Sexarbeiter*innen dürfen in Bordellen während des 2. Lockdowns wohnen

There are many vulnerable groups in the industry who are in particular need of protection: Migrants, single mothers, Romani people, queer and trans* people, People of Color, people affected by poverty or debt, people suffering from addiction and people without home or shelter.

So far, they have succeeded in taking care of themselves by means of doing sex work. Presently, they are heavily affected by the ban on their work. They frequently fall through the cracks of the State Aid System, they cannot afford to stop working and therefore have to continue working under illegal circumstances.

In recent months we have observed only few attempts by the federal states and state government to adequately protect these groups and support them during the lockdown. In this position paper we are outlining the the facts of the situation and expressing our recommendations/demands for an improvement of the present conditions.

This is the situation since the lockdown in March:

Getting access to support and assistance is difficult or impossible for a large part of sex workers, because:

• many have no registration address, are homeless or without shelter
• language barriers are hindering communication with authorities and counseling centers
• many lack legal identification documents
• due to misinformation about the special taxation procedure called “Düsseldorfer Modell”, many have not received a tax number, which is a necessary requirement in order to apply for assistance from the state

Before the Corona Pandemic, many sex workers lived in or in the same quarters as their workplaces, all of which were closed during the ban. There is still a lack of shelters for those who are now homeless.

The (financial) emergency and the desperation that stems from it, places sex workers in situations of high dependency and fosters (sexual) exploitation:

• Clients who are normally less likely to be accepted by workers – for example because they are seen as less trustworthy or potentially aggressive – are now more likely to be accepted.
• Services or practices which are associated with an increased health risk, or which the individual sex worker does not want to offer for reasons of sexual self-determination, are now more likely to be offered or accepted – for example not using a condom, because the client otherwise threatens to step back from the agreement.
• Homelessness, financial hardship and working under illegal conditions are benefitting the vulnerability of sex workers and the rise of exploitative structures, for example by so-called “Loverboys“.

Sex workers who are forced to work illegally, are less likely to ask for help from authorities in cases of violence and exploitation, for fear of making themselves liable to prosecution.

Violence against sex workers is increasing at an alarming rate.

• Many counseling centers and aid projects report a rise in attacks against sex workers – a circumstance that has long been reported from countries where there is a general ban on buying sex.
• Stigmatizing laws and terminology, as well as the misconstruction of prostitution as being a cause of “super-spreading” the pandemic, promote misogyny, transphobia and anti-migrant violence.

Financial hardship:

• Due to low demand, there has been a sharp fall in prices throughout the industry.
• A rise in accumulated debt
• Many places of prostitution have gone or are going bankrupt – this circumstance reduces the diversity of jobs and leads to monopolies. Fewer choices for sex workers result in increased dependence on working within the remaining businesses – regardless of their working conditions.
• A rise in homelessness, as many sex workers could not/cannot pay their rent

We cannot stand by and watch, as our working and living conditions and those of our collegues in the sex work industry are getting worse and worse by the day. We are strongly urging for change and therefore demand:

– The provision of safe and protected workplaces for sex workers – also during the Corona crisis. We strive to prevent people, who cannot comply with the ban on work, on having to work in unsafe, remote places.

– The provision of corona tests and health care for sex workers – free of charge and also for those without health insurance

– Free access to masks and continued free access to condoms for sex workers

– Equal treatment of the sex work industry with other body related industries during the pandemic, especially concerning the tightening and relaxation of measures against the virus. Sex workers are not “superspreaders”!

• Criminalization of sex work fosters insecure working conditions and environments
• No penalties for sex workers who cannot comply with the ban on sex work due to financial hardship
• Elimination of the “Düsseldorfer Modell“

– Faster and easier access to basic social security benefits for sex workers

– Non-bureaucratic support for all sex workers who fall through the system (people without legal residence status, without registration, without health insurance, without papers…).

• We strongly urge authorities to: Provide and support sex workers that are in need directly or financially support the Emergency Aid Fund of the BesD e.V., which has been empty for weeks.
• Offer a solution for rental support for people that are not getting financial support otherwise and are at risk of homelessness due to the pandemic
• Delay forced evictions during the entire time of crisis
• Increase the number of social workers able to accompany and support people with official appointments (job center, court, etc.).
• Expand the reach and increase the financing of health centers that offer free health care for people without health insurance.

– Acceptance-oriented support structures for helping and counseling sex workers need to be financed and expanded nationwide.

• The work of counseling centers must be financed according to the needs in their area
• As of now, there are zero counseling centers for sex workers in Thüringen – this needs to be adressed and changed quickly!
• More Peer-to-Peer approaches that offer a low-threshold meeting place for everyone – as demonstrated by the Hydra-Café in Berlin – are needed.
• More outreach work on the street and in brothels should be facilitated – also during Corona times (under protective measures).

– There need to be sufficient places available in women’s shelters and also safe accommodation for men, trans*, inter- and non-binary persons seeking shelter from domestic violence.

– More shelters for unhoused people, as well as specially protected accommodation for homeless women, homeless young people and homeless LGBTIQ persons are needed (for example in hotels or hostel rooms). The expansion of accommodation programs such as “Housing First” is strongly recommended.

– The lift or elimination of the prohibition prescribed by the ProstSchG, concerning overnight stays in prostitution facilities, in order to enable the use as a place of living

– Increasing the numbers of public sanitary facilities (toilets, washbasins, showers), especially near sex workers who work the streets.

– Provision of warm meals and food vouchers for sex workers in need of support

– Consultation with sex workers regarding laws and measures that affect us!

Our solidarity goes out to other care workers and hospital staff: We demand relief and appropriate payment instead of being left alone and receiving symbolic applause. We also demand free migration, legitimate offers of help for refugees in Europe and the immediate evacuation of the overcrowded camps at the external borders.

The Corona crisis must not be politically exploited by implementing the criminalization of sex purchase or sex work, which would only serve to marginalize those who are already pushed to the edge of our society.