"For a Switzerland without johns": Campaign by Brinkertlück for Frauenzentrale Zurich
Whether prostitutes do their work voluntarily can hardly be recognized by clients. The campaign created by Brinkertlück Switzerland draws attention to this.
In Switzerland, around 20,000 women, mainly migrants, engage in prostitution. 350,000 men are clients at least once a year. Whether the women do the work voluntarily can hardly be detected.
"Every man who goes to a brothel must expect to have sex with a forced prostitute," says Olivia Frei, executive director of the Women's Center Zurich. Yet the women work under inhumane conditions and 60 to 80 percent of prostitutes are regularly sexually or psychologically abused. Self-determined action is not possible for many - because they need the money and have no other choice."
"Parallel to this development, women empowerment is absolutely a strong social issue. But why not also when it comes to women who have been forced into prostitution? What about strengthening the image of women if that is still possible in Switzerland?" elaborates Dennis Lück, co-founder and CEO of Brinkertlück Switzerland. "This was exactly our starting point for our messages.".
According to the initiators, the campaign is starting at a strategically important time. Because on Monday, September 19, 2022, the Women's Center Zurich has submitted its request for exit assistance for people in prostitution to the government council. Their goal: to offer security to prostitutes and to publicly question the current regulation of the sex trade in Switzerland. For this purpose, it demands answers from the canton of Zurich regarding exit programs and would like to educate and sensitize society with its campaign "For a Switzerland without johns".
Demand for phase-out programs
Sonja Rueff-Frenkel, Vice President of the Women's Center Zurich, says: "We are committed to ensuring that every woman can determine her own sexuality free from coercion, discrimination and violence. Therefore, exit programs must also be made available".
Alexandra Müller, Head of Marketing and Communication at the Women's Center, adds: "What happens in prostitution is in so many cases a violation of human dignity. At the same time, prostitution always means violence against women. Thus, prostitution makes equality impossible. Women empowerment must not stop at nearly 20,000 prostitutes."
The campaign motifs and messages are used as both static and moving image formats.
