Sex Workers in Switzerland

The Swiss People's Party (SVP) has gathered enough signatures to call a cantonal referendum in Zurich on the planned development of a new red-light district in Alstetten, on the outskirts of the city.

By gathering more than the 2,000 signatures needed to call a vote, the SVP hopes to block what it sees as an immoral use of public funds.

Plans to open the new district and end prostitution in the Sihlquai district, behind the main railway station, were scheduled for the spring of 2012. Police and social services had opposed the idea of a referendum, arguing that it would delay the move out of Sihlquai.

So-called performance stalls , are set to be kitted out with parking spaces and alarm buttons.

The head of Zurich's social affairs department, socialist councillor Martin Waser said he is convinced that citizens will vote clearly in favour of the project because the problems in Sihlquai are well known . The situation cannot continue, neither for the sake of the prostitutes nor those living in the area.

2.4 million franc ($2.8m) was raised to finance the scheme via a loan. Most parties voted in favour of the loan, but the project met with resistance from the Swiss People's Party (SVP), the Evangelical People's Party (EVP) and the Swiss Democrats (SD).

The city council must now decide when the referendum will take place. The earliest possible date will be March 11th 2012.

East Java Governor Soekarwo last week announced that his administration planned to close down all the 47 red-light districts spread across the province's 33 regencies and municipalities by next year, or before the end of his term in 2014 at the latest. He also said an unlimited budget would be allocated to realize the plan.

The sooner they are all closed down the better. Morality programs need to be prioritized, he said.

Soekarwo said his administration did not tolerate immoral acts, thus relocation would not be an option in dealing with prostitution. All sex workers would be sent home after being given a dose of religion and appropriate life-skills training, such as how to sew rice or how to work in a factory. The provincial administration will give them Rp 3 million [US$330] each to start a new life in their respective home villages, he said.

The East Java branch of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), which had for the last few years been running a program called the Association of Preachers for Red-Light Districts will also contribute to life-skills training.

Chairman of the association, Abdussomad Buchori, said of the sex workers sent packing: We give them religious instruction while the administration provides them with skills and funding for a new life .

Provincial councillor Kuswiyanto welcomed the administration's plan but warned that the strategy used must be clearly thought through. We need to talk to all the stakeholders, especially those in the commercial-sex business, he said.

Residents of the Swiss city of Zurich will vote Sunday on whether to build dedicated garages where prostitutes can ply their trade, in a proposal aimed at moving streetwalkers away from residential zones.

Proponents for the Zurich referendum want a parking zone built for prostitutes by 2013 at the entrance to the city.

The site would be open from 7pm to 5am, and would have an alley where prostitutes and clients can cruise along and garages where they can carry out their transaction.

The site will be shielded from sight by signs, be fitted with showers and toilets and will feature a gynaecologist for any medical problems and volunteers from the Flora Dora women's group for any advice.

The proposed site aims to eliminate area's like Zurich's Sihlquai area, where about 60 streetwalkers work every night.

There is a lot of competition along Sihlquai, where many women go with their clients to the backyards of buildings, creating a difficult situation for residents who have to put up with the noise and disorder, said Ursula Kocher, who heads Flora Dora.

Kocher said that the proposal had the support of the prostitutes themselves, as it could offer better security.

As the parking site would be under the authority of the municipality, officials can get rid of overly aggressive clients, said Kocher.

Update: Voted Yes

12th March 2012. See article from bbc.co.uk

A proposal to construct what have locally been referred to as sex boxes for prostitutes got the green light from referendum voters in Zurich.

The plan would see the creation of special parking spaces with walls between them where sex workers can ply their trade away from suburban areas in Switzerland's biggest city.

Zurich council has approved a plan to build open drive-in sex boxes, which will, it hopes, provide a discreet location for prostitutes and their customers to conduct business when they open in August next year.

Located in an industrial area of the city, the row of garage-like boxes will have roofs and walls for privacy, and easy access for cars. The council estimates that around 30 prostitutes will meet clients at the site of the boxes, and use the drive-in slots on a first-come-first-served basis.

Michael Herzig, from Zurich's social welfare department, told Swiss Radio:

The big difference is that until now prostitution has been in the public space. Now we are going to change this, move it from the street to a private space in an old industrial area, which belongs to the city. This gives us the possibility to define the rules of prostitution in this area.

The prostitutes who use the boxes will also have to take out medical insurance and buy a £ 26 licence in order to work legally. They will also have to feed five Swiss francs, about £ 3.30, into a roadside ticket machine each night when they clock on.

The opening of the sex boxes will coincide with a major reform of prostitution laws in the city. Prostitution will be outlawed in certain areas of Zurich.