Zurich’s Safe Sex Shacks
In response to the increase in women being coerced into the sex trade, the Swiss city has designed alarm-equipped wooden sheds in which prostitutes can practice their trade more safely. The shacks, dubbed “drive-in sex boxes” by locals, were put forth in an initiative that was approved by voters in 2012.
In response to the increase in women being coerced into the sex trade, the Swiss city has designed alarm-equipped wooden sheds in which prostitutes can practice their trade more safely. The shacks, dubbed “drive-in sex boxes” by locals, were put forth in an initiative that was approved by voters in 2012.
Located in an approved area, the boxes are available solely to drivers from dusk until dawn. AlterNet reports the inspiration behind this project:
“We’ve had a problem here which has been getting worse over the last few years, especially regarding Roma women, some of whom were being forced into prostitution. This was a degrading situation which we really had to stop,” Michael Herzig, the project director, told the news outlet.
What makes them more safe is that the sheds are built with alarms. Ursula Kocher of the Flora Dora centre for women told Euronews that “this solution has several advantages: the support service for the women is better because we are directly here on site. The infrastructure is better. The women can come to us and use the shower and the toilets. We can talk to them without other people listening and the area is closed and observable.”
The thoughtful designs may be proof that sometimes thinking outside the box means constructing one.
—Posted by Natasha Hakimi
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