Opinie. Aan rechten is niets liberaals. Over vrouwenhandelslachtoffers en geëmancipeerde sekswerkers
Auteurs
Marjan Wijers
Samenvatting
Marjan Wijers
Rights are not liberal
On victims of the trade in women and
emancipated sex workers
A central theme in the debates leading to the
decriminalisation of the sex industry in the
Netherlands was the improvement of the legal
and social position of prostitutes and the
protection of their rights. Eight years after the
abolition of the ban on brothels, evaluations
show that their position is still weak and has
hardly improved. A major cause is the fact
that the authorities continued to concentrate
on what they have always done – regulation,
repression and public order –, while failing to
take into account the needs and interests of
sex workers and actively invest in their (labour)
emancipation. Still, this is a key factor
to a successful implementation of the new
law. Without the willingness to invest in the
rights of sex workers, combating violence and
abuse in prostitution as well as the effective
regulation of the industry is doomed to fail.