NCJ Number
162714
Journal
Crime, Law and Social Change Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Dated: (1995) Pages: 41-65
Date Published
1995
Length
25 pages
Annotation
In the Netherlands, the prostitute rights movement emerged with the formation of an influential coalition of feminists and policymakers who devoted themselves to improving the juridical and social position of prostitutes.
Abstract
By seeking to take advantage of the government's emancipation policy, this coalition succeeded in placing the issue of prostitute rights on the political agenda. The question of why the emancipation policy failed to strengthen the position of prostitutes is addressed. By analyzing factors associated with the initial prosperous development of the prostitute rights movement, the author concludes that everything went smoothly as long as professional prostitutes monopolized image formation. The process failed when policymakers incorporated multiproblematic prostitute categories. Instead of the intended social integration of all categories, the prostitute rights movement strengthened the stigma attached to prostitution. The failure of the prostitute rights movement in the Netherlands indicates that the sex worker categories corresponding to traditional stereotypical views of prostitution do not elevate the status of prostitutes. 36 references