In the last year, the picturesque city of Strasbourg has become known as the red light district of Alsace, a veritable European capital of prostitution. Is Strasbourg really a big brothel, where locals and EU officials indulge their peccadilloes?
Today things look a bit different. While in many cities the red light district establishes itself around the train station, the neighbourhood here is free from sex shops or any other dives. Is this really the European capital of prostitution?
They are not as visible as they used to be, they are now more hidden. A further reason for the hide-and-seek game is the fear of the women, who mostly come from abroad. Sometimes they are trapped with false promises of work, then have their papers taken from them when they arrive, so they have no choice but to give themselves up to their fate. They come from poor backgrounds and want to support their families at home, and most of them think that they can give it up after a while.
That is why Mouvement du Nid has been working together with other aid organisations in the countries that the prostitutes come from, such as Bulgaria and Romania. Almost every big city has prostitution, but what makes it worse in Strasbourg is the proximity to Germany, as well as the presence of European institutions. Because the laws in neighbouring Germany are looser β since prostitution is legally regulated and sex workers even get health insurance β there is regular cross-border traffic.
The women often live in the German town of Kehl, only a few minutes drive from Strasbourg, and are carted over the border in mini-busses for their nightly business and carted back at dawn.
