In this special edition of Crackers and Curry, we showcase the opinions of various residents of the Netherlands who we interviewed on legalized prostitution.
Spring break took us to the Netherlands, a beautiful country in northern Europe with notably liberal social policies. Particularly shocking, however, was the pervasion of legalized prostitution in Amsterdam.
Neon-red, glass booths with practically naked women filled the narrow alleyways of the city. Countless shops advertised live sex shows, private booths and other sexual services. A significant part of downtown Amsterdam was dedicated to the sale of flesh - to the fulfillment of fantasy and desire. Thinking that the Dutch would have a wide array of opinions on this phenomenon, making for an intriguing debate, we set about interviewing some of the people we met. The following are their opinions:
We stepped into Sarah's* small booth, squinting our eyes at the harsh red lights that flooded the narrow room. She was a 42-year-old prostitute, born and raised in Amsterdam, who had been involved in the sex trade for over 10 years. Her male partner abandoned her after six years and two children. After going on welfare and leaving to work first in a paint factory, then for a cleaning service and next at a car wash, her friend introduced her to the red light district. "I work three days [every week]," she told us. "Five to seven hours, and I make from 1,500 to 2,000 euro a week." We asked if she thought legalizing prostitution was a good idea. "Of course," she said, telling us that she was able to make a good living and still have plenty of time to spend with her family.
We inquired about the safety and protection for girls involved in the sex trade. "De Rode Draad," she said, which translates to "The Red Thread" in English. She told us it was a place where girls could go for help, free of any charges or membership. She was emphatic about her own experience: "For me, ten years, no problems." She told us that she works independently and rents a room from a man who lives above her. Just like other legitimate businesses, she had to report her earnings for tax purposes.
Did she ever lie on her taxes? Her face broke into a wide smile. "Everyone lies," she said.
We met Tobias* at Stay-OK, the youth hostel that was our home in Amsterdam. He was working the night shift, and after striking up a conversation with him, we found that he, too, was a journalist. A native of Germany, he wrote freelance works for various German publications and coincidentally was composing a piece on prostitution in Amsterdam. He seemed incredibly indifferent toward the legalized sex trade.
"There's nothing wrong with it," Tobias said, noting as others did that it exists everywhere. He suggested that the least governments can do is protect those involved in it. Tobias said the city council had a different view. "They want to turn it into a 'light red district'" by converting old windows into art projects and fashion displays, making the window lights white instead of red, he told us. He spoke about how tenets of the Olde Kirk Church on the edge of the red light district had wanted change for years. "The government gives us no information on how much this project is costing," he said. "But we guess it is over 100 million euros."
Lily* is a bartender in Amsterdam. Her mother is an Indonesian immigrant; her father is Dutch. She has lived in the Netherlands her entire life. When we asked what she thought about prostitution, she shrugged her shoulders. "It is good, I suppose," she said. "We would be out of business otherwise."
We probed a bit further. "Is there any exploitation?" Lily nodded her head. She told us about "Lover Boys," who are essentially pimps. They go to the poorer parts of Eastern Europe and woo girls with money and gifts. Taking advantage of the new and integrated Europe, these girls enter the Netherlands with the Lover Boys, expecting a new life with many comforts. In the Netherlands they are forced to work as prostitutes. With no other skills, little grasp of the language, and very little knowledge of where they are, these girls have no one to turn to but the Lover Boys. We asked Lily what she thought of this from a woman's stance. Once again, she was apathetic. "It's bad, yes," she said. It was 3 a.m. on a Friday night, and she was probably drunk. We changed the topic.
Henrick, a retired financial banker, was sitting across us in the cafeteria at the Van Gogh Museum. He was reading the Wall Street Journal over a cup of coffee. We asked him about his opinions of prostitution in the Netherlands. "The Dutch are practical people," he told us. "If two people want to do something, why should anyone stop them?"
Henrick represented the socially and intellectually developed part of Europe. The Dutch, he claimed, have abandoned the meaningless conventions that plague Americans. They have embraced individualism, liberalism and moral relativity. Pragmatism dictates policy. The Netherlands have benefited from the tourism spawned by prostitution. Countless bars, restaurants and tourist shops have developed alongside the red light district in Amsterdam. "Morals are regressive when there is so much to gain," he said.
*Names have been changed.
Sudeep Bhatia is a junior majoring in philosophy; Peter Radosevich is a junior majoring in political science. They can be reached at Sudeep.Bhatia@tufts.edu and Peter.Radosevich@tufts.edu, respectively.
