EN 
DE The well-being of sex workers varies greatly from country to country. To find out how your country compares, simply interact with the map below or scroll down for our key findings and methodology. more
The well-being of sex workers varies greatly from country to country. To find out how your country compares, simply interact with the map below or scroll down for our key findings and methodology. more
Overall Rankings
| Country | Advocacy Groups2 | Social Cohesion3 | Red Light Districts4 | Street Prostitution5 | |
| 1 | Germany | 11 | 92% | 34 | 13% |
| 2 | Austria | 5 | 92% | 3 | 15% |
| 3 | Netherlands | 4 | 90% | 17 | 11% |
| 4 | New Zealand | 1 | 96% | 4 | 17% |
| 5 | Luxembourg | 0 | 92% | 1 | 30% |
| 6 | Canada | 26 | 93% | 6 | 21% |
| 7 | Spain | 8 | 95% | 21 | 46% |
| 8 | UK | 6 | 93% | 21 | 23% |
| 9 | Finland | 2 | 95% | 1 | 10% |
| 10 | Denmark | 2 | 95% | 2 | 25% |
| 11 | Belgium | 5 | 92% | 13 | 34% |
| 12 | Latvia | 0 | 86% | 0 | 40% |
| 13 | United States | - | 91% | 74 | 20% |
| 14 | Hungary | 1 | 84% | 0 | 40% |
| 15 | Australia | 11 | 95% | 10 | 2% |
| 16 | Greece | 2 | 82% | 1 | 60% |
| 17 | Italy | 5 | 91% | 1 | 60% |
| 18 | Slovenia | 0 | 91% | 0 | 2% |
| 19 | Estonia | 1 | 90% | 0 | 2% |
| 20 | Poland | 3 | 89% | 0 | 40% |
| 21 | Slovakia | 0 | 91% | 0 | 73% |
| 22 | Czech Republic | 0 | 89% | 1 | 19% |
| 23 | Portugal | 4 | 87% | 4 | 45% |
| 24 | Sweden | 3 | 91% | 0 | 23% |
| 25 | France | 8 | 88% | 35 | 61% |
Advocacy Groups
| Country | Advocacy Groups | Social Cohesion | Red Light Districts | Street Prostitution | |
| 1 | Canada | 26 | 93% | 6 | 21% |
| 2 | Germany | 11 | 92% | 34 | 13% |
| 2 | Australia | 11 | 95% | 10 | 2% |
| 3 | Spain | 8 | 95% | 21 | 46% |
| 3 | France | 8 | 88% | 35 | 61% |
| 4 | UK | 6 | 93% | 21 | 23% |
| 5 | Austria | 5 | 92% | 3 | 15% |
| 5 | Belgium | 5 | 92% | 13 | 34% |
| 5 | Italy | 5 | 91% | 1 | 60% |
| 6 | Netherlands | 4 | 90% | 17 | 11% |
| 6 | Portugal | 4 | 87% | 4 | 45% |
| 7 | Sweden | 3 | 91% | 0 | 23% |
| 7 | Poland | 3 | 89% | 0 | 40% |
| 8 | Finland | 2 | 95% | 1 | 10% |
| 8 | Denmark | 2 | 95% | 2 | 25% |
| 8 | Greece | 2 | 82% | 1 | 60% |
| 9 | Estonia | 1 | 90% | 0 | 2% |
| 9 | Hungary | 1 | 84% | 0 | 40% |
| 9 | New Zealand | 1 | 96% | 4 | 17% |
| 10 | Luxembourg | 0 | 92% | 1 | 30% |
| 10 | Slovenia | 0 | 91% | 0 | 2% |
| 10 | Czech Republic | 0 | 89% | 1 | 19% |
| 10 | Latvia | 0 | 86% | 0 | 40% |
| 10 | Slovakia | 0 | 91% | 0 | 73% |
| 10 | United States | - | 91% | 74 | 20% |
Red Light Districts
| Country | Advocacy Groups | Social Cohesion | Red Light Districts | Street Prostitution | |
| 1 | Belgium | 5 | 92% | 13 | 34% |
| 2 | Netherlands | 4 | 90% | 17 | 11% |
| 3 | New Zealand | 1 | 96% | 4 | 17% |
| 4 | France | 8 | 88% | 35 | 61% |
| 5 | Germany | 11 | 92% | 34 | 13% |
| 5 | Spain | 8 | 95% | 21 | 46% |
| 5 | Luxembourg | 0 | 92% | 1 | 30% |
| 5 | Portugal | 4 | 87% | 4 | 45% |
| 5 | Australia | 11 | 95% | 10 | 2% |
| 6 | Austria | 5 | 92% | 3 | 15% |
| 6 | UK | 6 | 93% | 21 | 23% |
| 6 | Denmark | 2 | 95% | 2 | 25% |
| 7 | Finland | 2 | 95% | 1 | 10% |
| 7 | Canada | 26 | 93% | 6 | 21% |
| 8 | Czech Republic | 0 | 89% | 1 | 19% |
| 8 | Greece | 2 | 82% | 1 | 60% |
| 8 | United States | - | 91% | 74 | 20% |
| 9 | Estonia | 1 | 90% | 0 | 2% |
| 9 | Slovenia | 0 | 91% | 0 | 2% |
| 9 | Italy | 5 | 91% | 1 | 60% |
| 9 | Sweden | 3 | 91% | 0 | 23% |
| 9 | Poland | 3 | 89% | 0 | 40% |
| 9 | Latvia | 0 | 86% | 0 | 40% |
| 9 | Hungary | 1 | 84% | 0 | 40% |
| 9 | Slovakia | 0 | 91% | 0 | 73% |
Street Prostitution
| Country | Advocacy Groups | Social Cohesion | Red Light Districts | Street Prostitution | |
| 1 | Australia | 11 | 95% | 4 | 2% |
| 1 | Slovenia | 0 | 91% | 0 | 2% |
| 1 | Estonia | 1 | 90% | 0 | 2% |
| 2 | Finland | 2 | 95% | 2 | 10% |
| 3 | Netherlands | 4 | 90% | 10 | 11% |
| 4 | Germany | 11 | 92% | 4 | 13% |
| 5 | Austria | 5 | 92% | 3 | 15% |
| 6 | New Zealand | 1 | 96% | 8 | 17% |
| 7 | Czech Republic | 0 | 89% | 1 | 19% |
| 8 | United States | - | 91% | 1 | 20% |
| 9 | Canada | 26 | 93% | 2 | 21% |
| 10 | Sweden | 3 | 91% | 0 | 23% |
| 10 | UK | 6 | 93% | 3 | 23% |
| 11 | Denmark | 2 | 95% | 3 | 25% |
| 12 | Luxembourg | 0 | 92% | 4 | 30% |
| 13 | Belgium | 5 | 92% | 11 | 34% |
| 14 | Hungary | 1 | 84% | 0 | 40% |
| 14 | Latvia | 0 | 86% | 0 | 40% |
| 14 | Poland | 3 | 89% | 0 | 40% |
| 15 | Portugal | 4 | 87% | 4 | 45% |
| 16 | Spain | 8 | 95% | 4 | 46% |
| 17 | Greece | 2 | 82% | 1 | 60% |
| 17 | Italy | 5 | 91% | 0 | 60% |
| 18 | France | 8 | 88% | 5 | 61% |
| 19 | Slovakia | 0 | 91% | 0 | 73% |
Germany is one of the very few countries where sex work is completely legal. With the Prostitution Act 2002 and the Prostitute Protection Act 2017, there is a legal framework that recognizes prostitutes and prescribes minimum standards for working conditions. Prostitutes in Germany, like any other self-employed individual, can seek a pension and health insurance. Numerous organizations and associations are committed to the well-being of those working in the red light industry and, if necessary, exert pressure on politicians, for example when laws should be amended. There are numerous counseling opportunities for prostitutes, as well as help and advice for those who want to leave the industry. In Germany, prostitutes have sometimes become public figures appearing on TV talk shows calling for a more positive view of the issue of 'sex as gainful employment'. The most well-known names include Salomé Balthuis, who works as a luxury escort, or the French-born former prostitute and writer Emma Becker. It was the latter who, with 'La Maison', wrote a fascinating, autobiographical novel about sex work in Germany, compulsory reading for anyone interested in the subject of prostitution.
When you think of prostitution and the Netherlands, you probably immediately think of the world-famous red light district in Amsterdam. The liberal Dutch follow the principle of visibility: if prostitution takes place in public, then it cannot allow itself any illegal excesses. The country has the second highest density of red light districts in a European comparison. Where else can you find dozens of ladies standing or sitting in red-lit shop windows in the middle of the city centre and just a few metres away the children are playing in the street? In the Netherlands, the situation of sex workers can therefore be described as comparatively comfortable and safe with the best conditions for legal and modern sex work. Numerous social workers and associations take care of their well-being. Street prostitution is also extremely rare in the Netherlands.
In Austria prostitution is essentially legal, with sex service providers being regarded by the state as “almost” self-employed. We say “almost” because some additional regulations apply to them, depending on the respective state in which the sexual services are offered. Prostitution takes place almost exclusively in brothels and comparable establishments, with street prostitution only allowed in some parts of Vienna. A special feature of the alpine state are the mandatory regular health examinations. If you want to offer sex services legally in Austria, you have to have a comprehensive health check carried out on you beforehand. This check-up must then be repeated every six weeks. This relatively rigorous measure is probably one of the most closely-meshed health surveillance systems for prostitutes in all of Europe and is intended to ensure the highest possible level of safety for both service providers and customers. The Austrian state also provides comprehensive information and educational materials.
Almost every major city in Belgium has red light districts with typical ‘shop window’ prostitution. It may come as some surprise then that Belgium follows a classic abolitionist policy, as although prostitution is fundamentally legal in the BeNeLux country, there are ongoing political efforts to curb the supply of sexual services as much as possible. Indeed, every city in Belgium has the legal right to restrict prostitution for moral reasons or to maintain public order. There is now a comprehensive ban on advertising for sexual services, which extends to all types of communication. Cities like Ghent or Liège have also banned shop window prostitution or banished it outside the city gates, and Antwerp has completely reorganized and strictly regulated its red light district. At the same time, the Belgian state is strongly committed against human trafficking in the prostitution environment and takes tough action against related criminal machinations, which is also reflected in repeated increases in the relevant penalties.
Because there are no legal texts in Spain that explicitly deal with prostitution, there are no related bans in Spain. However, certain activities, such as pimping, are prohibited. In general, prostitution is considered to be quite widespread in Spain, which is also associated with the high number of immigrants from Africa and Latin America. Street prostitution has a relatively high share of 46% in the sunny Mediterranean country. In general, prostitution is accepted in Spain and, despite public debates, it also takes place in numerous brothels or term apartments. There are at least 8 different advocacy groups for prostitutes in Spain, which means that the country, together with France, occupies the second best place in an intra-European comparison. Historically, there has been tolerance of prostitution in Spain going back centuries. Famous local painters such as Francisco Goya or Pablo Picasso have captured their experiences in noble brothels as works of art on canvases.
In the island nation of Great Britain, prostitution is essentially legal. However, many related activities are prohibited, such as pimping, promoting prostitution in public spaces, purposfully slow driving looking for street prostitutes ('crawling'), or owning a brothel. In Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, the exception is that any purchase of sex has been illegal since June 2015. In the rest of the country, prostitution is only prohibited if a prostitute is a minor or is forced to work. Despite the ban on advertising, so-called 'tart cards' are widespread, colorful advertising stickers with photos and telephone numbers of prostitutes that are affixed in telephone booths or other public places. According to studies, 88% of prostitutes in Great Britain are female and 41% come from abroad, which corresponds to a comparatively low proportion of immigrants in a European comparison. Due to the Victorian past, prostitution has long been controversial in Great Britain but it has always been widespread, in party due to the prevalence of lower-class poverty during industrialization in the 19th century. According to surveys, a majority of British people nowadays are in favor of a complete decriminalization of prostitution, which is also what local interest groups are calling for.
In the Scandinavian state of Finland, prostitution is viewed relatively critically. A ban on all prostitution-related activities planned by the government in 2006, however, failed to find a parliamentary majority. Since then, activities such as pimping and human trafficking have been banned, but there is no fundamental ban on sex work. Interestingly, establishing contacts in public spaces, including in bars and restaurants, is prohibited. Street prostitution is relatively low with a share of 10%, which means that sparsely populated and rather cold Finland has one of the lowest values in a European comparison. It is estimated that 80-90% of contacts between prostitutes and suitors in Finland take place over the Internet. According to surveys, the acceptance to controlled, decriminalized prostitution in Finnish society is slowly but surely increasing.
Germany’s northern neighbor Denmark is relatively relaxed about the issue of prostitution. Denmark orients itself much more to the liberal Netherlands than to prohibitionist Sweden when it comes to legislation and social attitudes to prostitution. Sex work has been largely decriminalized here since 1999, while pimping, brothel operations and the prostitution of minors remain illegal. The Danish state is very active in the fight against human trafficking. The prostitution laws are checked for effectiveness every couple of years and refined and adjusted as necessary. In Greenland, which is part of the Danish legal area, prostitution is still illegal, although a kind of hospitality prostitution is said to have existed there in the traditional Inuit culture. It is estimated that there are around 5,000 prostitutes in Denmark, around half of whom are from abroad, of which around 1,000 are from Thailand.
The BeNeLux state of Luxembourg is the second smallest country in Europe after Malta. Despite only 600,000 inhabitants, prostitution does take place in Luxembourg and is relatively widespread. According to the current legal situation, erotic establishments such as brothels and clubs are prohibited, but prostitution is allowed in apartments. Activities in the independent escort sector or street prostitution are also legal. The latter is only permitted in a few streets and violations are punished with high fines. It is estimated that there are around 300 prostitutes in the country. Since neighboring France massively tightened its prostitution laws, a sharp increase in prostitution has been observed in Luxembourg. In politics, sex work is discussed with heated debates in Luxembourg. Whilst some groups see the prohibitionist Swedish model as a role model for Luxembourg, others argue for a liberal regulatory approach like the one in the Netherlands.
In Baltic Estonia, prostitution was made legal when independence arrived in 1918. Prostitutes were registered and also given regular medical examinations. After the Soviet occupation of the country in 1940, all forms of sex work and pornography were strictly forbidden. This only changed with the country's second independence from the late 1980s. Today prostitution is legal in Estonia, although the activity is not recognized as a profession and organized prostitution is prohibited. Therefore, there are no official brothels or escort agencies in Estonia. But there is an organized political interest group for sex workers. With a very low share of only 2% of the total amount of prostitiution in the country, street prostitution is not common in Estonia. Across the rest of Europe, only Slovenia has a figure as low.
The practice of prostitution has been discriminated in Slovenia since 2003, although pimping, arranging and promoting sex work remain illegal. As in Estonia, the proportion of street prostitution is very small at only 2%. However, there have been numerous headlines about criminal prostitution rings forcing women into prostitution and engaging in human trafficking, mostly involving women from Serbia or the Ukraine. Although prostitution is essentially legal in Slovenia, there are still challenges in implementing the laws to protect those working in the industry or help those who wish to leave it. Unfortunately, there is still no association or organization in Slovenia that represents the interests of sex workers in public and gives them a political voice.
In Catholic Italy, prostitution has been banned since 1958, and it had only been legal in the ten years before this. Street prostitution in Italy accounts for 60% of prostitution in the country. This is the third highest proportion in a European comparison, equalling Greece and only exceeded by France and Slovakia. The massive increase of poor immigrants from Africa and Eastern Europe in recent years is one of the reasons for this high figure. In some parts of Italy it is not unusual to see prostitutes sitting on folding chairs on country roads waiting for suitors, despite the trade being prohibited. When the interest groups of Italian sex workers demand legalization or decriminalization in order to protect those working in the industry, there are often outraged reactions from politicians, the church and the general population. An abolition of the prohibition of prostitution is therefore not to be expected in Italy for the time being.
Scandinavian Sweden has had its own approach to dealing with prostitution since 1999. There is a comprehensive ban on buying sex there, which has also become internationally known as the Swedish or Nordic model. In Sweden it is not the providers of sexual services that are punished, but the buyers, i.e. the clients. According to recent surveys, the majority of the Swedish population is inclined to accept this legal situation. The Swedish government has even appointed a special ambassador who, on international trips, encourages the use of the Swedish model in other countries and promotes greater adaptation of this concept in global organizations such as the UN. Due to the social stigmatization of those paying for sex, there are often high profile cases in the media in which public figures are convicted of using prostitution and thus their reputations are damaged and lucrative business contracts lost. Since 2011, people paying for sex in Sweden also run the risk of up to twelve months in prison.
Prostitution has been legal again in Portugal since 1983. However, it is not subject to any regulations, which means that there are no registration requirements or mandatory health examinations. Europe's westernmost country is therefore also something like the wild west of the continent when it comes to prostitution. Street prostitution accounts for a relatively high proportion of all sex work at 45% of the total amount of prostitution in the country. Throughout Portugal there are establishments such as brothels, sex apartments, massage parlors and street lines. It is estimated that around 6,500 prostitutes work in Lisbon alone. Male prostitutes, so-called gigolos, are also widespread in Portugal, and they are often immigrants from Brazil or Africa. According to statements from international organizations, Portugal also sees high levels of illegal activity associated with prostitution such as human trafficking and fake marriages with non-EU citizens.
Germany's eastern neighbor Poland has legalized prostitution since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989. While it is forbidden to operate brothels and pimping, prostitutes often offer their services in massage parlors and through legal escort agencies, which can register as a company in the normal way. Interestingly, prostitution is the only activity in Poland for which no taxes have to be paid to the state. The flip side of the coin, however, is that prostitutes cannot enroll for social insurance and can only take out health insurance or pension insurance in a protracted manner. Many prostitutes working in the DACH countries originally come from Poland and return to their homeland after a few months or years of earning money.
In the Czech Republic, the practice of prostitution has been decriminalized since 1989 and can be described as widespread in a European comparison. There are said to be 200 brothels in the capital Prague alone. There are also numerous erotic establishments on the borders with Germany and Austria. Prostitution is seen as a type of attraction in the Czech Republic and certainly contributes its part to the large tourist flows that travel to the Czech Republic every year. Unfortunately, the Czech Republic is traditionally one of the main hubs for international human trafficking in prostitution. For some years now the government has been taking steps to remedy this situation, however it is still the case that prostitutes in the Czech Republic move in a legal gray area because sex work is neither explicitly legal nor illegal, but simply takes place largely unregulated. The introduction of a prostitution law failed in a parliamentary vote in 2005 and has been on hold ever since. While some Czech politicians welcome this situation and see real legalization as the wrong signal to the traffickers, others also hope that state control will bring about a significant containment of human trafficking.
Prostitution is essentially legal and decriminalized in Latvia, but not recognized as a profession. The promotion of prostitution as well as its organization for one's own financial advantage and the operation of brothels is prohibited. Nevertheless, prostitution is flourishing in Latvia and the capital Riga in particular is a popular destination for sex tourism and bachelor parties. Sex work may only be undertaken in apartments that have been rented by the service providers themselves. However, if neighbors complain or the apartment is less than 100m away from a school or church, the use of an apartment for this purpose is prohibited. Although the authorities are now cracking down on human trafficking and sexual exploitation, Latvia still has a reputation as a European hotspot for illegal prostitution. According to studies, sexually transmitted diseases are more prevalent among sex workers in Latvia.
To this day France has a global reputation as the land of love and eroticism and numerous world-famous novels by French writers of the 19th century, such as The Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas, deal with the subject of prostitution. The legendary brothels of Paris from the Belle-Époque, which lasted into the 1920s, are still known to this day. They were considered to be important cultural contact points for the rich and intellectual upper class and there are countless myths and legends about these brothels. However, there was also a darker side to prostitution in France. This is expressed, for example, by the French author and libertine Marquis de Sade, who from today's perspective is considered a founder of BDSM culture and from whose surname the term sadism was derived. Up until about 1945 there were also so-called 'Maisons d'abattages' in France, brothels called slaughterhouses, in which the worst conditions prevailed in every respect and the clients waited tightly in queues for their brief assignment. The terrible conditions and rampant sexually transmitted diseases then led to a statutory prostitution ban after the Second World War, which is still in force today. Despite the fact that prostitution has always played a major role in French culture and there are numerous interest groups for sex workers (only Germany has more), even a seductive look from a prostitute to a potential client and vice versa is already a criminal offense. 61% of all prostitution in France takes place unregulated on the streets, the second highest figure in Europe. Prostitutes in France also find it difficult to turn to the police if they are victims of a crime, as they face high fines for their work.
Prostitution has generally been legal in Hungary since 1999. Since 2006, prostitutes have had to register, pay taxes and have regular medical examinations. Although cities have the right to designate individual zones where prostitution can be practiced, this has not happened so far and there are an estimated 500 illegal brothels in Budapest alone. The number of prostitutes across the country is thought to add up to around 100,000 and street prostitution also has a comparatively high proportion of 40%. Sex workers in Hungary work alone more often than elsewhere in Europe too. A large proportion of prostitutes across Europe originally come from Hungary, but unfortunately the country has been a hotspot of international human trafficking for many years.
Mediterranean Greece with its numerous islands has been considered liberal since ancient times when it comes to sex and prostitution. The liberal legislation in Greece roughly corresponds to that of Germany or the Netherlands. In Greece, prostitutes have to register and have regular medical examinations. At least that is the theory. In practice, it is estimated that for every 1,000 registered sex workers there are around 20,000 illegally active prostitutes. The extent of street prostitution is very high at 60% of the total prostitution in the country. There is also a strikingly high number of HIV infections amongst Greek prostitutes and the growing rate of illegal immigration of people from the poorest regions of Africa and Asia results in a steady flow of people who are very vulnerable and at risk of human trafficking.
Prostitution is generally legal in Slovakia. However, brothels, pimping and the initiation of prostitution are prohibited. In the capital Bratislava, however, there are massage parlors and higher-priced escort agencies that still provide sexual services. There are also legal strip bars where prostitutes advertise for customers despite the ban. This is only the tip of the iceberg though, compared to figures for street prostitution in Slovakia. 73% of all prostitution takes place on the street in Slovakia, which is the highest figure in Europe. Prostitutes do not have any public interest groups in Slovakia and the country is considered a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking in prostitution. The country's Roma minority as well as foreigners from Moldova or the Ukraine are the most affected. The traffickers themselves often get away with relatively minor fines.
Prostitution is generally illegal in the United States. The decision-making power over possible decriminalisation lies not with the federal government in Washington DC, but with the respective states. Only in a few counties of Nevada is prostitution legal (to varying degrees) and this is in rural areas. The hotspots include the areas around Las Vegas and the city of Reno. Brothels and prostitutes there have to register with the responsible county sheriff and have weekly health examinations. As in Germany, use of a condom is compulsory. The fact that there are only small areas in Nevada where sex work is legalized does not change the fact that prostitution is still practiced in many places in Nevada and throughout the rest of the United States. Sex work is punished as a misdemeanor or disruption of public order. There are therefore no official brothels outside of Nevada in the USA. However, prostitutes offer sexual services in many massage parlors, strip clubs and porn cinemas and also on the streets. Indeed, there is a relatively large amount of prostitution in the USA, as well as the world's largest porn industry. Nevertheless, efforts by individual groups to legalize prostitution have so far always failed. This may be explained by the very Christian-conservative culture prevalent throughout the United States. The situation for sex workers in the USA in this case is therefore probably comparable to the situation in Italy.
In Canada, the legal status of prostitution was completely reformed in 2014. Since then, as in Sweden, it has been illegal to buy or advertise sexual services or to benefit from income generated by sexual services. Even 'moderate' erotic services such as Tantra massages are now considered illegal in Canada. Offering sexual services however remains legal. Canadian law does not differentiate between sex work, prostitution or forced prostitution. Sex worker advocates in Canada therefore point out that the typical problems of poverty, forced or drug prostitution are projected across the board onto all types of sexual service. The background to the relatively new regulations is a worldview that is based on the so-called Swedish model. According to this point of view, prostitution cannot possibly take place in a positive form and in any case represents an exploitation of women. Even if a sex worker were active of her own free will, this would therefore paint a wrong picture of women in society. It is assumed that gender equality can only be achieved socially if everyone has internalized that a woman is not 'for sale' like a commodity. This approach is sometimes controversial because money also plays a role in other decisions about activities. Where some see women being liberated from patriarchal structures, others see women and their bodies being controlled by others. This debate will certainly continue in the years to come. The role of homosexual or transsexual prostitution often remains unclear, since it makes up only around 5% of total prostitution.
According to estimates, around 20,000-25,000 prostitutes are working in Australia out of its 25 million inhabitants. Since the 1970s there have often been complex political debates in the country in which the various options for organizing prostitution are discussed. Years of back and forth discussions ultimately led to the legal situation differing from state to state. Nowadays, there is a regulatory divide between east and west in Australia. In other words, in the states of Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania, sex work is largely unregulated, but also decriminalized, but only for purely self-employed prostitutes. Brothels and pimping are prohibited. In the eastern states of the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, however, prostitution is fully legal and regulated. Brothels and street prostitution are also legal and sex workers have to register like any other self-employed individual. Nevertheless, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) notes that Australia is one of 21 countries with the highest levels of human trafficking. It is estimated that 300-1,000 women are brought to Australia for forced prostitution against their will each year, mostly from Asia.
Diverse New Zealand with just under 5 million inhabitants has one of the most liberal prostitution laws in the world. Since the Prostitution Reform Act (PRA) went into effect in 2003, brothels, escort agencies, and promoting sexual services have all been legal. It is even legal to earn a living by prostituting other people, although forced prostitution is prohibited. The PRA was adopted very narrowly with 60 votes in favour versus 59 against in parliament, and saw a revision in 2008. The New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective (NZPC) is a strong political lobby for sex workers in the country, the organization is also co-financed by the New Zealand Ministry of Health. Efforts by some conservative political players to at least ban street prostitution have since failed again because the majority of New Zealanders felt that the dangers of concealed prostitution outweigh the problems that can arise from open, street prostitution. Critics of the profession state that the number of sex workers has quadrupled since liberalization but this has not been proven with statistical analysis to date. Incidentally, only people with permanent residence permits or those born in the country are allowed to work as prostitutes in New Zealand. People with a temporary visa are not allowed to work as prostitutes in New Zealand and entry into the country for the purpose of prostitution is also illegal.
BACKGROUND
The legal and social situation of sex workers differs from country to country, in some cases quite significantly. While a few countries like Germany, the Netherlands or New Zealand are taking the path of legalization and regulation, prostitution is prohibited by law in many other European countries and almost everywhere in the USA. Due to the different legal conditions and fluctuating social acceptance of prostitution from country to country, there are sometimes considerable differences in the working and living conditions of sex service providers.
The background to the numerous bans and the widespread social ostracism of prostitution are the numerous points of criticism voiced by those who oppose the industry. On the one hand, there is moralizing criticism, which is justified, for example, with conservative or religious values. For these critics, sex, as practiced in prostitution, is considered wrong, since it does not take place in the orderly channels of marriage or romance. On the other hand, there is also criticism from the feminist side, arguing that the acceptance of prostitution automatically also negatively influences the overall image of women in a society. "Women are not for sale," it is often said. Of course, women are not for sale, because that would be human trafficking, but they offer a service, albeit an erotic one. The existence of voluntary sex work is often ignored and the reality is denied in which there are strongly sex-positive people (including women) who tend to debauchery to the extreme in their sex life. Earning money with a hobby is also not considered as a possible legitimate activity. In general, if sex work is sensibly regulated and controlled, then ideally only people who do this voluntarily would find themselves there. In a liberal, modern society, it is not sex work that is problematic in itself, but forced labor, i.e. forced prostitution. After all, nobody comes up with the idea of banning agriculture because slaves were used as forced laborers.
We from LustMag have therefore carried out a study that is intended to shed light on the rather confusing and diversified data situation on the working conditions of prostitutes in an international comparison. To do this, we compared 25 countries in the western world and awarded points in five different prostitution-relevant categories. The result is a ranking of important countries, sorted from the best working conditions to the most problematic. Each country has its own legal and social characteristics. Our set goal is to find out which factors best prevent possible negative side effects of prostitution and thus protect precisely those people who are involved in sex work as well as possible.
OUR APPROACH
How did we proceed? To create our international Sexworker Index, we examined each country according to the following criteria.
- Legal situation: to what extent are sex workers legally protected and recognized?
- Representation of interests: do the sex workers have a lobby that represents their interests vis-à-vis politics and the public?
- Social cohesion: how many sex workers can rely on their network in an emergency?
- Red light district: Are there designated red light districts where sex workers can carry out their work under controlled and therefore safe conditions?
- Street prostitution: what is the proportion of often problematic street or car prostitution?
Up to 100 points can be achieved in each category, with the best conditions for sex workers. The points from all categories are added up and standardized with a formula for better comparability. You can find the final ranking of all countries compared in the table below.
Our findings
In this comparison, according to our study, the best working conditions for prostitutes are in Germany and Austria, closely followed by the Netherlands. Prostitution is legalized and regulated by the state in all three countries. Like other self-employed people, sex workers can register as small business owners, pay taxes legally and take out health and pension insurance schemes. Street lines make up at most 15% of prostitution in all three countries and numerous associations and social organizations represent the interests of sex workers. Outside Europe, New Zealand is considered a prime example of good working conditions in prostitution.
At the lower end of the scale are Hungary, Greece and Slovakia, where we found some shortcomings. In all three countries the rate of street prostitution is very high at 40-73% and the interests of prostitutes are hardly heard politically. Unfortunately, Hungary and Slovakia are seen as hubs for human trafficking from third countries such as Ukraine or Moldova, while in Greece numerous immigrants from the poorest countries in the Middle East and Africa end up involuntarily in prostitution. In all three countries there is also the positive side of prostitution, but it is only a small tip of a large iceberg, which consists of street prostitutes and the lack of state protection for sex workers.
Further implications and insights
But what do these results mean if we focus on Germany? First place sounds pretty good at first, but what exactly can we conclude from that? Does that mean we can pat each other on the back as a model country and rest on our laurels? It would be nice, because there is still a lot going on in this country and we are still a long way from being able to speak of optimal conditions for sex work in Germany. In order to gain further insights into the topic of sex work in Germany at this point, we were able to ask the dominatrix Lady Susan from Berlin as an expert further questions:
Lady Susan, in our Sexworker Index Germany comes in first place just ahead of Austria. In your opinion, has the situation for sex workers in Germany improved in recent years?
"That’s a tough question. On the one hand, we in Germany are very fortunate that sex work is viewed (at least predominantly) as a job like many others in politics. For example, sex workers can take out health insurance and deduct their business expenses from taxes. Right now, during the Corona crisis, it has been clearly seen that sex workers (at least those who have registered their business accordingly) can get Corona help from the state just as much as, for example, a craft business. I think that’s fair in a European and international comparison and see it as a sign that sex work is gaining more and more acceptance. Sex work is an industry and is treated as such.
On the other hand, there are laws in Germany that stigmatize sex work - whether consciously or unconsciously - and, in my opinion, are completely impractical. The Prostitution Protection Act (ProstSchG), for example, stipulates that as a sex worker, you must personally present yourself to the responsible authority, undergo (unfortunately not always competent) advice and, at the end, have to carry an ID with a photo with you during controls . On the other hand, I have never heard of a baker’s ID or a seller’s ID"
Do you or your colleagues have demands / suggestions for politicians on how the situation for sex workers in Germany could be improved?
"In my opinion, the ProstSchG in particular should be revised and, above all, women and men from the trade should be called in as advisors. The law was certainly well meant and was primarily intended to curb forced prostitution. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. In principle, a dialogue between all those involved, regardless of the industry, always helps to strengthen communication and understanding with and for one another. The advice centers (such as Hydra or the Federal Association of Sexual Services eV) should also be supported, promoted and listened to much more. "
What role does the social acceptance of the activity play in this? Do you have the impression that our society is developing for the better?
"Social acceptance increases with increasing awareness. It is important to be open about sex work. That is why I and many of my colleagues are happy to answer questions and thus dispel many prejudices. When people understand that prostitution is not always dirty and coercive, tolerance and, above all, acceptance also increase. For example, if someone asks me at a party what I do for a living, I answer him or her that I work as a classic dominatrix and that I run my own studio. Most of the time, people are interested in what I do and are eager to find out more. Six or seven years ago it was completely different. Back then, more people turned away from me when I talked about my job. In this respect, I see a positive development and hope that tolerance in society will continue to grow.
Society has become increasingly colorful and diverse in recent years, both in terms of gender and sexual orientation. "
Do you feel well represented by the interest groups / associations in Germany?
"I am a member of the Federal Association of Sexual Services eV and I have to say that I felt very well advised and in good hands there, especially at the beginning of the Corona crisis. It is good and important to be able to exchange ideas with colleagues and I am firmly convinced that interest groups are important in order to be heard politically. "
Thank you very much for this interview, Lady Susan!
SUMMARY
As the interview with Lady Susan shows, there are still some areas for improvement in Germany despite all the advances made in recent years. Furthermore, state aid for sex workers during the Coronavirus crisis has shown that German politicians are now taking the industry seriously, giving it similar considerations to other more "traditional" sectors of the economy. Even so, it's important that the interest groups of sex workers continue to be heard and, above all, their expertise be given greater consideration when existing prostitution laws are updated.
What this study has shown us is that although there is still a real and significant disparity between how sex workers are treated in different countries, it is those states who have liberalised their sex industry who are reaping the rewards... at least in terms of the wellbeing of their sex workers. And after all, if governments have but one responsibility, isn't that to look after the wellbeing of their own citizens, sex worker or otherwise?
We are excited about the future, because if history is anything to go by then social liberalization is seldom stopped and even less often reversed.
Sources:
- ABEL, G., FITZGERALD, L., & BRUNTON, C. (2009). The Impact of Decriminalisation on the Number of Sex Workers in New Zealand. Journal of Social Policy, 38(3), 515-531. doi:10.1017/S0047279409003080
- Benoit, C., Smith, M., Jansson, M. et al. Canadian Sex Workers Weigh the Costs and Benefits of Disclosing Their Occupational Status to Health Providers. Sex Res Soc Policy 16, 329–341 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-018-0339-8
- Church, Henderson, Barnard, Hart: BMJ. 322 (7285): 524-525
- Cunningham & Kendall. (2011). Prostitution 2.0: The changing face of sex work. Journal of Urban Economics, 69(3), 273-287.
- Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD), Better Life Index (https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/)
- Philippe Adair & Oksana Nezhyvenko, Assessing how large is the market for prostitution in the European Union. Éthique et économique / Ethics and economics, Éthique et économique, 2017, 14 (2), pp.116-136 (Table 4).
- Swedish Government, The Ban against the Purchase of Sexual Services. On evaluation 1999–2008. (SOU 2010: 49), pp.20.
- The Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform, Membership list (https://sexworklawreform.com/about-us/member-groups/)
- The International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe, Membership list (https://www.sexworkeurope.org/about-us/membership)
- Wikipedia, List of red-light districts (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_red-light_districts)
- Wikipedia, Prostitution in Europe (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Europe)
- Wikipedia, Sex worker organizations in New Zealand (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Sex_worker_organizations_in_New_Zealand)
Definitions
- Legal situation: The legality of prostitution varies between complete legality (legal and regulated), abolitionism (legal but unregulated), neo-abolitionism (sex work allowed, sex purchase and sex purchase mediation prohibited) and prohibition (sex work and sex purchase prohibited). Information on the legal situation in all states was taken from the well-documented Wikipedia article on "Prostitution in Europe".
- Advocacy: Organizations that actively campaign for the rights of sex workers strengthen the public voice of these marginalized groups. A list of active advocacy organizations was taken from the umbrella organization International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe . The result allows an assessment of the activity of interest groups in the area of sex work. The actual total number of advocacy groups may vary.
- Social cohesion: In all the countries examined, sex workers find themselves in a stigmatized and marginalized position, even if their legal status is legalized and regulated. A balanced social cohesion describes a state in which relationships can support a person even in difficult times. An assessment of the quality of social cohesion was taken from the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation's "Better Life Index". The figure describes the percentage of people who have relatives or friends that they can rely on in an emergency.
- Red light district: Amusement miles and red light district offers a relatively protected, public space in which sex work can be offered and performed. A list of well-known red-light districts was taken from the well-documented Wikipedia article "List of red-light districts" . In order to be able to compare the countries in this factor, the result shows a total number per 10 million inhabitants.
- Street prostitution: Sex workers who offer their services in public or on the street experience much more violence than sex workers who work in closed rooms, such as in brothels, massage parlors or the like (see Church, Henderson, Barnard, Hart: BMJ. 322 (7285): 524-525 ). The proportion of sex workers who work in street prostitution comes from: Philippe Adair, Oksana Nezhyvenko , with the exception of Sweden . Assessing how large is the market for prostitution in the European Union. Éthique et économique / Ethics and economics, Éthique et économique, 2017, 14 (2), pp.116-136 (Table 4) . The value for Sweden comes from the Swedish government report "The Ban against the Purchase of Sexual Services. On evaluation 1999–2008. (SOU 2010: 49), pp.20.
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