Imprisoned in Paradise
Prostitution in Switzerland has been legal since 1942. It is heavily regulated to try to control and reduce the more undesirable consequences, such as forced prostitution, sexually transmitted diseases, the locations of brothels and links with criminal organisations.
Switzerland has 14'000 officially registered sex workers in the country.
They receive social security and are protected by the law.
They receive social security and are protected by the law.
Too many women from eastern Europe have been flooding into the area since Switzerland voted to open its borders to workers from the new EU states in September 2005.
Once in Switzerland the reality can be very different from what was first promised. The women that did not get a work permit will now be forced to work illegally on the streets where they will be at the mercy of violent customers and prone to exploitation and trafficking.
The language barrier becomes their biggest enemy. They end up working illegally in brothels and the streets and offer their bodies often without knowing what they're signing up for. Working illegally equals no rights. The sex industry becomes their last resort and going back home is no longer an option. Many women get forced into sex trafficking where they get intimidated and beaten until they give in to do any kind of work that is asked from them.
Important to remember is, that those women aren't just prostitutes that come to Switzerland to make money. They are mothers and daughters that have stories and reasons why they have to sell their bodies. They are women that have to provide for their children and make sure they have a food on the table. Women that don't want to work in the sex industry but they must. They are humans, imprisoned in paradise.
This Catalog shows the gap between the Swiss federal laws on prostitution that claim to be regulated and organised, and the heritage and sensibility of the women coming to Switzerland from Eastern Europe without knowing the language or their upcoming future.
Shenkar Third Year
Course Catalog Design
Guided by Dekel Bobrov
