Why prostitution is migrating to Airbnb in French-speaking Switzerland

In French-speaking Switzerland, more and more sex workers practice their profession in private apartments, sometimes rented via Airbnb. A phenomenon which causes several problems, but not only that, and which is indicative of the evolution of the sector.

Prostitution is changing in Switzerland. At the beginning of November, the Ticino press reported that more and more sex workers were deserting traditional salons to work in private apartments, rented through platforms such as Airbnb or Booking. This allows greater discretion and, above all, the ability to circumvent the law, which requires authorization to work under these conditions.

This is not an isolated phenomenon. When contacted, several French-speaking cantonal police confirmed they were aware of such practices in this part of the country. “Places of prostitution are changing,” indicates for example Bertrand Ruffieux, spokesperson for the Friborg police.

“This phenomenon is known to the police and has been worrying us for more than three years,” echoes Florence Frei, of the Vaud cantonal police. His Geneva counterpart, Henny Martinoni, affirms that the authorities have also “noted the movement of sex workers into so-called “private” apartments”.

“These are Airbnb type apartments, but not only,” explains Sandrine Devillers, deputy director of Fleur de Pavé, a Vaud association active with sex workers.

For Fleur de Pavé, this phenomenon became more visible during the pandemic, says its deputy director. Since 2021, the association’s collaborators have realized that certain sex workers exercise their profession “in a different way, in sometimes illicit spaces”.

Illicit practices

These practices indeed raise several questions, although the legislation varies depending on the canton. In Vaud, sex work is only authorized in prostitution establishments registered as such, or in public spaces, under certain conditions. “In any other configuration, the work is illicit. Unlike the canton of Geneva, for example, it is not possible to work in a private apartment,” recalls Sandrine Devillers.

The Vaud police claim to “carry out checks in these improvised massage parlors”. Same situation in Fribourg, where “a certain number of illegal sex workers are denounced every year”, notes Bertrand Ruffieux.

In Geneva, carrying out these activities in private apartments is permitted, but this also causes problems. “The people who are there are often in an irregular situation in Switzerland,” informs Laurent Paoliello, of the Department of Institutions and Digital Affairs (DIN). He adds:

“These people are only passing through Geneva and are going there specifically to prostitute themselves for a few weeks,” he continues. The police identified “several hundred” rental apartments used for prostitution. Rents are significantly increased there, adds Laurent Paoliello:

Violence et invisibilisation

“These activities, the illegality of which is established, seriously injure sex workers from abroad,” he insists. “They also exert pressure and competition on those established in Geneva.”

“When sex workers hide from the public eye, they take a risk,” confirms Sandrine Devillers

Another disadvantage: the police and associations have more difficulty accessing these people, especially when it comes to helping them. “They therefore have less access to structures like ours and to our services,” adds Sandrine Devillers.

“Sometimes, certain organized networks use illicit apartments for the purposes of forced prostitution in a context of lack of control and violence,” she adds.

A paradigm shift

Despite these risks, the phenomenon is still revealing, according to Sandrine Devillers. She sees it as “a change of paradigm and context”. “Sex work is evolving. “It goes a lot through erotic ad platforms and sites, as well as through contact made directly with customers,” she explains.

And this, although this is not yet proposed by law, at least in the canton of Vaud.

Context also plays a role. Sandrine Devillers recalls that many Vaudois salons are going out of business. Consequently, the remaining structures sometimes struggle to offer enough space or to guarantee satisfactory reception conditions. The situation is similar in Geneva, where places of prostitution have halved in five years, according to the Geneva Tribune.

Thus, exercising at home has certain advantages, says the deputy director of Fleur de Pavé. “People who can work in these conditions benefit from more privacy, independence, discretion and flexibility,” she lists.

“We are talking here about sex work consented to and managed satisfactorily by actors and actresses,” underlines the deputy director of Fleur de Pavé.

Difficult to draw up a typical profile. “We assume these are more independent and self-reliant people. At least that’s what they claim,” says Sandrine Devillers. They work through classified ads, have private clients and, in general, use and master technology. “We could relate them to escort girls or escort boys,” she concludes. Sometimes, behind these profiles, “there can also be escort agencies.”