- Sex workers sometimes experience violence in their work
- Have you experienced violence? Talk to someone about it
- For example, a friend or a social worker
- Violence is never your fault
- Taking good care of yourself after violence can help you process it. Have you experienced violence? It is important that you talk about it. Then it will bother you less later on.
- It can help if someone in your circle (a friend or family member) knows that you are a sex worker. Then you have someone to turn to when something bad happens.
Dealing with violence
Sex workers sometimes experience violence. From an aggressive client, for example. Or from a family member who does not understand that you are a sex worker. This is a way to deal with violence if you are in immediate danger:
- Get yourself to safety if you can. Go outside. Or find a place where there are other people.
- Ask other people for help.
- Call the police, or say that you are going to call the police. Sometimes this deters the perpetrator.
If you don't want to or can't call the police, you can also film the situation or record the sound. Is the immediate danger over? Then take good care of yourself. You can do this by:
- Talking about it with someone you trust. For example, a friend or a social worker
- Have you experienced sexual violence? The Sexual Violence Center can help you.
- Consider whether you want to report the incident to the police. You can also do this later.
- Don't want to report the incident to the police, but still want to report the violence? You can also go to Ugly Mugs. Ugly Mugs is a warning system for sex workers. You can report aggressive or dangerous clients there and check in advance whether a client is in the system. Is he in there? Then it's better not to meet up with him.
- Take some time for yourself before you go back to work
- On the website of the Center for Sexual Violence (CSG), you will find an online self-help program. You can do this yourself, free of charge and anonymously. Currently, it appears that it is only available in Dutch. For more information, contact the Center for Sexual Violence.
Do you see someone using violence against a colleague? Here's what you can do:
- Make sure you are safe.
- Is it too dangerous to intervene? Then take photos of the perpetrator.
- Ask others for help. It is usually safer to intervene as a group.
- Call the police. If you don't want to or can't call the police, you can also say that you are going to call the police. Sometimes this scares the perpetrator off.
- Has the violence stopped? Then ask your colleague what they need. Maybe they need to go to the hospital. Or maybe they want to talk about what happened.
- You can also refer your colleague to support services or the Center for Sexual Violence (CSG)
Self-defence
Do you have an aggressive client? Then it's good to be able to defend yourself.
You can take a self-defense course for this. In Amsterdam, there is a course specifically for sex workers. SHOP in The Hague also sometimes offers this. Check their website for more information.
Don't live in Amsterdam or nearby? Then check with a community center or gym for self-defense courses.
Preventing violence
Is someone being violent against you? It is never your fault. There are things you can do to reduce the risk of violence:
- Check who your customer is in advance. Read here how you can check up on customers
- Make sure someone else knows where you are and who you are with. Agree on a time to call after your appointment. If you don't call, that person can call you. If you don't answer, they can call the police or come to check on you
- Trust your instincts. Do you have a bad feeling about a client? Then don't work with that person
- Is your client behaving strangely? Maybe you should stop. Read here what strange behavior is
- Be clear about what you do and don't want to do with clients. Say no if you don't want to do something
Help
Have you experienced violence? It is important that you talk about it. Then it will bother you less later on.
These people can help you:
- Your family doctor
- A psychologist
- An aid organization for sex workers, such as ACS (Amsterdam), Belle Hulpverlening (Utrecht), Door2Door (Rotterdam), SHOP/Spot46 (The Hague), PMW013 (Zeeland, Brabant, and Limburg)
- Center for Sexual Violence
- A social worker who understands sex work
At ACS in Amsterdam, you can take a self-defense course specifically for sex workers. SHOP in The Hague also offers this sometimes. Check their website for more information.
Do you need advice or support? Get help
Do you have a problem or question about your work? Or do you need advice or care? You can get help.
