window tomatically becomes a "pimp" in the eyes of child prostitution, but the remaining features prostitutes therefore seems to depend the law, and he then runs the risk of prose- of the profession can be transposed into the on which countries are most affected by cution. The other viable option for prostitutes existing legislation, that is to say, employ- economic turmoil. is to adopt self-employed status, but then the ment legislation. Therefore, nothing actually same problem will arise when they have re- needs to be invented. Yes, I think that gross national product also course to the third-party services of, say, a plays a significant role in the prostitution in- web designer or an accountant – they all will Isn’t that already the case right now in dustry: the higher it is in the host country, the be treated as benefiting from prostitution, Belgium? Aren’t we already in a system greater the likelihood that this country will and that’s illegal. where the public authorities, in particular in attract prostitution. And that’s where you’ll Antwerp, are in fact trying to codify the find a link between prostitution and econom- Who are the winners and losers in this situation by compelling people to register? ic crisis occurring elsewhere. The migration system? we saw in the 1990s was significant in terms What the City of Antwerp is doing in the of window prostitution in Belgium. Prosti- The system definitely has its losers. Let’s start Schipperskwartier (the red-light district) is tutes in the early 1990s were still mainly Bel- with the sex workers themselves: without for- simply organising the district and ensuring gian, but by the end of the decade the whole mal status, they cannot gain access to social the quality of the bars. And so the operators situation had been turned on its head, with or medical insurance cover. Then there are are kept on a tight leash, and they can’t af- the majority of them now foreign nationals the bona fide operators who must live in con- ford to have a criminal record or deviate from mainly coming from eastern Europe and the stant fear of prosecution. I think that bona the rules. However, in relation to undeclared Balkans, as well as Latin America and Africa. fide operators have a really important role to work, the City of Antwerp reacts with: "that’s Then there was another shift in the noughties play in guaranteeing the workers’ well-being. none of our business. It’s a federal matter, and towards home-based prostitution and mas- That said, you might well ask yourself how it’s up to social inspection services to enforce sage parlours. many of those women actually want a recog- the law". nised social status. To my mind, a vast num- We acknowledge this shift and the arrival of ber of them would reply that they are happy What can the local authorities do to improve a new population on the prostitution scene, with the system as it stands because it allows working conditions? In your book, for but where did the Belgian prostitutes go? them to earn "black" money. And that’ll do example, you clearly explain the change that Did they disappear off the face of the earth? nicely, thank you! took place locally in 2011 in Schaerbeek, Did they stop touting for business? the Brussels municipality which decided to Is it really black money (undeclared income)? introduce the requirement that all bars must I just don’t know. Good question. apply for a certificate of compliance – an Often it is, yes, it’s black money, but that’s not idea that was originally developed 10 years Prostitution is generally considered to be always the case everywhere. In the world of earlier by the City of Antwerp. illegal in Belgium, but you explain in this the webcam, for example, the workers can book that this isn’t the case. The illegality download forms and sheets from the online First of all, there’s no governance for the lies in the exploitation or promotion of this platform for submitting their tax returns. other sectors of prostitution. Anything to do occupation, and not in the prostitution itself. Workers in the pornography industry also with local governance is confined to manag- operate under artist status, but a major part ing street or window prostitution. The back- It’s actually the facilitation of prostitution of the business clearly remains undeclared. ground to this is that, after the migration in that is unlawful. And so, in Belgium, we have Personally, I’m all in favour of making this the 1990s, the districts with windows had an abolitionist law which says that you can sector much more transparent through par- completely outgrown their original perime- lawfully be a sex worker. But while this isn’t tial decriminalisation. ters. There were many instances of nuisance illegal, any third parties engaged in the busi- but also, to some degree, problems associ- ness are breaking the law and are liable to Would that mean legalisation and putting ated with human trafficking.