When Jessie Hume and I wrote blogs on prostitution recently, there was a commenter who just didn’t get it, and I’m sure she wasn’t the only one.
Apparently the Prostitution Reform Act has made everything marvellous, women weren’t being assaulted, pressured and used, and all brothels and clubs are now awesome, safe, friendly environments where sex workers, strippers and exotic dancers have rights.
Yeah. Umm. No.
Are there great clubs that respect their ladies? Yes. And let’s celebrate and support those!
Are there bad clubs? YES. As we saw in the media on Saturday, bad practices, intoxication, coercion and sexual assault are still happening in the NZ sex industry post PRA. And with the influence and far reach of the dollar-driven Chow brothers, those who have come forward deserve our respect.
I have no doubt that Jacqui Le Prou, CEO of Calendar Girls made this objection and helped witnesses speak out because she cares. Is she competition? Yes. So? We should be proud of and support competition passionate about cleaning up the industry. Her passion is enabling women who choose to be in this industry by providing a safe work environment, and ongoing education so women can become empowered, independent and with money in the bank, rather than cowed, intimidated and addicted. She does not know half of her witnesses, nor do they all work for her as claimed by the Chows.
Does Jacqui have a few ghosts in her closet? Yes. Don’t we all? This doesn’t mean that she makes a bad CEO. I have heard nothing but glowing comments on her clubs, and she has the support of Rachel Francis – one of NZ’s most well known and well regarded Madame’s. It’s about time someone inside the industry started standing up for strippers and sex workers. Jacqui is highlighting issues those of us with inside experience know have been festering for years, both before and after the PRA.
For some of these brave women, she may have been the first person to take their claims seriously. Lord knows few others care. And she used Facebook to find them – so what? I can’t think of a better way to reach out to as many women as possible. The days of placing an ad in the paper seeking information are long gone. Sadly, these women will likely never get justice for what happened to them, and this is as close as they will get to having the truth of their experiences acknowledged.
But they aren’t. Instead the media is trying to frame what should be a valuable and warning insight into the reality of our sex industry as competitive wrangling. This is disappointing, but unsurprising. While competition is a factor here, the women’s experiences are real. I should know. Been in that situation, experienced the victimisation. It’s not just the Chow brothers, it’s a nationwide problem – but as the most high profile owners in the country, there couldn’t be a better place to start. The media, courts, liquor licensing authorities, police and councils should be all ears. Instead I sit here with little hope of change. I can see the eye rolls from here, and that’s sad.
When I was working for my last ‘employer’, these same troublesome practices were commonplace. Alcohol was available to clients – officially one complimentary drink – but hey, if they wanted more, then by all means, get even drunker before going into a room alone with a woman. In fact mid-negotiation IN the room often included ‘can you get me another Woodstock?’. The role alcohol plays in the adult entertainment industry is a difficult one, without an easy solution – but at the very least club managers should be following the law and terms of their licenses, not conspiring to get away with breaking it.
There were incidents where money was taken from clients while they were passed out due to intoxication. Sexual assaults were ignored, evidence was destroyed, and if you went to the police – don’t bother coming back. With a big venue, music up full notch, and ‘bouncers’ often more intoxicated than their clients, trying to get help while being assaulted was fruitless. And if a woman managed to raise the alarm, she was ordered back in to finish the job, no excuses. Can you imagine having to go back into a room with a man who had just sexually assaulted you to be assaulted again, and feel unable to flee due to intimidation and threats from your bosses? It’s hideous. I can’t think of a more disempowering, traumatising experience.
Claims that the PRA has made it easier for strippers and sex workers to go to the police after assaults due to its now legal status are true in many cases, but not if you happen to work for owners who put their wallets before their staff. They don’t want negative attention brought on them by the police and/or media. As we are beginning to see, this is definitely true in the case of the Chow brothers. The women don’t matter to them – only money and reputation. They will go to any lengths to protect that, including letting rapists and violent offenders get away with serious assaults, as well as threatening the woman’s income or safety if she does report the incident. Which is not wise – many sex offenders ‘practice’ their sick fantasy on a sex worker before being a predator in the community as well. But a sex worker is a commodity, not a person. She has no rights, she has to put up with it or be ‘fired’ – when it is actually in the public interest to know about these crimes.
Let me be clear – I still support the PRA, and I support decriminalised prostitution. My problem is that passing legislation alone hasn’t fixed all of the problems that happen in the sex industry. The law is not being applied in some clubs, and for various reasons their exotic dancers and sex workers are too scared to say so. Some owners have one agenda only – money – at the expense of anything or anyone. The police and the justice system still mainly stay out of these issues, despite their criminal nature, because they still see them as drama, as ‘tawdry’. And this is emphasized by our media.
In fact the Herald said so. “Given the industry, claim and counterclaim were, perhaps, predictably tawdry”. I almost vomited. Is sexual assault tawdry? Is attempting to bite a woman’s nipple off tawdry? I don’t think so. I am sick and tired of the media, officials and public’s attitude towards crimes that are committed against strippers and sex workers. As if they are lesser beings with no rights, who don’t deserve justice. There is more to a sex worker than that job. Many are our future doctors, lawyers, accountants, politicians. Yet despite the PRA, they are still marginalised, not believed, and treated as drama queens. That’s a problem, New Zealand. And the PRA can’t fix that. Only a culture shift can. And the most effective way of changing culture these days is through the media.
Enough with the ‘tawdry’. Enough with the ‘turf war’. Enough with the mocking, disbelieving tones. Enough with insinuations that an ex stripper/sex worker will say anything for money. Enough with the talking about ladies in our adult entertainment industry like scum. I challenge the NZ media to stop marginalising and stereotyping the sex industry and its pit-falls, and start making a stand for the rights of women who work a legal, legitimate job just like we do.
A journalist is raped on the job and the world is in an uproar. A sex worker/stripper/dancer is raped on the job and nobody gives a damn.
All manual, skilled workers are selling their bodies with their labour, and all employers are seeking to profit, some unfairly, from that labour. Every worker has the right to work in their chosen field without fear of coercion, injury or violence. Women working for the Chow brothers or men working in forestry or the Ports of Lyttleton are no different and the only defense against bad employers is worker solidarity. We on the left should along with the union movement be acting to support these people in their attempts to keep themselves safe in the workplace.
I highly recommend Live Nude Girls Unite, a brave and touching documentary about a group of workers at a strip club in the states who unionized and picketed the club they worked at for better conditions. The most heartening thing was watching customers refuse to cross the picket line:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264802/
Hi Rachael,
Your sense of outrage is very evident in your writing, as it should be. I think there are a number of issues here.
Firstly I don’t think that MSM are capable of impartiallity today and that is not unique to pieces regarding sex workers. This is a major problem and is by design. Our Govt. deliberately under funds our national broadcaster which acts as nothing more than a mouthpiece for this shallow shortsighted arrogant National party. Most people are so busy trying to survive they only receive their ‘news’ from MSM sources, so the brainwashining continues. Our so called news providers have been ‘corporatised’ to everybodies detriment except those corporates that ‘sell’ their propoganda!
The reasons that women enter the sex industry will be as varied as the women, however due to the prevailing ‘beliefs’ I think many would suffer a low self esteem which is also contributory. I believe if these women expected the best for themselves as a starting point, indeed demanded it in all interactions, then more often than not they would receive it. Ask and ye shall receive! (I’m in no way blaming the women or excusing abuser employers or clients here)
From this standpoint women would be empowered to reject poor treatment early, report abuse, simply leave and find another employer or become self employed.
If abuse is reported and ignored by employer take it to dispute, if a crime is commited, report to police. If no action is taken then file a complaint, or bring it to social networking, make these agencies do their job, as prostitution is a legitament enterprise.
Maybe set up some social site that rates sex industry work places from an employee point of view, if these bastards only understand money then punish their errant behaviour financially.
so if a sex worker is coerced to service a drunk abusive client she should what? complain to the police?
are you so completely naive as to think that would end well?
I think you may have missed this, but even girls as young as 13 raped by boys over 16 can visit the police with their parents, make a complaint, and nothing happens. nothing.
what on earth makes you think the police would take the complaint of a prostitute more seriously?
we need a culture change
telling women who work in the sex industry that they just need to expect the best for themselves, and make complaints to appropriate authorities, is completely missing the point.
a rating site for sex industry workplaces? a nice idea but it does not go nearly far enough. I simply can’t see that solving the problem
we need a culture change
and that starts with listening to the experiences of sex workers, asking them what do they need, and not stopping in helping them achieve that until they tell us that the problems are fixed
telling them what they “should” do? coming at it from the wrong angle I think
Well said!!!
Great article but yes agree highly with this comment police don’t do jack in this country with sexual crimes its extremely awful and only those who have been there can truly understand a culture change is definitely what we need, i wish i had the time to speak as a witness for jacqui but unfortunately i just didnt. not every worker in the industry has to put up with this kind of crap but the ones that do should get some kind of back up and respect just because they get paid to do what hoe bags do every weekend for free they are discriminated against atleast they take precautions and don’t end up with one night stand pregnancies and stds like the typical weekend hoebag they had enough brain in their head to get paid for it so why so much discrimination
Kyle, you are discriminating against amateurs. Why do you call them hoebags? I don’t see how that helps anyone here.
thats what they are trying to do woman you can run your mouth and say what you have said but u honstly dnt knw nething about the story, its basicly trying to stop the chow brothers from selling achole to drunk people and encoraging the workers to sell them more so they can do there dirty work and rip them off, and i agre with what they are trying to do to stop it as it is the safty of the girls that is concerning because they are the one’s that have to try fight off a drunk abusive guy all on there own coz the manager and bouncers dont give to fuks, so honstly do your research before you comment.
Regardless on where you stand concerning the decriminalizing of prostitution (whether in New Zealand or any other part of the world) the reality is that laws have been passed, seeking to protect those in the industry. And that’s a step in the right direction regardless, especially as criminalizing the practices merely serve to drive them underground and keep the woman essential to its operation in a truly precarious situation that inevitably leads to more victimization.
You nailed it on the head that these laws must be applied equally to ensure that all clubs are the safest options for women who choose to work in the adult entertainment industry, and you get it because of your experience living through it. You are a wonderful advocate for other women and this piece helps change the dialogue so that when the next sex worker is assaulted (because our patriarchal plant guarantees it is truly a question of when not if) more people WILL give a damn, equally to that of a journalist.
When I read the article on the Chow Bros, I also read comments trivialising and dismissing the reports by sex workers who had worked for them.
Having known a person who did work for the Chow Bros, what she told me back up every single story I read in the media reportt.
And this was before the current publicity.
She had no “axe to grind”; no agenda. She had left the industry and settled down with a family.
But what she told me was harrowing enough.
Society; the law; and our elected representatives turn a blind eye to this at our own peril.
What’s that old saying about not protecting the weakest in society eventually catching up with us all…?
I agree totally with your article, but I think we should be encouraging woman to have more self worth by not entering the sex trade in the first place. I’m sorry about the things that have happened to them and that they cant get the justice they receive. However sex and intoxication with woman eager to please is a bad bad combination! You will all say I’m missing the point ( No I am not) yes they have rights and yes they should be protected but why the hell would you want to put your self in that situation in the first place.
Gosh, I dunno why they would. C’mon – you know why, you are just being judgemental. Also, we are talking about situations where the woman is NOT eager to please but is being forced by her bosses to do so, in a psychologically abusive environment.
Exactly, and if we taught our woman from a young age that they were worth more than an object to be used for money, they wouldn’t put up with it in the first place. It’s funny because I bet nobody would want their daughter to enter the sex industry, just most of those men are happy to use it for there own pleasure.
and you are completely ignoring all the varied reasons why women enter the sex industry
we live in a society which objectifies and over sexualises women as playthings for men
we live in a country with low wages and high unemployment
and I would bet you all my savings $$ that the vast majority of women and transgender people working in the sex industry (mostly servicing men) would give up that work in a heart beat if there were jobs which offered equivalent or better pay which they are skilled and equipped to do
it’s often an economic decision
telling them they’re just making the wrong decision? not helpful
and finally, instead of focussing on the “supply” side, on sex workers, how about the punters? how about we have a culture change which tells men they do not have the right to simply purchase the use of another persons body for their sexual desires? what a radical idea!
@ Trynis. What you’re really saying is; “I’m paying lip service to the notion that women should be protected from sexual assault and other abuse – whilst what I’m really doing is passing judgement about their decision to be in the sex trade”.
Let’s be honest about it, shall we?
You talk about “encouraging woman to have more self worth by not entering the sex trade in the first place”.
Are you aware that 90%+ of all sex workers had been sexually abused before they started working in this industry? The issue begins with abuse inflicted upon innocence, but doesn’t end with recovery from the original abuse as it should.
It continues on because of attitudes around sex that permit a feigned ignorance of the effects. What I mean by that is after having complaints ignored, minimised, trivialised and then to see your abusers avoid court and get on with their lives the overarching message is that you are nothing as a human, certainly worth less than others. Encouragement of higher self esteem begins with taking ALL SEXUAL ABUSE SERIOUSLY ALL THE TIME.
As for the workers, it is enjoyable and addictive work.
I’ve said this before and I will say it again. Prostitution Reform Act left out one key element – it allowed men to make money off women, from sex. The act should have made into law a gender divide when taking profits from the sex industry. This should be enforced across the whole industry. With transgender defined as another sex for the purposes of the act.
There is little money to be made in this industry by those who actually do the work. The Young Turks even took it a step further and proved the porn industry is producing little money for the actresses .
So sex sells, but not well – if your a women that is.
So back to women controlling the industry. Women should control this industry, men should not. Men and no I don’t mean all men, but men in this industry have proven over and over they kinda shit at it. Lets be bold, lets do something different. What is there to lose? The act is not working so well, how about women take over and change the industry to suit those who are the majority of workers in the industry – women.
Not necessarily. My owner was a woman, and she was as bad as most male brothel owners. Women can be money hungry at the expense of others too.
And this is in an industry dominated by – men. She, your former boss, was just playing the game as the rules say it should be played.
What I was trying to say was – think of the rules completely changed. Does the model have to be the current owner vs worker model or indeed does it have to be hierarchical at all? What other models could come into play – if the women doing the work controlled the industry.
You clearly don’t understand this industry at all. In NZ most brothel owners are women.
Owners, now there is my contention. Did you read what I said? Did you stop for a minute and think I was arguing against an owner/managed/master mode in favour of something else? Indeed, the law reform was an occasion when different models could have been put forward. But, alas, you make a statement, well a statement repeated twice and don’t bother to engage.
You clearly don’t understand this industry at all.
Better than you think. And if you think for one minute because women own/manage a few clubs they have power, then sorry you’re in need of a reality check. The power differentials that exist in this society are real and women are second class citizens. Rape, sex, reproduction rights, employment, picked on because of their cloths, body image, Need I go on… These are just some of the basic tools of patriarchy going on against women.
Back to my original point – I said, and let me repeat it. The industry needs to run by those who work in it. In marxistes if that helps – The workers need to own the means of production. The same shit going to keep happening if we keep doing the same shit – time for a change.
Maybe we should have a special police unit dedicated to fighting and investigating this sort of crime against sex workers.
Why not?
We have a dedicated police unit for bankers, to protect them from white collar criminals.
We have a dedicated unit to protect property owners from burglars
Who knows, we may uncover some real sickos that pose a hidden threat to society that may not be discovered any other way.
This is a complex issue, and thank for writing such an articulate and passionate article about it. I agree that decriminalization was a good thing, and well overdue. I agree that women in the sex industry have the same rights as women everywhere to be free from abuse.
I guess my question is what can we do to improve the situation you describe? David from Golden Bay made a few supportive suggestions, and got shot down for his troubles. Most ironically by the person who hasn’t discovered the full stop yet, which kind of underscores his point about the self esteem problems and learned helplessness, that the abusers in the sex industry (and every industry) pick on and breed.
Telling us to ‘stop being the problem’ just doesn’t cut it. Some of us have already done that. I’m not a customer of the sex industry. I do my best to treat sex workers like any other person when I meet them socially. I challenge people who try to pathologize sex work, like Trynis above, or talk about sex workers as if they were a lesser class of person. What else can I do?
The conditions of work in the sex industry will improve once men stop saying that only other men are the customers and it becomes an accepted part of life. If we wish to get rid of the stigma attached to the workers, we also need to get rid of the stigma attached to the clients. Only then do I believe that we’ll be able to talk about it honestly. I’ve been to brothels and taken advantage of the services on offer now and then. I’ve also known many sex workers in a personal capacity. Some of them are very interesting people, some aren’t. Some have good workplace relations, some don’t. Some of the club owners are real scum, some aren’t.
Some readers will think I’m scum, some won’t. That’s life. Get one of your own if what I’ve just written bothers you.
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