FOREIGN PROSTITUTION IN OSLO Pro Sentret’s knowledge and experiences Av Bjørg Norli Oslo 2006 OSLO KOMMUNE The publishing of this report in English is partly sponsored by two EU projects: "TAMPEP" (a project under the EU public health program) and "Safe return to Motherland in the enlarged Europe" (a project under the Daphne II program). “SAFE RETURN TO MOTHER LAND IN THE ENLARGED EUROPE” The project is financially supported by Daphne II Programme of European Commission - Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security. The Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. - 2 - CONTENT 1. Introduction page 4 2. Theory and methodology page 11 3. Eastern Europe page 21 Russia, the Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova page 21 The Baltic states page 26 Albania page 29 Romania page 36 Bulgaria page 39 4. Nigeria page 42 5. The road ahead page 52 6. References page 65 - 3 - 1 INTRODUCTION According to Ringdal (1997), prostitution is not universal, and is not present in all societies. Nor is it equally extensive everywhere and at all times. In areas undergoing urbanisation, migration and economic upheaval, prostitution has a tendency to increase. In societies without these social characteristics prostitution is therefore, if not entirely absent, at least relatively rare. Nevertheless, people selling sexual services have always had a solid customer base (ibid.). Norway would typically belong in the latter category. And it is in fact true that relatively few Norwegian women and men sell sexual services. In recent years an ever-increasing number of foreign women have entered the Norwegian prostitution market. They come from areas affected by precisely the kinds of social characteristics described above. In this report, Pro Sentret will seek to collate the information that it has about foreign prostitution in Oslo. Pro Sentret has worked with the prostitution market since 1983, and has therefore watched it develop for more than 20 years. The most noticeable change in recent years has been the influx of foreign women working as prostitutes. These women come to Norway for a brief period purely in order to sell sexual services, either as street prostitutes or in the indoor market. Pro Sentret has noticed that the increase in the number of foreign prostitutes has in turn resulted in an increase in the level of organised prostitution. Arena and extent The prostitution market is complex. Women and men sell sexual services to women and men in different arenas. The various arenas are primarily defined by the way in which the buyer and seller make contact. Broadly speaking, prostitution can be divided into street prostitution and prostitution in the indoor market. In the case of street prostitution, contact is made between the buyer and seller in a public space, generally within a limited geographical area. The service may be performed outdoors, in the customer’s car, at a hotel or in the customer’s home. The indoor market is more diversified, consisting of various arenas, such as massage parlours, flats, mobile prostitution and prostitution based at hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs. In the indoor market, contact between buyers and sellers is generally made through advertisements. It is hard to get systematic information about the number of women and men selling sexual services, as it is hard to access the majority of the arenas in which prostitution takes place. The market is also in a constant state of flux. The number of people working in the various arenas and at different locations at any given time can change dramatically over a short period of time. How often and how much each individual works, as well as which groups arrive and which groups disappear, also changes rapidly. Recent developments, particularly in street prostitution in Oslo, provide a good example of the potential for fluctuations within a relatively short period of time. - 4 - In 1995 and 1996, Pro Sentret did not record the presence of any foreign women working as street prostitutes in Oslo. This does not mean that there were no women of foreign origin selling sexual services on the streets, but rather that there were so few that they were not recorded as a separate category. Pro Sentret first recorded foreign women working as street prostitutes in 1997. There were twelve of them. During the following two years, we recorded a similarly low number of foreign women working on the streets. Around the turn of the millennium there was a marked change. The number of women arriving from Eastern Europe increased significantly, and Dominican women also appeared on the street prostitution scene. These two groups were the dominant foreign groups in terms of street prostitution until 2004, when large numbers of Nigerian women started coming to Norway. Over the past two years they have completely outcompeted everyone else, and they are undoubtedly now by far the largest group. In addition to dominating street prostitution in Oslo, which is now almost entirely the domain of foreign women, the Nigerians have also entered the street prostitution markets in other cities such as Bergen and Stavanger. The indoor market probably makes up 60% of the total market for prostitution. The sale of sexual services in this arena is considerably less visible than prostitution that takes place in public spaces. The arena is also constantly changing. There can be a great deal of mobility between the various arenas in the indoor market, but there is little evidence to suggest that there has been much of an overlap between the indoor and street markets over the course of the years. It appears that this may be beginning to change. We are increasingly encountering women who sell sexual services both in the indoor market and as street prostitutes. In addition to Norwegian women and men working as prostitutes in the indoor market, both Thais and Dominicans have long been established in this arena. Regular outreach work in the indoor market over the course of many years has meant that Pro Sentret has gained access to the Thai, Dominican and Eastern European communities, in addition to the Norwegian one. 1600 1500 1400 1300 1200 1100 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Total Norwegian Foreign - 5 - The above table shows changes in the number of people using Pro Sentret and the proportions of Norwegians and foreigners during the period 1995-2005. Although the table does not reveal anything about the actual number of women and men selling sexual services, as it only details the number of people using Pro Sentret, we still believe that the figures provide a useful indication of the changes that occurred in the prostitution market over that period. The table shows that the increase in the number of foreign women working as prostitutes in Norway, regardless of arena, started in earnest in 1999. Unfortunately Pro Sentret does not have figures showing the proportions of Norwegian and foreign users for 2000. By 2001, however, we know that people of foreign origin comprised 19% of our users. The rapid increase continued over the next three years, and by 2004 as many as 63% of our users were foreign. The increase continued into 2005, albeit at a much slower pace. Currently approx. 70% of our users are of foreign origin. Where do the women come from? In 2005, Pro Sentret had 1064 foreign users from 56 different countries. The table below shows the regions our users come from. In addition there was 1 person from Canada and 13 people for whom we do not know a country or region of origin. Asia Africa South America Eastern Western and the Caribbean Europe Europe Thailand 146 Nigeria 393 Dominican Bulgaria 90 Spain 13 Vietnam 2 Ghana 14 Republic 27 Estonia 70 Sweden 8 India 1 Liberia 5 Brazil 7 Lithuania 46 Finland 5 Uzbekistan 1 Kenya 4 Cuba 6 Romania 41 Greece 3 Cameroon 3 Venezuela 5 Albania 38 Portugal 2 South 3 Colombia 4 Poland 34 Cyprus 1 Africa 2 Jamaica 3 Czech Belgium 1 Niger 2 Peru 3 Republic 22 Germany 1 Morocco 1 Chile 1 Russia 13 France 1 Senegal Ecuador 1 Latvia 7 Italy 1 Sierra 1 Nicaragua 1 Moldova 4 Denmark 1 Leone 1 Mexico 1 Hungary 2 Somalia 1 Slovakia 2 Sudan 1 Belarus 1 Tanzania 1 Bosnia 1 Togo 1 Uganda Total 150 433 59 371 37 Right since foreign women entered the Norwegian prostitution market in a big way, Eastern European women have been the largest group. In spite of this group growing slightly from 2004 to 2005, they have now been relegated to second place. 2005 was definitely the year of the Africans. They now make up the biggest group of Pro Sentret’s users. They are also the group that is growing fastest, with growth of 218% from 2004 to 2005. The group from Asia was stable, whilst the number of women from other Western European countries was slightly smaller in 2005 than in 2004. The largest reduction was in the number of women from South America and the Caribbean. There were 116 people in this group in 2004, but only 59 in 2005, a reduction of 51%. - 6 - Looking at the 11 biggest individual countries over the past three years gives a good impression of the changes that have occurred in the prostitution market in Oslo. The Thai community appears to be stable. The number of women from the Baltic states hasn’t changed significantly over the past three years either. The number of Russian and Albanian women has fallen slightly, as has the number of Polish women.