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Dutch sex workers get new online tool to flag violence
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Flagging dangerous clients: People walk in the red-light district of Amsterdam on July 1, 2020 as Dutch brothels reopen following a long coronavirus shutdown. On April 20, the Netherlands launched Ugly Mugs NL, a new online platform to protect sex workers from dangerous clients. (AFP/Kenzo Tribouillard)
T
he Netherlands launched on April 20 a new online reporting tool to protect sex workers from dangerous clients, a move supported by the Justice Ministry to improve safety in the industry.
Ugly Mugs NL is an online platform founded by Soa Aids Nederland, a Dutch foundation that aims to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS, and the Dutch Union of Sex Workers (PROUD), the largest organisation representing sex workers.
"On this platform, sex workers can warn each other about aggressive and dangerous clients," says the Ugly Mugs NL website.
"As a sex worker, you can use the platform to check new clients. You can also receive alerts when a dangerous customer is active in your area.”
The website can also help sex workers report abuse to the police.
Research by Soa Aids and PROUD showed that 97 percent of all sex workers in the Netherlands had experienced violence, Ugly Mugs NL said.
The 49-page report, released in 2018, said some 78 percent were exposed to sexual violence, 60 percent to physical violence and 58 percent to financial violence, when clients stole their money or refused to pay for services rendered.
"The largest category of perpetrators of violence against sex workers are clients. This applies to all forms of violence," said the study, in which more than 300 sex workers took part and which was funded by the Netherlands Justice Ministry.
The Netherlands legalized prostitution in 2000. Sex workers must register with the local chamber of commerce and pay income tax.
Amsterdam's red-light district, called De Wallen in Dutch, is a major tourist draw.
But rising crime and the sheer number of visitors have contributed to huge problems in the area, once called a "square kilometer of misery" by police.
Mayor Femke Halsema previously listed "disruptive behavior and a disrespectful attitude to the sex workers in the windows" as key problems, along with a "major increase in unlicensed, underground prostitution”.
Local authorities have even mooted plans to move the red-light district, but the suggestion has met with mixed reactions.
The sector has also been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, forcing it to close down for months during the height of the pandemic.
The Dutch platform is based on Britain's National Ugly Mugs platform, which was launched in 2012.
