Staat (2013) focuses on the lives of Hungarian street prostitutes on the Sihlquai in Zurich. She describes the circumstances that lead young women into prostitution, as being dominated by poverty. But they are not just either victims or they prostitute themselves entirely voluntary: Lack of educational opportunities combined with socio-economic poverty are forcing young Rromnja to prostitute themselves or they are being forced or enticed by relatives or acquaintances to do so. Staat says: “For it is precisely this mix of poverty, lack of education, violence and hope for easy money that drives Hungarian Roma women to Zurich into street prostitution.” This representation may correspond to reality, but it be considered with caution when read in terms of the world of the Rroma. As an example, Staat tells the story of a Rromni who prostitutes herself for her family in Zurich. This may be true of women with similar biographies, but great caution should be taken before interpreting the circumstances portrayed as being a cultural phenomenon, as it is often just done. Poverty is not a cultural phenomenon, even if in the case of Rroma it certainly has cultural causes: the exclusion by the majority society. If one represents or understands poverty resulting from marginalization as being a cultural characteristic of Rroma, one actually ethnicises exclusion. One certainly needs to distance oneself from such a view.

Prostitution is a good example to highlight the complexity of supposedly one-dimensional phenomenon. Liberal representations of prostitution, such as the one, amongst others Mr. Valentin Landmann (Westnetz, 2013), assume a largely voluntary prostitution. Feminist representations in turn see almost all prostitutes as victims of organized trafficking (Schmid 2012). FIZ (2013), in its latest brochure writes that one must distinguish between human trafficking and sex work: The work in prostitution, whether due to lack of alternatives and lack of training is sometimes the only way to make money, but sometimes women also decide for it. It is thus wrong to always see all prostitutes as victims. Not sex, but the violence and exploitation in prostitution should be criminalised: “The distinction between sex work and trafficking is essential for the fight against the trafficking of women. Exactly as the distinction between marriage and domestic violence. Not marriage, but the violence in marriage, not sex, but violence and exploitation in sex must be punished.”

• FIZ (2013) Sexarbeit: Anerkennung statt Repression. Rundbrief 52. Mai 2013. http://www.fiz-info.ch/images/content/rb_52.pdf
• Schmid, Brigit (2013) Eine Frage der Würde. In: Das Magazin, Heft vom 15. September 2012.  http://blog.dasmagazin.ch/2012/09/15/eine-frage-der-wurde/
• Staat, Yvonee (2013) Mama verkauft sich in Zürich. In: Beobachter online vom 12.8.2013. http://www.beobachter.ch/justiz-behoerde/auslaender/artikel/ungarische-roma_mama-verkauft-sich-in-zuerich/
• Westnetz (2013) „Die Frauen verkaufen nicht sich selbst“ In: Westnetz online vom 8.3.2012. http://www.westnetz.ch/story/die-frauen-verkaufen-nicht-sich-selbst

Keywords: Street prostitution, commercial, moral, economic, gender, law, society, prostitution, human trafficking, Switzerland, abroad, Rroma, Hungary, Education, Beobachter, FIZ, Das Magazin, Westnetz

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