There are only a handful of countries in the world that view sex work as a profession, and Switzerland is one of them.
The small country with stunning landscapes treats every sex worker in the country in the same framework as other workers in terms of their safety and rights. Sex in Biel is an example of how the sex industry can operate without changing the order of society in a bad and uncontrolled direction.
This is a result of Switzerland “recognizing” the existence of “this profession” as part of society. As part of Swiss society, sex workers have equal rights and responsibilities and therefore their contribution to the community.
Switzerland did not suddenly have a progressive approach towards sex workers and sex work as one of the recognized professions in the country.
It is the result of the so-called evolution of attitudes in Swiss society, which at one time criminalized sex work.
However, Swiss society was generally more tolerant and pragmatic than most societies in other countries, including neighboring European countries, so legal recognition of sex work came about in 1942. It was a stark contrast back then, even in the “neighborhood of European countries.”
You may not have heard of Sex Boxes and Fellatio Cafes before but they do exist in Switzerland as several innovative sex service companies have and are aggressively building these “lust boxes and pleasure cafes.”
The so-called sex box is a room where a sex worker and her client can engage in controlled sexual activity.
Controlled means that each sex box is equipped with a bathroom as well as a panic button that ensures “the safety of both parties.”
The fellatio cafe, as the name suggests, is a kind of regular cafe but with paid oral sex services.
More controversial than sex boxes, however, the number of fellatio cafes is gradually growing in Switzerland as more tourists travel to the country to experience “the thrill of sex tourism like no other.”
It should be noted that the Swiss sex industry is not only legally recognized but it is also recognized in terms of being part of the legal community.
That means that every Swiss sex worker is required to register with local authorities, thereby making them covered by the health care system and other social security.
In other words, the Swiss sex industry is considered just like any other industry in the country.
There are rights and obligations that must be fulfilled.
This situation illustrates the thorough integration of the sex industry into society and essentially a sex worker is considered an “average worker” by most Swiss people.
It would be naïve to imagine that everything about the Swiss sex industry is normal without any opposition or controversy. Of course, there is opposition here and there, even today, but in general, the culture of Swiss society tends to be permissive towards paid sex as long as it doesn’t harm anyone.
Understanding the landscape of prostitution in Switzerland requires understanding it from multiple perspectives.
In fact, some people consider it a path to economic empowerment and others consider it an unseemly profession. From the point of view of sex workers, some of them receive a kind of non-frontal discrimination from fellow members of society.
Broadly speaking, the practice of prostitution is accepted by society and the law but in interactions between individuals, discrimination is not absent.
Swiss indigenous wisdom has been able to integrate the Swiss sex industry into the country’s society and laws but there is always the suspicion that not all sex workers there are really doing it all on their own.
There is always a chance of human trafficking and it is the job of the Swiss police and Interpol officers to minimize that possibility.
The issues within the Swiss prostitution industry and its surroundings are constantly changing and they certainly determine how the industry operates according to Swiss norms and laws.
Increased regulation is needed to adapt the Swiss sex industry to current and possible future changes.
In conclusion, the Swiss approach to the sex industry and all that it involves is quite a contrast to the conventional approaches taken by other countries.
It seems that human rights and economic considerations are more prominent than “decency and morality.”
It can be said that Switzerland is one of the few countries where the sex industry can be integrated into society.
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