Prostitution / sex work
ProstitutionProstitutionOffering sex in exchange for money or other advantages. Women, men and children…Read more means offering sexSexAll acts that can sexually arouse you. Sex is more than sexual intercourse.…Read more in exchange for money or other advantages. People working in prostitution are called sexSexAll acts that can sexually arouse you. Sex is more than sexual intercourse.…Read more workers or prostitutes.
Sex workers are often women offering their services to men. Men and transgenderTransgenderWhen the sex someone was assigned at birth does not correspond to how they feel and/or…Read more people can also be sex workers and their client can be men or women.
Talking to each other before sex
Before having sex, the sex worker and the client should discuss the kind of sex they want to have and for what price. For example: oral sexOral sexStimulating someone else's sexual organs with your mouth or tongue. Oral sex for…Read more and/or masturbationMasturbationGetting aroused by stimulating your own body (usually the sexual organs). Masturbation can…Read more and/or vaginal sexVaginal sexSex with penetration of the vagina.Read more with penetrationPenetrationPutting a part of your body (penis, finger, etc.) or an object into…Read more, and/or anal sexAnal sexSexual contact with penetration of the anus.Read more.
All kinds of sex can be discussed with the sex worker, but they do not have to accept everything. They will tell you what is possible and what is not and for what price. Both the sex worker and the client should protect their own boundaries and respect the other person’s boundaries.
Sex worker and a client talking at the entrance of a brothel
Safe sexSafe sexSex during which partners protect themselves against STIs, HIV and unintended pregnancy. Safe…Read more and hygieneHygieneHygiene means keeping the body clean. It reduces the risk of becoming ill.Read more
Safe sex is important for both the sex worker and the client. By having safe sex, you protect yourself and others against STIs and unintended pregnancyPregnancyThe time when a woman is expecting a baby. The pregnancy begins when…Read more:
- Use a condom when penetration takes place (vaginal and/or anal sexual intercourse). You can use a water-based or silicone-based lubricantLubricantSlippery fluid or gel used on the penis, vagina or anus. A lubricant…Read more. Take note: an oil-based lubricant can cause the condomCondomCovering of thin rubber that a man wears over his erect penis. A…Read more to tear.
- You can use a condom when having oral sex (blow jobBlow jobIf you give a man a blow job, you kiss, lick and suck…Read more). During cunnilingusCunnilingusA kind of oral sex. When performing cunnilingus, another person stimulates a woman's clitoris,…Read more, cut open the condom and place it over the vulvaVulvaExternal part of the female sexual organ. The labia, clitoris, urinary meatus and…Read more or use a dental damDental damThin piece of latex which covers the vulva or anus during oral sex. A…Read more.
- If you have sex without a condom, talk with a health professional to get tested for STIs and HIV.
- Be careful when using alcohol and drugs during sex. You feel fewer restraints and are less aware of possible risks.
Use a condom when having sexual intercourse.
Take good care of your personal hygiene. For example: shower, use clean underwear, clean your teeth. etc. In that way, you care for your own body and you show respectRespectFeeling of appreciation for a person. If you respect another person, you think…Read more for the sex worker.
Tips for sex workers
As a sex worker it is also important to:
- ask to be paid in advance;
- trust your intuition; turn away dubious clients;
- protect your own boundaries. Be clear with the client about what you want and do not want to do. Nobody can force you to do something against your will.
- Create a safe environment. For example: work in a hotel, inform friends, write down names and telephone numbers.
You have the right to stop the sexual contact at any moment if you think something is not OK.
If you are a sex worker and you have questions or you need help, you can contact the specialised organisations below.
Prostitution and the lawLawRules which decide what you may and may not do. Every country has…Read more
Prostitution is legal in some European countries like the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany under certain conditions. In other European countries it is illegal.
Forced prostitution and human trafficking are forbidden by lawForbidden by lawIf an action is forbidden by law, the law says that you must…Read more everywhere in Europe.