Many Amsterdam sex workers against proposed erotic center
One hundred and thirty Amsterdam Red Light District sex workers wrote an open letter to architects, construction companies and developers, appealing them not to get involved in the city's proposed high-rise erotic center. The center would replace the Red Light District, but many sex workers fear it is a dangerous alternative, according to AT5.
Former sex worker and founder of the Red Light United interest group Felicia Anna also told AT5 that 93 percent of sex workers she surveyed were opposed to relocating. "That seems like a clear message to me," she said.
Plans to relocate sex workers away from Amsterdam's city center and into an "erotic center" or "prostitution hotel," possibly on the outskirts of the city, have been in the works for the past few years. In April 2021, the city of Amsterdam said it was considering the Haven-Stad district as a possible location. Haven-Stad is a currently-developing industrial area between Sloterdijk, the Westerpark and in the north the Cornelis Douwesterrein and the Noorder IJ-plas, according to the Amsterdam municipality.
Maryo, an experience expert at the Prostitution Information Center, told AT5 that she was skeptical about the safety of this location. "It is an industrial area, outside the ring road, often dangerous and less in sight. Here in the Red Light District, everyone knows each other. You know exactly which sex workers work for which offices. If something happens, everyone is there."
A major reason for the move would be to make the Red Light District safer and prevent overcrowding, according to AT5. However, Felicia Anna said many sex workers already feel safe in the district. However, she fears an enclosed building could lead to sex trafficking.
"I think it's more important how we feel and how safe we experience it than what others think," she said. "We are here every night, not the people who claim it is not safe."
The municipality will decide on the exact location of the erotic center later in the year, according to AT5. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema has acknowledged that the change will face challenges.
“You cannot change such a historically developed city center by government decree," the mayor told AT5 in 2020. "That takes time, it has to happen organically, people have to start believing in it.”