Switzerland: Market woes among prostitutes

Carole Riegel

Le Temps

Geneva is turning into “the brothel of Europe,” said Carole Riegel. In the past decade, the number of registered prostitutes in this city, where the profession is legal and regulated, has more than quadrupled. The rise is mostly attributable to an influx of foreign women.

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France, in particular, has been cracking down on prostitution, so hundreds of French prostitutes have begun commuting across the border. These days one in four sex workers in Geneva is French. Many of them say that because turning tricks is legal in Switzerland, it is much safer than in France. “Women here are not prey,” said Bertrand Jacquet of the Geneva police’s vice unit. “We’ve got excellent control over the scene, and there’s no human trafficking or mafia networks.”

Local Swiss prostitutes, though, are less than enthusiastic about the competition from the French commuters. “We’re sick and tired of it,” said Lisa, a brothel owner. She said the glut of French prostitutes was driving prices down for all sex workers in the city. For their part, the French insist they are just trying to make a living. French police “have driven us off the streets,” says one French prostitute. “But women will always find a way to do this job.”