Since 1985, Hydra has partially been funded with public funds, so that a permanent counselling centre in Berlin could be established. Among other things, it informs about health issues, in particular AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. In addition to the counselling centre, Hydra participates in lobbying and public relations to improve the legal and social situation of prostitutes. The purposes of the association are:
the promotion of social protection and cultural integration of prostitutes,[3]
the promotion of vocational training of prostitutes as an aid to the transition to other occupations.[4]
Some of Hydra's employees have their own experience as prostitution. Club membership is restricted to women, while supporting membership is also open to men.
The foundation of the association goes back to the counselling centre for venereal diseases of the Berlin-Charlottenburg health department, which had existed since 1915,[5][6] from which, in 1979, the idea for an autonomous prostitute organisation was born. As prostitutes, among others, came to the counselling centre, at the end of 1979, social workers, female teachers, lawyers, doctors, and female psychologists working there formed the Association for the Promotion of Vocational and Cultural Education of Female Prostitutes e. V.[2] The aim was to provide practical help services for prostitutes, and to counteract their social discrimination. In July 1980, four of those involved, together with 10 female students, opened a seminar on prostitution at the Free University of Berlin in the Spielhagenstraße in Berlin-Charlottenburg, the Café Hydra.[2] The contact and consultancy shop was the first of its kind in Germany. In the autumn 1980, two more social worker interns were added, so that, in addition to regular opening hours, a large number of working groups were offered. The rent was taken over by a foundation for two years and funded for 6 months by a "Self-Help Initiative Network"; otherwise, the project was funded by donations. In the spring of 1981, it was decided to occupy to a house to provide more room. With the support of the socio-pedagogical institute "Arbeiterwohlfahrt", a vacant house in Potsdamer Straße, Berlin, was found that could be legally moved into, and renovation started. During the winter of 1981, several of the involved women retired for professional reasons; so, the future of the project was in doubt. The impetus for the further development was given by one of the Hydra initiators, with plans for their own newspaper and a Christmas party. In February 1982, the work was resumed. In addition to a monthly donation of 200 DM came at an event in August that raised 2000 DM, with which running costs and other activities could be financed. Thus, the magazine Hydra-Nachtexpress was published, and contacts to prostitute projects in Hamburg and Lyon were made.
The funds approved by the Berlin Senate for 1983 for two rented offices and the establishment of a café could not initially be paid out because no suitable space was found.[2] Therefore, in 1984, after a period of uncertainty, an amended application for an advisory centre with two part-time staff posts was requested, and approved at the end of October 1984. Thus, at the end of 1984, office space was moved to Kantstraße, and in January 1985, regular opening hours commenced.
Activities
A focus of the association work soon centred on providing information on the immunodeficiency syndrome AIDS, which at that time was little known by the public or was seen as only as a disease among gays. In addition, staff members contacted authorities, which in most cases proved to be unfruitful, due to prejudice and fears of contact, such as the request to employment offices for support in the integration of prostitutes into the rest of the labour market. In August 1985, Der Spiegel published an article about Hydra, who made the project known beyond Berlin. At the end of October 1985, the first National Hurenkongress (Whore Congress) was organised, in conjunction with the Huren wehren sich gemeinsam (HWG, e. V.), which was founded in Frankfurt. The topic of AIDS also became increasingly common in the media from the summer of 1985 onwards. As part of AIDS education and prevention, and in cooperation with the Berlin State Institute for Tropical Medicine, two additional posts were approved from December 1985.
The association was increasingly perceived as an expert on AIDS, for example, at a public hearing in 1986 in the Bundestag on AIDS. Although desired by prostitutes, clients were reluctant to accept the use of condoms. Therefore, Hydra demanded that education be extended not only among the so-called risk groups, but to the whole population. In the spring of 1986, there were discussions with the then-Berlin senator for health and social affairs, Ulf Fink, which promised further support. In 1986, Hydra participated in a Senate education campaign and participated in three other prostitution congresses.
From 1980 to 1995, Hydra issued its own magazine, HYDRA night express ("newspaper for bar, brothel, and curb"), which included news, interviews, reports of the situation of prostitutes in other countries and exit options.[2] It now appears alongside other information materials as a leaflet.
In 1986, Hydra lobbied for the abolition of the law against sexually transmitted diseases. While the Greens supported the proposals for amendments to the Anti-Discrimination Law,[2] the proposals were postponed due to the rotation principle.
The organisation participated in the z. B. Exhibition in pharmacies on the subject of condoms, and organised demonstrations and advertising for the use of condoms. They also provide information education on the living conditions of prostitutes, and have received invitations to numerous events and hearings.
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Hydra participated in the Karneval der Kulturen (Carnival of Culture) in 2005, organising an exhibition entitled "25 years of Hydra".[7]
Under the direction of the author Rochus Hahn from the publisher Schwarzer Turm, the comic seriesHurengeschichten, which was compiled from interviews with Hydra members, details the life and work of professional prostitutes.
Related Organizations and Initiatives
There are about a dozen counseling centers for prostitutes in Germany. Hydra inspired the foundation of the Frankfurt Initiative Huren wehren sich gemeinsam (HWG, e. V.) and other self-help groups. Madonna e. V supports prostitutes when leaving, and arranges re-training.
For callboys, there is the Berlin Initiative querstrich[8] and the Arbeitskreis der Stricherprojekte in Deutschland (Working Group of the hustlers projects in Germany).
Criticism
Most of the criticism of Hydra's work is based on a fundamental rejection of prostitution as a recognized profession. It is criticized that Hydra plays down, and promotes, prostitution, which could, for example, hinder the protection of minors. In addition, it has been said that Hydra is primarily committed to the interests of brothel owners.[9] Furthermore, it is argued that the recognition of prostitution leads to an increase in the area of forced prostitution.
As an interest representation, the association takes a positive position on prostitution. The feminist magazine Emma criticizes Hydra, in that it does not represent the real interests of prostitutes, since, according to their information, a maximum of 0.01% of prostitutes are organized, and the association represents only a part of the industry.[10] Hydra disagreed that prostitution for women is a perverse involuntary sex business.[11] In an open letter, the association claimed that Alice Schwarzer's idea of communication between "customer" and "service provider" was an "absolute caricature".[12]
Prostitution in Germany is legal, as are other aspects of the sex industry, including brothels, advertisement, and job offers through HR companies. Full-service sex work is widespread and regulated by the German government, which levies taxes on it. In 2016, the government adopted a new law, the Prostitutes Protection Act, in an effort to improve the legal situation of sex workers, while also now enacting a legal requirement for registration of prostitution activity and banning prostitution which involves no use of condoms. The social stigmatization of sex work persists and many workers continue to lead a double life. Human rights organizations consider the resulting common exploitation of women from Eastern and Southeastern Europe to be the main problem associated with the profession.
Prostitution in Thailand is not in itself illegal, but many of the activities associated with it are illegal. Because of police corruption and an economic reliance on prostitution dating back to the Vietnam War, it remains a significant presence in the country. It results from poverty, low levels of education and a lack of employment in rural areas. Prostitutes mostly come from the northeastern Isan region of Thailand, from ethnic minorities or from neighbouring countries, especially Myanmar and Laos. UNAIDS in 2019 estimated the total population of sex workers in Thailand to be 943,000.
COYOTE is an American sex workers' rights organization. Its name is a backronym for Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics, a reflection of the fact that sex work tends to be stigmatized primarily because of society-imposed standards of ethics. COYOTE's goals include the decriminalization of prostitution, pimping and pandering, as well as the elimination of social stigma concerning sex work as an occupation.
Artemis is one of the largest brothels in Germany, where prostitution and brothels are legal and widespread. The "wellness" brothel opened in Berlin in September 2005, a four-story building complete with a pool, three saunas, two cinemas, and with room for up to 70 prostitutes and 600 customers.
Sonagachi is a neighbourhood in Kolkata, India, located in North Kolkata near the intersection of Jatindra Mohan Avenue with Beadon Street and Sovabazar, about one kilometer north of the Marble Palace area. Sonagachi is among the largest red-light district in Asia with several hundred multi-storey brothels residing more than 16,000 commercial sex workers.
Prostitution is legal in India, but a number of related activities including soliciting, kerb crawling, owning or managing a brothel, prostitution in a hotel, child prostitution, pimping and pandering are illegal. There are, however, many brothels illegally operating in Indian cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Chennai. UNAIDS estimate there were 657,829 prostitutes in the country as of 2016. Other unofficial estimates have calculated India has roughly 3–10 million prostitutes. India is widely regarded as having one of the world's largest commercial sex industry. It has emerged as a global hub of sex tourism, attracting sex tourists from wealthy countries. The sex industry in India is a multi-billion dollar one, and one of the fastest growing.
Prostitution in Myanmar is illegal, but widespread. Prostitution is a major social issue that particularly affects women and children. UNAIDS estimate there to be 66,000 prostitutes in the country.
Prostitution in Austria is legal and regulated.
Prostitution in Kolkata is present in different forms and Kolkata's sex industry is one of the largest in Asia. Prostitution may be brothel-based or non-brothel based as in the case of call girls. India is regarded as having one of the largest commercial sex trades globally. Kolkata has many red-light districts, out of which Sonagachi is the largest red-light district in Asia with more than 50,000 commercial sex workers.
Prostitution in Brazil is legal, in terms of exchanging sex for money, as there are no laws forbidding adults from being professional sex workers, but it is illegal to operate a brothel or to employ sex workers in any other way. Public order and vagrancy laws are used against street prostitutes. The affordability of prostitutes is the most inquired-about term in word completion queries on purchases on Google in Brazil.
Prostitution in Ecuador is legal and regulated, as long as the prostitute is over the age of 18, registered, and works from a licensed brothel. Prostitution is widespread throughout the country. Many brothels and prostitutes operate outside the regulatory system and the regulations have been less strictly enforced in recent years. 25,000 prostitutes were registered in the year 2000. In 2007 it was estimated that 70% of the prostitutes in the country were from Colombia. The country attracts Colombian prostitutes as the currency is the US$ rather than the unstable Colombian peso. UNAIDS estimate there to be 35,000 prostitutes in the country.
Prostitution in Paraguay is legal for persons over the age of 18, but related activities such as brothel keeping are prohibited. Prostitution is common in the country. Brothels are also common, even some rural villages have a small bar/brothel on the outskirts.
Sex workers' rights encompass a variety of aims being pursued globally by individuals and organizations that specifically involve the human, health, and labor rights of sex workers and their clients. The goals of these movements are diverse, but generally aim to legalize or decriminalize sex work, as well as to destigmatize it, regulate it and ensure fair treatment before legal and cultural forces on a local and international level for all persons in the sex industry.
Action for World Solidarity is a non-profit and non-governmental association based in Berlin. The organization supports projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Hanna Bieber-Böhm was a German feminist and pioneer of social work. She established an organization to assist young women seeking work in Berlin and help protect them from becoming prostitutes, and founded a recreation home for women where they could also be trained in housework and gardening. She was in favor of combating prostitution through strong laws penalizing the clients of prostitutes.
Although prostitution in the German Democratic Republic was outlawed in 1968, it was partially tolerated thereafter.
The Prostitutes Protection Act (Prostituiertenschutzgesetz) is a German Federal Law that was enacted on 21 October 2016 and came into force on 1 July 2017. Core elements are the introduction of a permit requirement for all prostitution trades and a registration certificate for prostitutes. The intent of the law was to better protect prostitutes and fight crime. Interest groups criticized the law, which they claim penalizes and endangers prostitutes and a constitutional complaint was filed in June 2017.
The Prostitution Act is a federal law in Germany that regulates the legal status of prostitution as a service in order to improve the legal and social situation of prostitutes. The law was promulgated on 20 December 2001 and has been in force since 1 January 2002. At the same time the Strafgesetzbuch §180a and §181a (pimping) were amended so that the creation of an adequate working environment is no longer punishable as long as no exploitation of prostitutes takes place.
The Vulkanstraße is a street in Duisburg, Germany that is the location of the city's red-light district. There are a number of brothels in the street including Laufhaus. It is the largest red-light district in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The Linienstraße is a street in Dortmund, Germany, known for prostitution. The street is located north of the city's main railway station Dortmund Hauptbahnhof in the Stadtbezirk Innenstadt-Nord district. There have been brothels on Linienstraße since the beginning of the 20th century. Under the "Sperrbezirk" regulations, prostitution in central Dortmund is only permitted in Linienstraße.
↑ Bruhns, Carl (1915). "Zur Eröffnung der städtischen Beratungsstelle für Geschlechtskrankheiten in Charlottenburg". ZSCHR. Bekämpf. Geschl.KRKH. 16: 333–342.
↑ Citron, Albert (1921). "Einiges über Wesen und Wert der Beratungsstelle für Geschlechtskranke". Medizinische Klinik. 17: 302.
↑ "25 Jahre Hydra". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). 29 June 2005. p.23. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
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