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World Cup 2006 : Feast For Prostitutes (21.06.2006)
The saying that football and sex go together is more than evident in Germany. The World Cup is fuelling several activities, among them prostitution.
In Germany, prostitution is not a taboo. It is legal and widespread. Some 400,000 registered sex workers pay taxes and receive social benefits since the legalisation of the "world’s oldest profession" in Germany in 2002. Berlin alone has some 8,000 registered sex workers. Under the German law, prostitutes must be above 18 and hold a working permit. The law is however against forced prostitution or the trafficking of sex workers. Alongside the thousands of bars and food stands catering for the millions of fans who have flooded Germany for the World Cup, those in the sex industry are also making brisk business. Reports hold that some 40,000 prostitutes have entered Germany from neighboring countries to back up the thousands already at work, servicing the needs of some male fans.
Last Monday evening, Cameroon Tribune visited one of Germany`s largest brothels, Artemis. For a place designed with sex in mind, the name is odd. The Greek goddess, Artemis, was also known as the eternal virgin! The four-story mega-brothel is located near Berlin`s Olympia stadium, which hosted yesterday’s encounter between Germany and Ecuador, among other World Cup matches, and will also be venue for the final. The bordello complex was opened last September, just in time to receive the hordes of mostly male football fans from around the world. Today, the structure is an attraction to many football fans, who flood the place either out of curiosity or for "business". It has room for up to 100 prostitutes and boasts that it can cater for over 600 "clients" a day. To some people, the brothel is satanic, while to others, it greatly contributes to the World Cup fun.
From the outside, Artemis is just another tall building. But inside, it is a different world. Miniature soccer balls decorate the reception area. According to one of the attendants, all the women who work in Artemis have registered with the authorities and pay tax. They also pay an entrance fee of 50 euros (about CFA 32,500) and are free to negotiate the cost of their services for sex with the clients. Male clients, on the other hand, are charged 70-euro (about CFA
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50,000), for access to the women, restaurants and bars. They also get a bathrobe, towel, including a couple of meals, and can stay in the brothel all day and night, until five in the morning. From the brochure, one could gather that the structure has most of what it takes to make life comfortable - a restaurant, cinema halls, a large swimming pool, gymnasium and rooms. During matches, the movie theatre interrupts its usual pornographic features to show live games.
The prostitutes who work at Artemis say they are lucky. "I feel safe working here. There are cameras everywhere. Look, prostitution is the world`s oldest profession. You can`t stop it. It`s much better for women that prostitution has been legalised in Germany. It makes it more difficult for criminal gangs to operate," a 32-year old call girl said. Another young girl (23) thinks working in Artemis is a great job. "I get good work and I`m my own boss," she said.
In effect, prostitution thrives in Germany. Brothels operate alongside street prostitution. Down town Berlin, prostitutes stroll up and down some streets in broad day light with some "owning" portions of sidewalks. Some towns, such as Cologne and Dortmund, have gone a step ahead to build "sex huts," equipped with condoms and showers. Condom dispensers have also been installed to meet the boom in the sex business. Elsewhere, condoms serve as gadgets for teams. A range of condoms tailored for England supporters, for example, are emblazoned with the slogan "Lie Back and Think of England" and decorated with the cross of St George. At another brothel in Cologne, the slogan is "The world is a guest of female friends", an alternative of the official World Cup slogan: "The world is a guest of friends".
This German liberal sex attitude has been condemned by human right activists and religious groups. "Prostitution cheapens the dignity of women and reduces her to an object and instrument of sexual pleasure", Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travellers at the Vatican said at the start of the World Cup. He condemned the promotion of prostitution during the World Cup. "Women have become market commodities, which can be bought. And they cost less than a ticket for a football match," the archbishop said.
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