Very little supervision on sex workers' working conditions; Exploitation common
The Dutch government does very little to supervise sex workers’ working conditions, the Sex Work Reporting and Advice Center (SMAP) of Soa AIDS Nederland reported. As a result, exploitation and intimidation are common, especially by licensed operators who abuse their power, NOS reports.
Soa AIDS Nederland set up the SMAP in 2021, where sex workers can report stigma and discrimination by institutions like the police, health insurers, sex work operators, and banks. Over the past four years, SMAP has received 444 reports.
31 percent of the reports were about operators abusing their power. Sex workers report operators threatening them with fines or dismissal, or demanding high commissions. Some also reported operators forcing them to work without a condom or to undergo risky cosmetic procedures.
The majority of reports concerned unsafe working environments. But SMAP also received reports about discrimination, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and a lack of privacy. Sex workers also struggle to access permits and banking services. There were also multiple reports of fake self-employment.
According to Iris de Munnik, project leader at Soa AIDS Nederland, part of the problem is that the government does not properly enforce the opting-in scheme for sex workers. “Under the scheme, the operator pays taxes on behalf of the sex worker, but at the same time, you have rights as a self-employed professional: you can determine your own working days and hours,” she said. In practice, the conditions of the scheme are often violated.
“In recent years, the number of brothels has decreased, and there are fewer and fewer licensed workplaces, forcing you to work for an operator. As a result, you end up in a weaker position of power and bargaining power,” De Munnik said. Increasingly restrictive policies also make it more difficult for sex workers and escorts to work from home as self-employed professionals, again forcing sex workers to work with licensed operators.
De Munnik is also very concerned about the Cabinet’s plan to increase the minimum age for sex work from 18 to 21. According to De Munnik, this will put young sex workers in an even more vulnerable position. “In society, you are considered an adult from the age of 18. Think, for example, of jobs in the Ministry of Defense. You should apply that same principle to sex workers.”
According to De Munnik, the government is trying to improve sex workers’ working conditions, but it is not succeeding. She again referred to the opting-in scheme. “Not a single government agency has stepped forward to say: we own the scheme, we are going to enforce and supervise,” De Munnik said. “To us, that is a sign that it has failed.”
“Sex work is work. Sex workers, just like people in any other profession, have a right to a safe working environment and good working conditions,” De Munnik said.
