Zurich has launched a novel experiment to make prostitution safer: publicly funded drive-in "sex boxes". The teak-coloured wooden garages will be open for business from Monday for drive-in customers in a country where prostitution has been legal since on the outskirts of the Swiss city.
The several dozen sex workers who are expected to use them can stand along a short road in a small, circular park where they can negotiate with clients. The park was built in a former industrial area between a rail yard and the fence along a major highway. The publicly funded facilities — away from the city centre and open all night — include bathrooms, lockers, small cafe tables, a laundry and shower. Men won't have to worry about video surveillance cameras, but the sex workers — who will need a permit and pay tax — will have a panic button and access to on-site social workers trained to look after them.
Daniel Hartmann, a Zurich lawyer, welcomed the new facility, saying: "Safety for the prostitutes. At least, it's a certain kind of a shelter for them. They can do their business, and I respect them. He added: "They do a great job, and they have better working conditions here … They're not exposed to the bosses, to the pimps, in here.
But others are not so sure. Brigitta Hanselmann, a retired special needs schoolteacher from Embrach, north of the city, said: "I have to think about it for a long time, because it's so incredible that a city offers that to the men, and it's interesting that there are many, many women here who are looking at it. Prostitution has been legal in Switzerland since Voters in Zurich approved spending up to SFr2.
The city, which only allows prostitution in certain areas, also plans to spend SFr, a year to keep the sex boxes running.
