project15:Interviews
PMW
Below are notes of a phone conversation which took place on 04-10-2012 with Marije van Stempvoort whom is associated with PMW humanitas.
Interview Notes
Q: What are the problems commonly associated with the sex industry?
A: Generally the sex-industry can be split into two parts, the voluntary sex industry and the human trafficking industry. Although this is not a definition that is as strict as it sounds. However it is a good way to structure the problems encountered in the industry. (what follows is an explanation of the different issues associated with the sex industry. These are ordered in the list below.)
I. Problems associated with both parts:
- stigma
- The sex industry is not considered a real job.
- Women in the sex industry are considered second rate citizens.
- This view is often adopted by the women themselves as well, undermining their own self-worth.
II. Problems associated with the voluntary sex-industry
- WRP
- New law requiring prostitutes to register themselves in a database.
- Risk of voluntary prostitutes dissappearing into the illegal scene because they don't want to be registered as prostitutes (due to the stigma surrounding this job)
- Building bound permits in Rotterdam
- The current type of prostitution (bordello) in Rotterdam is too old fashioned and expensive for the potential client base.
- There is a large need for cheap and quick prostitution (25-50 euro for standard package), this could be either window or street prostitution.
- Visibility of the customer
- In Eindhoven the prostitution centre has only one entrance overlooked by an apartment building.
- Customers do not come to the legal prostitution zone because they feel watched, hence they turn to illegal prostitution.
III. Problems associated with the human trafficking industry
- General problems
- Inequal distribution of wealth.
- Dependancy of prostitutes on the people that brought them to their current situation.
- Dependancy is often violence related.
- Trouble with escaping from the prostitute lifestyle.
Q: We are planning to incorporate living into the working space as well to generate a sense of community, what is your opinion on this>
A: Generally prostitutes that live in city A work in city B, this is because they do not want people within their social network to know that they are working as prostitutes. In that sense it would probably not work to combine working and living.
Q: And what if the housing was only for during the week, so that the women could go home in the weekends and not be bothered by the constrictions of their social network while working?
A: Housing like that could probably work, especially women who come from other countries to work in the prostitution industry for a short while would benefit from the availability of short-stay housing.
Q: What are the main reasons to keep working in the prostitution business?
A: Mostly high-income, enjoying the work, disbelief in own abilities outside the sex-industry, level of education. However if someone really wants to get out of the industry the resources and opportunities are there.
SOAIDS
This is a transcript of an interview with Marieke de Ridder, program manager sex work projects at SOAIDS. The original interview is also included, but was conducted in Dutch.
