Louise And Martine Fokkens, Amsterdam's Oldest Prostitutes, Retiring At 70 Years Old

[catbrooks]

Comments

[iolarah]

I definitely would like to see the documentary, having read this post. I imagine they're very interesting and wise women.

[romp]

The argument I always see is that legalization improves life for organized crime and they smuggle in more women? I forget why--because slavery is cheaper?--but I'd think being able to use the police and being able to be open as a community would make sex workers safer.

[tallycola]

My understanding is that with the legalization in Amsterdam there was a spike in smuggled Eastern European women being forced into prostitution there - I think because it's so easy to disguise what's going on. Since prostitution was a legal choice for any woman who needed money, it wasn't hard to say this woman came to the Netherlands for other reasons and made this choice of her own volition, when actually she was forced.

According to this lots of them are lured with dance career promises: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y-a8dAHDQoo

So I can see that being a problem too, buuuut I also think part of that problem is also the police not really giving a shit about sex workers. I'd love to live in a society where sex workers are treated with respect but the police already ignore their concerns most of the time (at least where I live) and this wouldn't necessarily change should prostitution become legal.

[muizenstaartje]

Another aspect of human trafficking is Eastern European women who already work as prostitutes are lured with promises of better working conditions in the Netherlands, but once they get there, the women are told they owe a large sum of money to their intermediaries, which forces them to work for nothing. So while prostitution is legal; exploitation of people isn't, but the latter is much easier to hide.

Legalisation of prostitution also brought a lot of bureaucracy for the prostitutes and some of the hygiene rules are quite farfetched.

[alexvdl]

Damn.

I'd be interested to see if they were able to save themselves a nest egg, or if they'll need another job to support themselves.

[valkeakuulas]

Probably the Netherlands has some sort of state pension. I'm too lazy to google it now though.

[muizenstaartje]

Yes, there's a state pension, but as mentioned in the trailer, it isn't much. legalisation of prostitution made it possible for prostitutes to build up extra pension as an employee or free-lancer. For these ladies it's much too late to make good use of that option, though. You can't build up much pension in just a few years.