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Recently, the Swiss and German media have increasingly reported on the poor conditions of sex workers with a lack of objectivity.
With ironclad persistence and without any comparison with reality, sex workers are portrayed as victims or injured parties, the entire industry as dubious, and even more - as unscrupulous, and the sex buyers as perpetrators.
To refute these prejudices, we met and spoke with various people from the industry. One of them is the young Mia Maywho has been offering sexual services in Switzerland for more than four years. We wanted to know from her how dangerous this job is, whether she can stop at any time and what her working conditions are like.
Take your time and read the insightful interview here:
Question: Do you work voluntarily or is there some kind of external determination, a compulsion?
Mia May: (Laughs) Oh, I don't work voluntarily! I would be perfectly suited to being a multimillionaire who spends her fortune travelling. But as I wasn't born with a golden spoon, I have to work in order to eat, pay the rent and not dispute the tax office's right to exist. But outside of this social coercion, there is no force that compels me.
Q: We are interested in whether you feel comfortable in your work.
Mia: (Laughs) You are funny. But of course I understand the serious background to the question. So please let me expand a little further. I chose my profession completely voluntarily. As a 14-year-old, I stumbled across reports in the media that all went in the same direction. Victims of forced prostitution were asked about 20 years of labour and they hated the world of men. The clients were always portrayed as pigs and the sex workers always as victims.
That made me curious and I quickly found out that it was a publicly promoted image that is still being manifested today by mixing up realities.
I don't want to accuse these women of anything. They certainly suffered. But they were certainly not erotic service providers. They were neither whores nor prostitutes, because this is a completely legal, important profession, which is basically no different to any other profession.
It's the mixing of different things. You would never call a drug dealer a pharmacist, a crash kid a car expert or a bank robber a financial advisor, would you? Why do we call the victims of human trafficking, the victims of pimps, drug criminals and other criminals prostitutes?
We prostitutes have chosen our profession voluntarily. We cater for all genders equally, we operate at the level of basic needs according to Maslow and are equally there for people who just want to relax, as well as for the large group of people who have sexual needs but have no access to society. Widowers, for example, or often people with disabilities such as autistic people, wheelchair users or simply lonely people who have forgotten how to find or maintain contact in the world they live in.
Yes, I feel very comfortable in my work. After all, I chose it. I love my job. It's important and is orientated towards people's needs. My customers are not pigs because they go to a hooker. They are good people who are recharging their batteries so that they can continue to shape their everyday lives in a positive way.
Q: Are your financial expectations being met?
Mia: No. I work 100 to 120 hours, 7 days a week. I don't think much of the usual social working rhythm. But that's another topic.
The problem in my profession is initially the same as in all others. The costs are exploding. You would have to increase your prices by more than 40 per cent to offset the cost explosion of the last four years. But nobody can afford that. So profits and therefore profitability are collapsing everywhere. That is frustrating. But there is another speciality in my business.
The Swiss are thrifty. Although relatively high wages are paid, which are used to pay for enormously expensive rents, new cars, good food, etc., when it comes to sex, cheap is often not cheap enough.
Many run off to seedy aparthotels and seek pleasure in dubious surroundings and terrible hygienic conditions. In doing so, they neglect the fact that cheap is always an indicator of crime. And I don't want to talk about the fact that cheap is also extremely unhealthy.
The brothels are even worse off. Good service is expensive. But many people don't want to realise that.
Q : Do you feel that you are legally protected in Switzerland? Is there help available in emergencies?
Mia: No and yes. It's a difficult topic. There are help centres. The staff almost sacrifice themselves to get through this juggernaut.
But basically there is a lack of everything everywhere. In my opinion, the fault here lies in the often missing or incorrect laws. The state wants the taxes, but is not aware of its responsibility. At least that's the impression it sometimes gives. One example: erotic adverts are full of "party/snow" offers. Everyone knows that drugs are sold there. Only in Switzerland is this openly advertised. They can do it because nobody cares. But where do the women get the stuff from? There is a lot to suspect. None of it is good, none of it is legal.
Issuing a work permit without a personal interview opens all doors to criminals. There is so much malpractice on the part of the law here that I once said that the existing legal situation encourages pimping. Today I would no longer subscribe to that, but more urgently needs to be done. And it starts with respecting the profession of prostitutes and not equating them with criminals.
"Ma profession deserves a place in society." - Mia May
Q : Have you experienced dangerous situations in your profession?
Mia: Yes. Less than any police officer, firefighter or nurse, but of course there are also unpleasant contacts. If I kick someone out because their demeanour, hygiene or similar doesn't suit me, people often take revenge in forums. That's part of it.
Once I had to deal with identity theft, but that was sorted out, and another time my security measures had to kick in because the customer (a manager in finance) wanted to move in with me. (Mia laughs).
He unpacked his suitcase and didn't want to leave. That was quite strange. But all in all, there are certainly no more unpleasant situations in my job than in the bakery. The view of the trade is wrong. And it's deliberately portrayed that way.
Of course, if I collect money for CHF 50 on the drug street, there are completely different problems. But as I mentioned, these people are only associated with my business in the vernacular.
Q : Have you ever worked in a club?
Mia: No. I get a lot of requests, but it's never materialised yet, although I'm always interested.
Q : If you were offered another job next week, for example in sales, would you take it?
Mia: No! I have found my job. It's so diverse and varied that I'm completely happy with my choice.
Q : Would you have alternatives?
Mia : Of course. You should never be without alternatives. Maybe I'll fancy something simpler at some point. Then I might study medicine, for example (Mia laughs)
Q : Suppose your current profession was recognised in society. Would you be open about it?
Mia: Even more open? Then I would probably need a neon sign on my head (laughs). Seriously, of course a few friends have turned away, but that's down to prejudice. And where is that not the case? The only thing that really annoys me are the mendacious ones.
Nobody has to admit that he or she uses erotic services, but if I use them, I should at least not point the finger at them. Personally, I protect the discretion of every guest 100 per cent. But I myself say quite openly, publicly and proudly what I do for a living.
Q: The media claim that the psyche of sex workers suffers over time. How do you see that?
Mia (Laughs): I'm unsure whether I'm the right person to judge myself.
But I would say no. My psyche suffers in the world I live in, for which I am responsible. If I am ashamed of what I do and deny or hide myself, then definitely. If I am a victim, for sure.
But as long as I enjoy my job, it's unlikely. If that ever changes, I have an environment that would protect me from myself. I think that's what it comes down to. Family, good friends. For example, I have a supervision session once a week for reflection, as they say in education. I think it's important because it helps you to look at yourself. And the result so far has been the same. I am still full of zest for life and energy to hopefully pursue this fantastic profession for a long time to come.
Here is our latest article: Interviewing Joy House this time. We wanted to find out how the working conditions, regulations and measures to protect sex workers in an erotic club are handled and what the inaccurate and subjective information about sex workers is all about.
"This is no way to treat women! " - Frank Media Producer
