“My whole life I have been self-employed in several industries. It complied with my desire to determine my own line of work, my working hours, my own implementation and my own income. Now I’m living a shadow life since I have traded daylife for nightlife. Under the veil of darkness you suddenly may no longer be proud of being self-supporting. A princess in darkness and in daylight, just a whore!”
Dark Angel

“If just one person

has done it,

it can be done!”

Prostitution
by
choice

Right or privilege

Life is beautiful. Or at least it can be. In our quest to advance and develop ourselves, choices have to be made. One of them is how we provide for ourselves. A choice which is supposedly free to make in western civilisation. Freedom may be the highest virtue one can possess. Right to equality is constitutional, but the implementation of it is a privilege. What if your choice forces you to live a double life to comply with the overall accepted? Or when you are stigmatized for the rest of our life. On your journey through life you discover yourself and develop a personality, which is encouraged in the individualistic dutch society. All fine, except… when you dare to choose, even while abiding by the rules, to earn your money with prostitution.

Current affairs

Latest blog posts and news snippets.
Click here

Binders

Prostitution in papers, on tv and documentaries.
Click here

Blog

A call girl’s shadow life blog
Click here

Streetwise

The website ‘Streetwise‘ was initially launched in 2009 before I was forced to submit 30+ pages of forms to apply for a license which would entitle me to perform my job as an escort. A license comes at a ridiculous cost equalling an average monthly salary. Life itself has been my best teacher. I have gathered more knowledge about life and survival on the streets than during my years in college. The courage to stand up for yourself and for your rights is a valuable asset. Failure is never an option. Eventually you will take off your velvet gloves, put on a pair of fighters and go off into the world, armed with skills. You have become Streetwise.
girl working in prostitution

BINDERS

prostitution in newspapers

Political struggles for the sake of and to safeguard sex workers have reached ridiculous proportions. A plethora of articles, files, laws and legislations and fast succeeding modifications have created an untouchable cloud of chaos.

Freedom of speech is a constitutional right. An opinion however, is an interpretation of an individual or a group. Opinions do not change reality. Media is used intensively to spread opinions. Sex workers seem outlawed in our society which claims to guarantee equal rights. Does unprejudiced and unbiased journalism still exist in this country? It is rude and disrespectful to talk about someone while that person is within hearing distance. Nevertheless, that is how it feels whenever we come across yet another news item. Forcing tenaciously held opinions onto the public is generally disapproved. Many wars have been fought over it. But, when it comes to prostitution and sex workers, the government carries out different values.

In politics, prostitution is always a peppered subject which is sure to draw a lot of attention. The term decriminalization is often heard. Sex workers are to be given rights equal to other self-employed enterpreneurs, but they come with many conditions and restrictions. A widely used defense is the safety of the sex worker which has to be assured. Reality does often not comply with political theories which are constructed in the safety of an office. As a sex worker one remains a puppet which has many obligations but no rights. Other people are deciding on your behalf without your consent.

Nobody will deny the existence of forced prostituion. Just like in any other industry situations of abuse will exist. The picture that is outlined is virtually composed by estimates and presumptions where ‘involuntary’ equals ‘prostitution’, which is then used to introduce one new regulation after another. Regulations which are determined first, after which corresponding figures are being adjusted to match. Where applicable, history may be rewritten for the sake of general indoctrination in which sex work is presented as being principally condemnable. The profiling of sex workers as being incapable and irresponsible, thus not able to make educated decisions, and who have to be ‘rescued’, has grown into an industry of itself. An self-maintaining industry which creates its own demand in an infinite loop, more and more alienated from reality. The time is way past due to break the loop and ‘rescue’ the policy and decision makers from their own pseudology.

Prostitution is global. Government intervention is influenced by cultural differences and religion. In many countries still an illegal act although its existence a public secret. The battle for decriminalization is also a global movement. Fighting for recognition and respect. Just like in the Netherlands, prejudice and stigmata are present. Sure, atrocities are also no western privileges, just like any other criminal activity. But, it is about time to recognize that the cause of abuse is not prostitution itself. The emphasis should be on the criminal acts. And on the individual criminals or organizations who treat human beings as merchandise. Just like in any other business, there are also rotten scoundrels dealing with prostitution. We should stop generalizing the business. In other countries different values and standards apply. In some of which human rights is an issue by itself. However, we should never judge foreign societies by our western standards. In ancient China for example, prostitution was a legal profession and the ladies were worshipped. The chinese character for ‘prostitute’ means ‘a female artist’ and was not directly sex related.

OVERZICHT

Social Media

In this era of mobile gadgets, social media offers an additional medium to express and defend opinions and beliefs. In cold and rational terms or juiced with emotions. Virtual anonimity fades boundaries. But on the positive side, many more voices can be heard. A lot of sex workers are reluctant to speak to the media, afraid of not being heard, but used as propaganda tool for the rescue-industry. Social Media is a good way to make the statement that sex workers are very capable of speaking for themselves and do not need any spokesmen being imposed on them.
OVERZICHT