Sex workers in Switzerland are often victims of violence, according to a study commissioned by ProCoRe. Faced with this observation, the association proposes that women can denounce violence without fearing consequences linked to their status as foreigners.
Researchers interviewed twenty-four people from all linguistic regions on behalf of the organization ProCoRe, a national network which defends the rights of sex workers in Switzerland. This is not a representative survey, but an exploratory study, officials stressed on Thursday.
“This study is limited due to resource constraints. It is also crucial for us that the advice centers, members of ProCoRe, have a direct link with the people interviewed, for reasons of trust”, explains Carine Maradan, scientific collaborator within ProCoRe, Thursday in the 12:30 p.m. of the RTS.
She adds: “It remains difficult to speak out because of the stigma. It is still very complicated to speak openly, to reveal oneself. Today, it is even difficult to confide to one’s friends that one is a worker or sex worker.”
Around 70% of those surveyed reported so-called “stealthing”, i.e. removing the condom against their will. And almost half of them were victims of discrimination, insults as well as theft of money or objects.
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Mostly customers
According to the study, the perpetrators are mainly customers. But violence against sex workers is also committed by passers-by, colleagues and spouses.
Violence is not so much due to sex work as such, but to its stigmatization, which lowers the threshold of inhibition, explains Rebecca Angelini, of the organization ProCoRe, in a press release. Women are also more exposed than men to the risk of violence, the fact that many of the people concerned are migrants further reinforcing this observation.
A social reality to be framed
Based on this study, the Procore association opposes the ban on paid sex and the penalization of clients, as is the case in Sweden or France. In Switzerland, the National Council rejected a motion in this sense in June 2022. Where sex work is legal, violence generally decreases, underlines Procore. Victims also contact specialized services or the police more easily.
In this context, ProCoRe presents a series of policy demands. Women should be able to report acts of violence without risking consequences under immigration law. In addition, the public must be made aware that “stealthing” is punishable under the new sexual criminal law.
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