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Sex workers in Switzerland regularly face violence

Sex workers often experience violence in Switzerland too
Sex workers often experience violence in Switzerland too Keystone-SDA

Sex workers also frequently experience violence in Switzerland, accoding to an exploratory study.

On behalf of the organisation Procore, researchers interviewed 24 sex workers from all Swiss language regions. The results correspond to what is known from similar surveys abroad.

Around 70% of those surveyed reported so-called stealthing – i.e. removal of the condom against their wishes. Around half experienced discrimination, insults or theft of money or objects. This is not a representative survey, but an exploratory study, those responsible emphasised at a media conference in Bern on Thursday.

The cause of the violence is not sex work as such, but its stigmatisation, Procore stated in the communiqué. Accordingly, the organisation also opposes a ban on buying sex and the punishment of clients, as is the case in Sweden and France, among others. Where sex work is legal, violence generally decreases, claims the advocacy group.

Adapted from German by DeepL/ac

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