Prostitution
Prostitution
Definition of Prostitution
Prostitution is the practice or business of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The prostitution sector includes activities such as escort services, street prostitution, prostitution hotels, and massage parlor prostitution.
Prostitution is a controversial industry, with prostitution itself often being illegal and many of the activities involved in it being criminalized. However, there is a growing trend towards decriminalization and regulation of prostitution.
Prostitution is a curious combination of work, character, environment and morality. It is therefor difficult to define an acceptable description of its essence. Scientifically speaking, multiple disciplines are mixed together. The phenomenon is a fringe phenomenon of various areas in which we divide reality into our thoughts. It is certainly not labor in the strict sense.
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In what sense can the “oldest profession” still be called labor? “Surrender of the body…” is at the heart of most definitions, which further describe some of the traits. Basically it’s a moment of passive surrender of the own body, but given the further aspects, the sex workers show enough activity, apart from that they try to avoid the moment of passive surrender. The client wants to indulge and the prostitute realises this through various ways, sometimes passively, sometimes actively.
The definition of prostitution is: “Prostitution is taken in a broad sense as active-passive surrender of one’s own body…”
Sex workers do not sell themselves by complete surrender, but remain the lover of the situation; the client is often a rather unwilling object of her/his actions and her/his fancy.
Amsterdam, Red Light District, Oudezijds Achterburgwal.
“The separate sex work act can be described with the traditionally listed traits of surrender of the body, the intention to make a profit, the arbitrary of the partner.” In this definition there’s a further distinguishing between prostitution as a “separate sex work act” and “prostitution as a social phenomenon”. This social phenomenon is described as follows. “Prostitution is a socially accepted and patient institution in societies built according to class and status … “; the rest of the definition brings up heterosexual and homosexual prostitution, monogamy and polygamy, as well as power groups.
The purpose of a prostitute is to provide satisfaction to the customer for a monetary fee. Only according to a purely naturalistic economic view, in which the client is measured against no other standard other than business, can this be regarded as acceptable wage or price formation. For tax purposes, this concerns income derived from labor in the economic sense. (Source: dr. J.W. Groothuyse – De arbeidsstructuur van de prostitutie)
Prostitution Synonyms
Different words can be used for prostitution, as has happened in the past. The Google line charts below show the popularity of synonyms in English-language books.
Whore
The word ‘whore‘ was mainly popular between 1530 and 1665.
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Hooker
The word ‘hooker’ was much used in the 17th-century but has become increasingly popular in recent decades.
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Courtesan
As the picture below shows, the classy word courtesan was mainly used between 1520 and 1600.
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Sex worker
In 1933, the word “sex worker” first appeared in a book. It has really been more popular since the 1980s. This term is seen worldwide as non-stigmatizing, making it widely used by journalists and the media.
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Prostitution in Holland
Prostitution is legal in Holland as long as it concerns (paid) sex between adults. Forced prostitution is a criminal offence. Although the vast majority of sex workers in Holland exercises their profession freely and voluntarily, forced and illegal prostitution also occurs.
Abuses such as sexual violence and rape occur in prostitution. The Dutch police focus on detecting and combating this. To prevent abuses in the sex industry, there is a new law for treatment in the Dutch House of Representatives that obliges brothels, sex clubs and escort agencies to apply for a permit from the municipality. (Source: Dutch National Police website)
Amsterdam, Red Light District, Oudekennissteeg.
Sex workers in Holland can practice their profession in the following ways:
✦ Window brothels
✦ Sex clubs or brothels
✦ As an escort
✦ Strip clubs
✦ Massage salons
✦ At home
Window Prostitution In Holland
The Netherlands has 1272 window brothels where prostitution is practiced. Amsterdam has 378 window brothels and the Red Light District (de Wallen) has 288 window brothels.
Window brothels in Amsterdam’s Red Light District.
20% of all prostitutes in Holland work in window brothels. Other cities in Holland where window prostitution takes place are: Alkmaar, Almelo, Den Haag, Deventer, Doetinchem, Eindhoven, Groningen, Haarlem, Heerenveen, Leeuwarden, Maasbracht, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, Sneek & Windschoten.
Landlords of window brothels must obtain a permit from their respective municipality, a prostitute must have a residence permit and should be at least 18 years old. Amsterdam however is an exception to this prostitution law. In Holland’s capital prostitutes have to be at least 21 years old.
What is prostitution like in Amsterdam?
Amsterdam is famous for its prostitution scene, which is concentrated in the city’s red light district. Prostitution is legal in Amsterdam, and the city has a long history of tolerance for sex work.
This tolerant attitude has made Amsterdam a destination for sex workers from all over the world. As a result, prostitution in Amsterdam is quite diverse, with workers coming from a range of backgrounds and offering a variety of services.
In general, prices are higher than in other cities, but there is a wide range of options available, from high class escorts to more budget-friendly street workers. No matter what your preferences or budget, Amsterdam is likely to have something to offer.
Window Brothel Prices
Prostitutes in the Netherlands are self-employed and usually determine their own rates and working methods. Some have certain specialities like S&M, bondage, oral sex, erotic massages, etc. This makes them more unique than others, which gives them the option to charge more. The starting price for visiting a prostitute in Amsterdam’s Red Light District is around 50 euros.
Once a customer starts talking to a window prostitute prices can be negotiated at the door of the window brothel. The payment usually happens inside and upfront.
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Some sex workers offer threesomes services. The minimum price for a threesome with prostitutes in Amsterdam is a 100 euro. Some of window workers allow couples, but rather do a threesome with another prostitute.
Amsterdam, Red Light District, Dollebegijnensteeg.
Window Brothel Cost
Prostitutes rent the windows. They have to pay the brothel operator rent in order to work in the window brothel.. Renting a window brothel in Amsterdam cost:
✦ Night shift: 130 – 200 euros
✦ Day shift: 80 – 110 euros
Usually a shift is between 6 and 8 hours, depending on the day and the number of people in the Red Light District. A day is usually divided into two shifts. The busier it is, the more expensive the rent for the window brothel. The rental prices include security, cleaning and maintenance.
Prostitutes are allowed to determine the prices that they want to charge to customers. This usually starts at 50 euro. A big misunderstanding is that sex workers have to accept every customer. They work for themselves and can therefore also refuse customers – which they often do.
Amsterdam Red Light District Map
The Red Light District has 288 windows, 14 coffeeshops, hundreds of restaurants, dozens of hotels and bars.
RED LIGHT DISTRICT MAP >Window Prostitutes Advantages
✦ Prostitutes can work independently.
✦ They can set their own prices.
✦ They can decide their own working hours.
✦ They can refuse clients.
✦ They can press a panic button in threatening situations.
✦ There is a lot of social control.
✦ There are police officers nearby.
✦ Entrances of window brothels are monitored.
One of the disadvantages of working in window prostitution is that there is still quite a lot of competition even with the standard rate put in place. The competition is usually focussed in the smallest and the most busy area.
Interview With Former Amsterdam Prostitute
Mariska Majoor
We go the extra mille in doing research. We speak with the best experts in the business. We also interviewed Mariska Majoor. She was a prostitute for four years and has been a sex worker activists for decades. She founded the Prostitution Information Center and the Dutch union for sex workers.
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Caja van Tolie
We also interviewed Caja van Tolie – a Dutch sex worker who worked in Amsterdam and in Utrecht for 16 years. We asked her many interesting questions about her work and prostitution in Holland.
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For years, there used to be a prostitution area in Utrecht where sex workers worked in houseboats. Customers could drive by and could park their car if they found a sex worker of their choice. The municipality of Utrecht recently decided to close this prostitution area and all prostitution houseboats.
Amsterdam, Red Light District, Oudezijds Achterburgwal.
Holland Street Prostitution
There is no street prostitution in Amsterdam and almost no street prostitution in the rest of the country. Only a few municipalities in Holland allow street prostitution in designated areas called ‘tippelzones’. Most prostitutes working here are addicted and / or homeless. The few Dutch municipalities that offer these places do this to keep some control and to offer a somewhat safe workplace.
There used to be street prostitution in Amsterdam. In the 1950’s, prostitutes stood next to the Old Church (De Oude Kerk) in the heart of the Red Light District to pick up customers. But those times are long gone.
Sex Clubs In Holland
Amsterdam, Brothel LV.
A sex club often has a space where clients and prostitutes meet, socialise and drink. The customer then chooses one of the ladies and she takes him to a room. Sex clubs in the Netherlands must have a permit from the (local) government. Prostitutes should have a residence permit and should be at least 18 years old, which soon might be changed into 21 years countrywide. Prostitutes work as an entrepreneur in a sex club. They aren’t employed by the owner, but they rent the facilities that the sex club offers. There are approximately 400 sex clubs in Holland.
Amsterdam counts a total of 16 sex clubs, like Club LV and Club BonTon and there are 25 escort agencies in Amsterdam. The sex clubs differ quite a lot from each-other ranging from very simple to extravagant. In general, prices in sex clubs are higher compared to private homes or window brothels.
Amsterdam, strip club BonTon.
Sex Clubs Advantages
✦ A sex club must comply with certain regulations.
✦ Prostitutes can determine their own prices.
✦ Prostitutes can work fairly anonymous.
✦ The workplace is contains surveillance and social control.
Sex Clubs Disadvantages
One of the main disadvantages of working in a sex club, is that there is a lot of competition among the sex workers.
Prostitutes STDs & Testing
Prostitutes in Holland are not required by law to do STD checkups. However a lot of them do checkups frequently and voluntary. There is a special STD clinic of the GG&GD (Dutch public health services) in Amsterdam where prostitutes can go for anonymous health checkups concerning venereal diseases. Health services stress that consistent condom use is more important than frequent or compulsory health checks. C
Condoms are the best way to prevent getting STDs, and Amsterdam prostitutes are no exception. Condoms provide a barrier between the body and any potentially infectious fluids, thereby reducing the risk of transmission. In addition, condoms can also help to reduce the severity of symptoms if an STD is contracted. For these reasons, condoms are an essential part of protecting both Amsterdam prostitutes and their clients from STDs. Condoms are readily available and relatively inexpensive, making them an accessible and effective way to reduce the spread of STDs.
In the Netherlands, prostitutes are not legally required to undergo regular STD checks, including tests for HIV, HCV, and HPV. However, health authorities and various organizations strongly encourage sex workers to get regular health check-ups to ensure their own safety and that of their clients.
Key points regarding the health and safety of sex workers in the Netherlands include:
- Encouragement and Access to Health Services: Sex workers have access to a range of health services and are encouraged to regularly check for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This is facilitated by specialized clinics, outreach programs, and NGOs that focus on the health and well-being of sex workers.
- Voluntary Testing: While not mandatory, voluntary and anonymous testing services are widely available and accessible. Many sex workers take advantage of these services to maintain their health and reduce the risk of transmitting infections to clients.
- Education and Prevention: There is a strong emphasis on education and prevention, with efforts focused on providing sex workers with information about safe sex practices, the importance of regular health checks, and the use of protective measures such as condoms.
- Legal Framework and Regulation: The Dutch legal framework around prostitution aims to ensure a safe working environment for sex workers. Licensed brothels are required to comply with health and safety regulations, which indirectly promotes the health of sex workers.
Overall, while regular STD checks are not legally mandated, the infrastructure and support for sex workers in the Netherlands encourage a high level of health awareness and preventive care.
Amsterdam App
Learn more about Amsterdam, Dutch culture and prostitution with the Amsterdam Audio Tours app. It features real stories from 22 experts, including sex workers. Listen to at home as a podcast. Or, in the Red Light District of course.
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Countries where prostitution is legal
Countries where prostitution is legal include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States.
Prostitution is also legal in some parts of Mexico and South America. There are a number of organizations that support the legalization of prostitution. They argue that it is a victimless crime and that it provides a valuable service to society. However, there are also many people who oppose prostitution on moral grounds.
What does the bible say about prostitution?
The bible mentions prostitution in several places, both in the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, there are a number of laws surrounding prostitution, including provisions for the safety of prostitutes and their customers, as well as regulations on how much they could charge for their services.
In the New Testament, Jesus mentions prostitution in a number of parables, typically using it as an example of sinful behavior. However, he also speaks with compassion for prostitutes, offering them forgiveness and a new way of life. As a result, the bible takes a complex view of prostitution, recognizing both the potential for exploitation and harm, as well as the possibility for redemption and transformation.
Is prostitution legal in Japan?
Japan is a country with a rich and unique culture, and one that is often misunderstood by outsiders. One area where this is particularly apparent is in the question of prostitution. In Japan, prostitution is not technically legal, but it is also not illegal. This leaves many Japan-watchers wondering what the situation really is.
The reality is that Japan has a long history of tolerance for prostitution, dating back to the days when brothels were tolerated as a necessary evil. In more recent years, the government has taken a more hands-off approach, and while there are still some strict regulations in place, prostitution is largely tolerated. This hands-off approach has led to a thriving industry, estimated to be worth billions of dollars each year.
While Japan’s tolerant attitude towards prostitution may come as a surprise to some, it is just one example of the country’s complex and often misunderstood culture.
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