Sex work in Berlin: Out of the shadows

What is the idea behind SMART Berlin - Who do you advise and how does counselling usually work? 

SMART Berlin is a counselling centre and information project for (cis and trans) male, non-binary and trans female sex workers. Our aim is to offer sex workers a wide range of support - whether they are starting out, exiting, reorienting or professionalising. We offer counselling and information on all kinds of topics related to this work: sexual health, rights, laws, dealing with clients and colleagues, resources needed, etc. Sex workers can come to our regular weekly counselling sessions. Or they can contact us via email, phone or social media.

What is the life situation of the people who come to you? 

The people who come to us are often at different points in their careers, but all have the desire to somehow make their work more professional, more successful and also less precarious. Some are just starting out, others have been with us for a long time. People often have a specific need, such as an STI test, or are looking for certain resources. Or they are unsure how to deal with a certain law that affects their work. As the lives of sex workers change frequently, many are often only visiting Berlin and we see them again when they are back in the city.

You can find Smart Berlin at www.smart-berlin.org

What questions frequently arise?  

Frequently asked questions concern, for example, sexual health, which we address with information and the opportunity to visit a doctor who works with us. There are also often uncertainties about the so-called Prostitute Protection Actwhich, for example, provides for the compulsory registration of sex workers. Here, too, we try to provide as much information as possible about the risks and rights. Apart from that, of course, everyday working life plays a major role, dealing with customers, advertising your own services, etc. It is not uncommon for people to also have very personal needs to explore how they can deal with other life factors, such as migration or trans identity, in relation to their work.

Unfortunately, people in sex work live and work in the shadows, sometimes leading downright double lives. This is due to the persistent social stigmatisation, institutional discrimination and legal disadvantages.

Sex work is certainly less taboo than it used to be - but people still work in an area that is socially little or not recognised at all. How does this affect the escorts you speak to? 

Unfortunately, people in sex work live and work in the shadows, sometimes leading downright double lives. This is due to the persistent social stigmatisation (e.g. lack of acceptance by family and friends, lack of appreciation of the work and generally widespread prejudices), institutional discrimination (e.g. in the housing and labour market or in banking), as well as legal discrimination (e.g. through the obligation to register or the overlap with migration requirements).

For many, this naturally leads to insecurities and (existential) fears. Some internalise feelings of shame, while others are very proud of themselves and their work and demand the rights and recognition to which they are entitled. The reactions to these complex problems are therefore very different, but everyone agrees that they deserve better treatment from society, but also from the state and politicians. 

At this point, we also see a social responsibility: in discussions, terms such as (forced) prostitution, human trafficking and sex work are repeatedly mixed up, which ultimately harms all those affected and does not offer them the necessary support. We should listen to the people affected and avert coercion in the causes, as well as meet the needs of sex workers and support them in their life situations.

In discussions, terms such as (forced) prostitution, human trafficking and sex work are repeatedly mixed up, which ultimately harms all those affected.

Now we've had two to three years of the pandemic, how has that changed sex work overall?  

During the pandemic, the problems that already existed increased significantly. Income went down the drain, homelessness increased. Many had to continue working somehow but wanted to stay healthy at the same time. At times, there was a ban on sex work, which was one of the last COVID measures to be relaxed - at a time when clubs, restaurants and massage parlours had long since reopened. The already difficult situation was exploited to make calls for a ban on sex work more acceptable, and sex workers were sometimes chalked up as a health risk in the old fashioned way. Of course, trust is also lost among those affected when such discriminatory statements are made. We have noticed that the climate against sex workers has become harsher and more aggressive in some cases, both politically and on the street.

At the same time, the work of counselling centres like ours has of course also been affected by COVID, which is why we have not been able to offer the level of support we would have liked or needed. We have noticed that mental health, social isolation, loss of contact and drug use have become more prevalent issues since the pandemic.

However, sex workers have an incredible amount of patience and finesse to adapt to changing conditions and find their own way of dealing with them. Access to resources and dialogue with colleagues are crucial criteria for making a difference.

We are living in difficult economic times, do you think this also affects sex work? Can sex workers still make a living from their work?

Of course, the difficult economic situation also affects sex workers. Not only is less money being spent on sexual services and therefore less income is available, but the cost of living has also risen and more money is being spent on rent, food, clothing, etc. As in all self-employed professions, it is often unclear how much money you will actually earn. Sometimes there is a good month that allows you to build up reserves, sometimes there is a bad month where you have to rely on your own savings. Planning for the future is therefore much more difficult. Many sex workers therefore often work in other jobs or use their skills for other professions, thus providing a kind of basic security. Nonetheless, many people value sex work as a relatively flexible and independent way of earning an income. The economic circumstances are very different for all sex workers and are individually characterised. There are people who want to escape poverty through sex work and still live and work precariously, and there are also people who offer sexual services very successfully and do so as a full-time job and sole source of income. In both cases, the activity must be understood and respected as work and the focus should be on how people can work and live in a better, safer and more self-determined way. What makes the difference and influences experiences are often intersecting forms of discrimination or privilege: language skills, migration status, gender, different access to resources or communities etc. Unfortunately, all of this also makes a difference to earnings and everyday working life.

PrEP is a big topic in the scene. How do you deal with it, what advice do you have? Also with regard to sexually transmitted diseases and sexual health in general? 

Our health counselling naturally also includes the topic of PrEP and we advise the use of PrEP and mediate with organisations to obtain them. At the same time, we also clarify that PrEP only protects against HIV, but not against other, sometimes even more common sexually transmitted diseases. We therefore recommend using condoms at the same time - especially as the use of condoms is also prescribed in the so-called Prostitutes Protection Act. [Editor's note: Condoms protect against HIV transmission. They also reduce the risk of contracting other sexually transmitted diseases. However, they do not offer complete protection against sexually transmitted diseases. That's why regular tests are important. More information at www.iwwit.de/kondome.] Many sex workers are interested in not contracting sexually transmitted diseases, after all, their own body is also a work tool somewhere and there would be no paid sick leave in the event of a breakdown. We therefore encounter interest and initiative in this topic and realise that many sex workers already have at least some basic knowledge on the subject and would like to find out more.

Sex under the influence of drugs or substances is also a topic that occupies the scene. What advice would you give to people who come to you?  

Our approach is that of "harm reduction", i.e. the reduction of dangers. We provide information on the safer use of drugs or, if necessary, refer people to medical staff and addiction support centres. In terms of work, we believe that it is best to work sober, also in order to be better able to deal with potentially dangerous situations. However, the demand for chemsex from clients is sometimes high. We therefore also appeal to customers to act fairly and responsibly when booking sexual services.

Currently, the so-called "Prostitutes Protection Act" is perceived more as harassment, discrimination and (partial) criminalisation than as protection. What is really needed is equal treatment by law and the establishment of actual (labour) rights - with the participation and consultation of sex workers themselves.

You are not an activist alliance, but nevertheless the question: Have you Demands on politicians, such as the Senate, on what needs to change when it comes to sex work should? What do the escorts want? 

As a funded advice centre, we are in contact with the Senate and try to contribute our expertise to various working groups. We see ourselves clearly on the side of sex workers and try to improve their situation wherever possible. As sex work is a deeply politicised and regulated professional field, we naturally also have perspectives on politics that are influenced by contact with our clientele. In Berlin, we participated in the "Sex work round table" with the Senate, authorities, operators and sex workers. Very good recommendations for action were developed, but these have not yet been sufficiently implemented. We would like to see these ideas implemented faster and better. At the same time, projects that support sex workers or are even led by sex workers themselves must be further promoted and expanded.

What we often hear from sex workers is that they would like to see a revision of the current legal situation. At the moment, the so-called "Prostitutes Protection Act" is perceived more as harassment, discrimination and (partial) criminalisation than as protection. What is really needed is equal treatment by law and the establishment of actual (labour) rights - with the participation and consultation of the sex workers themselves. Such a legal text would also be an important prerequisite for countering the ongoing stigmatisation and discrimination of sex workers. On the one hand, we need to provide better education in society, but we also need to enshrine equal treatment and an improvement in living conditions in law. If sex work is currently subject to heaps of special regulations, is portrayed as immoral or a health risk, then it is not surprising that discrimination against sex workers continues and even causes existential problems for institutions, for example if someone cannot apply for a flat because they cannot declare their job or if a bank once again blocks the account of a person in sex work. We therefore hope that our work and the important work of other colleagues will be continued and promoted, that those affected will receive more support, that their needs will be met through legal rights and that the many forms of discrimination and stigmatisation will be countered through education and equal treatment.