Published on the 10th of februari 2023
Published on the 9th of March 2023
Lees dit artikel in het Nederlands
*Véase abajo para la versión española*
Right now, the legislative proposal Sex Work Regulation act is in consultation. That means the government is asking the people what they think of this law. So for sex workers and allies, this is the time to speak out against these laws.
The Sex Work Regulation Act (WRS)
We've talked about it; the WRS is terrible. It means that many sex workers in the Netherlands will be criminalised and it will become almost impossible for us to work safely or go to the police when they experience violence. Sex workers who do manage to work legally must first report to their municipality so that they can be vetted by an official. And there's no guarantee we can actually find a workplace. Customers who purchase a service from an unlicensed sex worker (CAUTION: we are not talking about victims of abuse here) become criminalized. But fortunately for clients, they can avoid punishment by reporting sex workers to the police. In other words, all sex workers are worse off with this law.
Copy paste or make a .pdf
The SWAD wrote two example letters. The first one is nice and short and you can copy paste it directly onto the consultation website. You can even do it from your phone! The second one gives extra explanation on why sex worker organisations are against the WRS. In both letters you can easily change wether you are a sex worker or an ally.
Sex workers and allies can give individual opinions but reactions from organisations are also welcome. The deadline for the WRS consultation is 17 March 2023. The deadline for the consultation is already on 28 February 2023. The more people speak out, the better. And it takes less than 3 minutes to do them both!!
Copy and Paste: NO to the WRS
The letter beneath is just under 2500 signs and can be copied and pasted ont the consultation website. Straight from your mobile phone! You can find the link to the consultation website below the letter.
I am a sex worker/ally of sex workers and I oppose the WRS (read here why bit.ly/3Zx99mr), even with the proposed changes:
Article 8a: Repeat interview
Understanding a person's personal situation is a complicated process. There is no evidence that a 90-minute conversation contributes to resolving human trafficking. Repeating this interview every year is useless. It stigmatises sex workers and does not contribute to its purpose.
Article 16: Data processing
Processing special personal data of sex workers does not comply with our fundamental rights and puts sex workers at risk. Soa Aids’ protest letter (bit.ly/3LadDL5) against the WGTS explains the arguments against this very well.
Article 40: Criminalising clients
Customers are given too much power over sex workers. Customers are encouraged to report unlicensed sex workers so that they themselves do not face punishment. This is dangerous.
Clients who still have doubts after visiting a sex worker, about whether a sex worker is working voluntarily, will still be punishable. So clients will not report human trafficking. And clients with bad intentions will have a blackmail tool to do violence to unlicensed sex workers. Now, sex workers are already blackmailed by clients who threaten to inform the tax authorities, for example. With this change, the position of unlicensed sex workers becomes extremely vulnerable.
Listen to sex workers
The ministry expects around 10,000 sex workers in the Netherlands will apply for a licence. The aim of the law is to find more abuses. But no additional costs are expected for the police. So the police do not get extra money for the extra reports. So it is expected that no more abuses will be found. Then this law is not needed.
For the 17,000 sex workers who will not or cannot apply for a licence, this means that they will work in the Netherlands under the Swedish model. Research shows that this will lead to more violence and further exclusion from society.
I oppose the changes in this memorandum and I oppose the WRS.
EUR 13.7 million has been budgeted for this law over the next two years. I recommend investing this amount in the sex work community in the Netherlands and its alliances. Because only then will you create a safer working environment for everyone in the sex industry.
Did you copie the letter above? Then submit it by clicking the link below and pasting it at the reaction field 'uw reactie', then click 'verder', fill your (chosen) name and finish. You can do this until the 17th of March 2023
Submit here: Say NO to the WRS
Make a .pdf: Nee tegen de WRS
The extended example letter is to long for the consultation website. But you can upload this one as an attachment. For this you can copy the letter below into a .doc. Pesonlise it, add your name and safe it as a .pdf You can upload your .pdf through link below the letter.
Dear Secretary of State van der Burg,
(ADD YOURSELF: As a sex worker/ally of sex workers) in the Netherlands, I would like to respond to the proposed bill of amendment to the WRS.
Earlier, the sex work community in the Netherlands made its objections to the WRS known. The letter[1] that Aidsfonds - Soa Aids Nederland submitted during the 2019 consultation lists those objections well. In brief, they said:
1. Do not criminalise but decriminalise Procedures such as registering sex workers or criminalising clients do not combat abuses. Research shows that decriminalisation actually has a positive effect on the safety and health of sex workers. UNAIDS, WHO, UNFPA and UNDP therefore also recommend decriminalisation: in fact, strengthening one's legal status reduces victimisation.
2. False security and the counter productiveness of registering sex workers Many voluntary sex workers do not register for privacy reasons. It only creates false visibility of those who have registered because coercion cannot be ruled out from the registration interview.
3. Poorer access to care and assistance Because unlicensed sex workers will seek clients through other routes, they will become harder to reach for healthcare and social institutions. In addition, sex workers will no longer dare to go to a healthcare or assistance provider, because of the fear of (legal) consequences.
4. Willingness to report crimes will decrease further Unlicensed sex workers will not dare call on the police for fear of repressive measures. The willingness to report is already extremely low; this will only increase under the new bill.
The bill of amendment gives no improvements for the aforementioned objections. Many amendments make it even worse. In particular, the following:
A - Article 8a
Understanding a person's personal situation is a lengthy and complicated process. There is no scientific evidence that a 90-minute interview can contribute in countering human trafficking. Repeating this useless interview annually not only creates a further stigmatised position for sex workers, it also does not contribute to the goal it says to pursue.
D - Article 16
Processing special personal data of sex workers goes against our fundamental rights and puts sex workers at risk. Again, the sex work community has already spoken out against this, including in the internet consultation for the WGTS. The letter submitted here[2] by Aidsfonds - Soa Aids Nederland again provides a good overview of the arguments against this paragraph and its extension.
F - Article 40
This amendment rewards clients for reporting sex workers to the police. The clarification shows that the abuses referred to in this paragraph are not abuses. They are merely the lack of a licence or the fact that a person makes personal choices around sexual risks. The police will soon be called when someone has not had safe sex; the sex worker is harmed and the client goes free.
Clients who still have doubts about the sex worker's voluntariness after recieving a sexual service will still be punishable. Therefore, the expectation that clients will report this is zero. So with this change, there will be no more reports of human trafficking, while giving malicious customers a blackmail tool to be violent to unlicensed sex workers. Currently, sex workers are already being blackmailed by clients who threaten to inform the tax authorities or the housing association. This change makes the position of sex workers working without a licence extremely vulnerable.
Lead with the welfare of sex workers
The amendment shows that about a third of all sex workers in the Netherlands are expected to apply for a licence. That is around 10,000 licences. The aim of this law is to better identify abuses. However, no extra burden is expected to be placed on the police, nor will more money be freed up to legally deal with abuses against sex workers. Therefore, if on balance the visibility of abuses remains the same, this law is unnecessary.
For the nearly 20,000 sex workers who do not want or cannot apply for a licence, this means that they will work in the Netherlands under the Swedish model. Scientific research shows that this will lead to more violence and further exclusion from society.
I advise/ We advise against the changes in this bill of amendment and against this bill.
13.7 million EUR has been budgeted for this bill over the next two years. I recommend investing this amount in strengthening the sex work community in the Netherlands and its alliances. Only then will you contribute to a safer working climate for everyone in the sex industry.
Warm regards,
(ADD YOURSELF: your name and/or your organisation)
[1] https://www.internetconsultatie.nl/sekswerk/reactie/31b866c0-ff4c-4181-8e69-86bbdc57b919
[2] https://www.internetconsultatie.nl/seksbedrijventoezicht/reactie/35ea14db-682a-40c1-9efa-46cec1b515b0
Submit here: Say NO to the WRS
Done? Thank you for your support. In the near future, sex workers and allies in the Netherlands will make ourselves heard even more so be sure to read RedInsight.org for more sex work news!
**Español**
Actualmente, la Ley de Regulación del Trabajo Sexual (WRS en holandés) está en fase de consulta. Eso significa que el gobierno está preguntando al público qué piensa de esta ley. Así que para lxs trabajadorxs del sexo y sus aliados, este es el momento de manifestarse en contra de este proyecto de ley.
La Ley de Regulación del Trabajo Sexual (WRS)
Ya hemos hablado antes de ella: la WRS es terrible. Supone la criminalización de muchxs trabajadorxs del sexo en los Países Bajos y les resulta casi imposible trabajar con seguridad o acudir a la policía cuando sufren violencia. Lxs trabajadorxs del sexo que consiguen trabajar legalmente deben presentarse primero en su municipio para que un funcionario los/las examine. Pero esto no garantiza un lugar de trabajo adecuado.
Los clientes que compran un servicio a un(a) trabajador(a) sexual sin licencia (ATENCIÓN: no estamos hablando de víctimas de abusos) se convierten en delincuentes. A menos que los clientes denuncien a esos profesionales del sexo a la policía. Entonces no se les penaliza. En otras palabras, todxs lxs trabajadorxs del sexo estarán en una situación peor con esta ley.
Pegar y cortar
SWAD ha redactado una carta que puedes pegarla y cortarla, simplemente desde tu teléfono móvil, directamente en la consulta. La carta se puede adaptar fácilmente para indicar que eres un(a) trabajador(a) del sexo o un(a) aliado/a.
Los profesionales del sexo y sus aliados pueden expresar sus opiniones por sí mismos, pero también se aceptan respuestas de organizaciones. La fecha límite para la consulta sobre la WRS es el 17 de marzo de 2023. Cuantas más personas se manifiesten, mejor. ¡Y se tarda menos de 3 minutos!
Pega y corta: NO a la WRS
La carta que aparece a continuación tiene algo menos de 2.500 signos de puntuación y puedes copiarla y pegarla tal cual en el cuadro de texto de la página de la consulta. ¡Sólo desde tu teléfono móvil! Debajo de la carta encontrarás el enlace a la página de consulta.
Soy trabajadorx de sexo/aliado y me opongo a la WRS (bit.ly/3Zx99mr) y sus cambios:
Artículo 8a: Entrevista
Comprender la situación personal de una persona es un proceso complicado. No hay pruebas de que una entrevista de 90 minutos ayude a resolver el tráfico de personas. Repetir esta entrevista cada año no tiene sentido. Estigmatiza a lxs trabajadorxs del sexo y no contribuye a su finalidad.
Artículo 16: Procesamiento de datos
El procesamiento de datos personales especiales de lxs trabajadorxs del sexo no respeta nuestros derechos fundamentales y pone en peligro a trabajadorxs del sexo. Los argumentos en contra se explican por Soa Aids aquí (bit.ly/3LadDL5).
Artículo 40: Criminalización de clientes
Los clientes tienen demasiado poder sobre lxs trabajadorxs del sexo. La ley urge a clientes a denunciar a trabajadorxs del sexo sin licencia para que los clientes no sean penalizados. Esto es peligroso.
Los clientes que, tras visitar un(a) trabajador(a), tengan dudas sobre si está trabajando voluntariamente siguen siendo penalizados. Así que los clientes no denunciarán la trata de personas. Y los clientes con malas intenciones tendrán una herramienta de chantaje para ejercer violencia sobre lxs trabajadorxs del sexo sin licencia. Lxs trabajadorxs del sexo ya son chantajeadxs por clientes que amenazan con informar a las autoridades, por ejemplo. Con este cambio, la situación de lxs trabajadorxs sin licencia se vuelve extremadamente vulnerable.
Escuchen a lxs trabajadorxs del sexo
Se espera que 10.000 trabajadorxs del sexo solicitarán una licencia. El objetivo de la ley es detectar más abusos. Pero no se prevén costes adicionales para la policía. La policía tampoco recibirá más dinero por las denuncias extras. Así que, se espera que no se descubrirán más abusos. Por tanto, esta ley no es necesaria.
Para lxs 17.000 trabajadorxs del sexo que no quieren/pueden solicitar una licencia, esto significa que trabajarán según el modelo sueco. Las investigaciones demuestran que esto provocará más violencia y una mayor exclusión de la sociedad.
Me opongo a los cambios propuestos y a la WRS
Se han presupuestado 13,7 millones de euros para esta ley en los próximos dos años. Recomiendo invertir este dinero en la comunidad del trabajo sexual y sus alianzas. Porque sólo así se garantizará un clima de trabajo más seguro para todos en la industria del sexo.
¿Has copiado la carta anterior? Entonces envíala haciendo clic en el enlace de abajo y pegándola en el campo de reacción "uw reactie", luego haz clic en "verder", escribe tu nombre (elegido) y termina. Puedes hacerlo hasta el 17 de marzo de 2023.
