Kampagne Stoppt Zwangsprostitution!

Campaign Stop Forced Prostitution!

Rein, raus?

Coercion and Exploitation

A world collapses for the women who have been tricked into prostitution when they arrive in Germany. They become prisoners in a web of lies and threats. They are in a foreign country, not speaking its language, without money or support from anyone. They have no one to turn to, no one whom they could trust.They get under immense pressure when they realise that they hardly earn anything. The traffickers suddenly demand more money than agreed upon. On top of this come arbitrary fines for acts of defiance. The women have to pay large sums of money for the provision of a work room, for work clothes or for transportation expenses.

The perpetrators threaten the women by saying that they would find them anywhere. The traffickers claim that they are on good terms with the German police and that “anything could happen” to the family left behind. And what would the family think if they found out about prostitution?

In several cases the women experience physical abuse. Some of them are hit and raped.Intimidated and disciplined by the perpetrators’ demonstration of power the women are scared of the perpetrators, scared of the police, scared of going to jail and scared of being deported. They do anything they are demanded to do. They feel deprived of their rights, helpless, dependent and worthless and see no way out. Ilona: “There was no open threat but I had the feeling that something would happen if I disobeyed. It is very difficult to refuse customers.”

Victims of human trafficking are thus often not in the position to testify against the perpetrators. This is one of the main reasons why it is so difficult to prosecute human traffickers.

With the EU Eastern expansion (2004 and 2007) the number of young women coming to Germany from Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia among others has increased. Due to the lack of perspectives in their homeland they seek to work here as prostitutes. The legal position allows nationals from these countries to stay in Germany without a visa and to work self-employed at first.

Although the women can legally work as prostitutes in Germany and even if they agreed to work as prostitutes due to their financial plight they still do not work self-determined. They are rather controlled by criminal human trafficker’s cartels and are economically exploited. Many women aren’t aware of the official channels and the regulation related to self–employment, they rely on the alleged “management” of their pimps.

The lack of job alternatives, prevailing lack of perspectives and a far-reaching dependence structures make it impossible for the women to break out of the chains of force and exploitation.

A creative and constructive approach is necessary in order to reach this new group of affected women.

Here we would like to make you as a john aware that women who work legally as prostitutes and appear to be working willingly as such can in reality be completely dependent on and exploited by their pimps.

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