Zurich greenlights 'sex boxes' for controlled prostitution
Here in North America, there appears to be not so much outright disgust over prostitution in other areas of the world, rather a bit of curiosity over how the trade is regulated and policed.
Certainly, laws governing the sex trade in Europe are about as forward-thinking – or backward-thinking, if that’s your stance – as they come, so we always raise an eyebrow from the safe distance across the Atlantic whenever a new landmark change comes in prostitution rules.
In Zurich today, that’s just what’s happened.
In the Swiss city, voters have approved a proposed plan to allow prostitutes to operate so-called “sex boxes,” a string of makeshift offices designed to keep the sex trade out of residential neighbourhoods.
Voted in Zurich, where prostitution is legal and regulated, was the initiative, which will drive sex workers into controlled industrial areas, away from homes in the suburban parts of the city.
*Bing: What countries have legalized prostitution?
The boxes, which we know you’re dying to learn, will be almost stalls in big industrial buildings, and will even have their own parking spots. This is important, of course, because everyone visiting a prostitute wants a space right at the scene of the crime to park the car identifiable to them.
The Metro newspaper uses an interesting word to describe the sex boxes, reporting that they will “encourage” prostitutes out of residential areas and into the sticks where families aren’t in their yard or playing in the street.
Such phrasing seems to echo precisely what the Swiss may really think about prostitution, which is to say they’re fine with it going on, just not around the corner and not in their backyard.
The sex boxes, though, are surely part of a new movement into making prostitution safer for its workers, an important-if-explosive political firebomb we’ve seen erupt recently, even in Canada.
Let’s ask a loaded question here and see what our readers think:
Do you think attempting to regulate and improve the safety of prostitution is the right way to handle the trade, or should it be outlawed entirely, with resources going toward stamping it out rather than helping it along?
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: True Canadian | Mar 13, 2022 8:36:41 AM
How can a "reasonable and caring" adult ban sex? As soon as they develop a magic pill that takes away a person's sex-drive, they may have a reasonable alternative. Telling a 18-40-something male that he cannot have sex with a woman without being in a relationship is absurd. Just what does he do about his hormones? Cold showers only work for so long, if at all. Its not the "oldest profession" for nothing, and the fact that it keeps sex workers both safer and out of the view of "family-value" areas makes this a no-brainer from where I stand. Lived, studied, and worked in Europe in the past and have always viewed their societies for the most part to be advanced to ours in NA. As long as the girls arent being "forced" into this trade, but doing it voluntarily, there should be no problem. As Trudeau said 40 years ago, the government has no business in the bedrooms of the nation, and I add myself, and neither does anybody else.
Posted by: tiredncrankey | Mar 13, 2022 9:01:32 AM
Yesterdays passing of the crime bill just proves how out of touch our government is with the people living in the country. Longer prison terms for non-violent and non sexual offenders is a drain on our society. We have no business locking people up away from their families and making them unemployable. They are just raising the ante, making the stakes higher witch always involves more violence and corruption (though I'm sure they can't corrupt what's already been corrupted).
We will not see anything along these lines anytime soon because we just took a 3 decade step back in out prison system.
Posted by: JS | Mar 13, 2022 12:44:03 PM
In the name of Allah, they must ban it. In Islam, we teach discipline and self-respect. This is backwards thinking as a society and promotes disease and bad behavior. We must encourage people to have healthy families and not run around like animals.
Posted by: ray larder | Mar 13, 2022 1:10:59 PM
To true Canadian : If you look at the women in this business it seems to destroy them age-wise in just a few years. I don't think it is the answer to sex.
Posted by: Chaz | Mar 13, 2022 1:40:53 PM
First of all, anyone talking about religious values needs to simply stop. This is not about religion, it is about society and legislation.
Secondly, people WILL pay for sex. They have since time immemorial, so more legislation, safer environments for all involved, and regulatory governmental supervision is the only thing that will make the sex industry safer. I don't understand how there is any debate to be had about this. People WILL pay for sex, they always have, convincing yourself otherwise means you are simply not bright enough to be involved in this discussion.
Posted by: Philosopher | Mar 13, 2022 2:10:49 PM
Regarding True Canadian's Post. No we aren't animals in such that we are advanced enough as a species to practice abstinence. We aren't victims to our hormones. That's just a cop out for a lack of self control. Prostitutes don't go into the trade because they want to. They go into it because they feel they have no choice or they dont' respect themselves. Or they are feeding a drug habit. If sexual desire can't be controlled, then neither can drug or alcohol use, child pornography, over eating, smoking, or anything else that feeds our ID.
Posted by: Lester | Mar 13, 2022 2:11:29 PM
This is a good lesson to religious societies, but unfortunately they are not able to learn it.
In the name of humanity, people of ALL(ah) religions ought to practice their beliefs at home only, and forget about foisting it on public policy. (and leave it back home)!
We only need to look at the result of centuries old sexual repression to see the true social costs. Freedom from religious intolerance is essential to civil life lived with common sense. We can handle all the rest of human failings.
Posted by: larry | Mar 13, 2022 3:24:03 PM
Interesting article. First of all to the author Jason buckland. there are not enough resources to "stamp it out" as you put it, nor should it be. Just take a look at the drug wars, and prohibition against alcohol, it doesn't work. Any amount of money spent on the "problem" should be directed at social programs to make sure the women are not forced into prostitution for any reason, ie drugs, money whatever. From that point on it is strictly up to the two parties how they deal with the moral issues. to JS, this is also not an issue to try to stake out the higher moral ground and pretend that it should be stamped out in the name of Allah, nor should you pretend that in Islam prostitution is not practiced. there are many muslem's that have sex outside of wedlock with both men and women, as do men and women of every race. Legislating against sex is just plain foolish and can never work, nor can a religious edit stop sex..just plain crazy to try. Protect women and men from being forced into the sex trade by giving them viable alternatives, prosecute those that would force them into the trade, and then let the rest of the female and male population make their own moral and sexual decisions.
Posted by: Derek | Mar 13, 2022 4:16:22 PM
Mary Magdeline, Jesus supposed "Prostitute" wife, I'm sure I don't need to continue at this point, but. For the last 2000 years the Judeo Christian Faith has had a monopoly on defining human behaviour on this planet, guess what? There's now 7 billion people on this planet that do nothing but consume and reproduce like a virus.By the year 2080, there will be about 20 billion people on this planet, in case you didn't realize this, that's mathematically impossible. Where do you put 20 billion people and have enough horticultural and agricultural space left to sustain it, simply put, you don't. Every democracy in existance today, uses religious guidelines for law, ie: the Ten Commandments, and they convince you that they're creating a "Better World" PFFFF ya right 20 billion people simultaneously fighting for the resources to stay alive, isn't the kind of world I want my grandchildren and great grand children living in.Creating a mathematical inevitability is without question the most unethical and immoral thing you could possibly do, to your own great grandchildren, but hey, I'm just an athiest that can do simple math, what do I know right.
Posted by: Mike | Mar 13, 2022 5:02:19 PM
Drive the criminal element out. Treat trade workers as self employed business people. Regulate them, inspect them and tax them. Solves all the problems and increases tax revenues. Just think of it as another sin tax like booze and smokes.
Sex is a part of life and a basic human drive. Don't give me your sanctimonious rhetoric. If that's the case we should also be outlawing alcohol and tobacco. Why don't people use self discipline there too?
Posted by: Lance | Mar 13, 2022 8:19:03 PM
So Derek, what does over population have to do with prostitution or for that matter religion with prostitution. There is undoubtly prostitution in EVERY culture on this planet. If I can recommend one solution to population control is that you dont procreate, inevitably the world will be a better place.
Posted by: Dave | Mar 14, 2022 1:17:40 PM
It's easy to understand religious oppression when you consider that the majority of "Johns" in the
GTA, are now from Islamic and Muslim cultures.
Thank God..I'm a atheist!