Soa Aids Nederland believes that sex workers should be treated the same as other people with legal work in the Netherlands. Stigma, violence, increasingly repressive rules and legislation, along with poor access to care negatively impact the direct safety and health of sex workers.
Soa Aids Nederland is therefore devoted to improving the situation of sex workers in the Netherlands.
No national policy
Sex work is a legal profession in the Netherlands. But there is no national policy regarding sex work. The laws and regulations for sex work differ per municipality and increasingly becoming more specific and stricter.
Under the guise of combatting human trafficking, the government is attempting to get more control of and insight into the sector though permit systems, supervision and enforcement. The number of permits being issued is also dropping greatly. That makes it harder for sex workers to work with a permit.
Another development is that sex workers are increasingly offering their services online. As a result, there is less insight into the sector and it is more difficult for health care providers to reach sex workers.
Sex Work (Regulation) Act
The cabinet have written a new bill for the sex industry known as the Sex Work (Regulation) Act, or WRS. The WRS requires sex workers to register as a sex worker. The age limit for sex workers is also raised from 18 to 21. They have to attend an intake meeting with a civil servant who determines whether a sex worker is ‘self-reliant’ enough for the profession. The fine for not being registered is € 410.
During the social consultation, a lot of parties criticized the bill. But the cabinet submitted it to the Council of State with hardly any changes.
Worsened position
The increasing regulations for sex workers leads to the worsening of their position. Sex work and human trafficking are often directly linked while they are two different things. As a result, sex workers are seen as victims instead of ordinary working people. This lead to an increased stigma. Stigma is harmful to sex workers on various levels. For example, stigma leads to:
- reduced access to health care or police
- exclusion from essential services, such as mortgages or bank accounts
- negative treatment by family, friends or third parties
- psychological complaints due to a negative self-image
- more violence
Sex workers off the radar
If the WRS is adopted, experts in the area of sex work expect that a lot of sex workers will disappear from the radar. They don’t want to register out of fear their privacy will be violated and they continue their work off the radar.
This worsens access to health care and assistance. They will be less likely to contact health care providers. In addition, it has a negative effect on the safety of sex workers. Even now, sex workers are hesitant to go to the police because they are afraid their privacy will be violated, and worried about legal consequences and eviction. After the implementation of the WRS, many sex workers will continue their work without a permit and will be less likely to go to the police for protection.
Increasing violence
Sex workers who work without a permit or are under the radar are more likely to be victims of violence. That is why we expect violence against sex workers to increase. This has a negative effect on their direct safety and their health because more violence leads to an increased prevalence of STIs and HIV.
Our positions
Aidsfonds - Soa Aids Nederland focuses on the health, safety and human rights of sex workers. We take an integral approach to this because these factors are related. Research has shown that there is a direct correlation between violence against sex workers and the prevalence of STIs and HIV. Our positions are:
Destigmatize sex work: destigmatization ensures social inclusion of sex workers by institutions, their environment and they themselves. If society takes a neutral or positive view of sex work, this will lead to better access to services for sex workers such as help from the police, a bank account and health care.
Decriminalize sex work: decriminalization means that all laws and policy that prohibit sex work will be cancelled. We have to see sex work as an ordinary profession that is not subject to separate legislation. This gives sex workers workers stronger rights, they have a normal profession and stigma and discrimination are reduced.
Participation of sex workers: involving the target group is necessary for interventions related to the health and rights of sex workers. Improving the inclusion of sex workers will improve the quality of the care and the care will be better suited to their needs. As a result, interventions achieve their goal and are effective.
Safety: one of most important needs of sex workers is tackling violence and stigma. The effectiveness of STI and HIV programs increases if violence and stigma are tackled.