Pastoral care in “taboo zones”

Catholic communities of the region of Basel announced they are looking for a person who will be devoted to pastoral ministry in “taboo areas”, namely, for spiritual service to “sex workers” who prostitute themselves day and night in the streets and in the brothels of the region. A survey published the first week of July (“Red-light activities as paths of access for human trafficking”) shows there are 902 active sex homes in Switzerland (1.879 are those registered by the Police, but some are veritable “enterprises”, some of which are very small and private, thus official figures constantly change.). Some 4 700 people work there on a daily basis, 60% of them are women, mostly Swiss or German. According to the survey, the high income of these activities (approximately 120 thousand gross francs a year) is the reason why sex workers are “on the market” for brief periods, with an annual turnover of between 500 million to one billion franks. As regards street prostitution, estimates by the Police show that it is practised only by 9 out of 26 Swiss cantons, with the involvement, on average, of 250 people per day, most of whom are from Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania. Apart from Zurich, where prostitutes must purchase permissions for practices in the streets, this is a marshland area where also in a rigorous country like Switzerland black labour, illegal activities, violence and human exploitation are deeply rooted. Figures regarding clients are less accurate, ranging from 2.2 to 6.7 million “sex-services” each year. There are 125 thousand men who regularly attend nightclubs, spas or gyms where they meet with sex workers, some of whom have regular working contracts. Sarah Numico interviewed for SIR Europe Sarah Biotti, coordinator of the project “pastoral care in taboo areas”, tasked with selecting the person assigned to this service for the next three years. How did you come up with the need of launching this project in your region? “The Catholic Church and the Church of the Reformation have announced their presence in a ‘taboo environment’ a long time ago, along with the ‘AIDS parish.’ Today the latter is no longer condemned as in the past while the living conditions of those involved have greatly improved. That’s why the Catholic Church has decided to focus her attention a new way, through her presence in another area of society, following the message of Pope Francis. In fact, for a long time pastoral workers have been demanding to be present in the area of ‘sex workers’, since it represents a weak spot of our societies. “Sexual work” is increasingly becoming a hot topic among the general public and inside the Church”. How many people are involved in the region of Basel? “Approximately 2500 men and women in the region of Basel carry out sexual activities. Many of them, especially women, come from Eastern Europe, central and South America, Africa and also from Germany”. Which needs is the person in charge of this project called to address? “That person will not carry out social rehabilitation, but rather he/she will offer pastoral and spiritual accompaniment”. What kind of person are you looking for? “The job is funded by a Catholic institution, but it’s open to everyone, whether Catholic or Reformed. The ideal candidate has technological skills, knows the city and the region, is flexible, curious and open-minded on this theme, has undertaken a personal path of maturity on her/his own sexuality, speaks different languages, is solid, with a pioneering spirit in the attempt of drawing near to these people, promoting a new form of pastoral care”. Where will the working place be? “The selected person will have an office near other NGOs providing various forms of counselling for sex workers. It will be located in the red-light district in Basel. The purpose is to ensure easy access to sex workers. But we also require a certain degree of mobility. The task will be adjusted to the grass-root experience”. Will there be night shifts? “Sex work has no definite working hours. It takes place also during daytime. It will be important for this person to have flexible working hours”. How will the sex workers be met? “It’s important to leave room for personal experiences. We will know – and be happy to share – how it takes place concretely in a year’s time, when the first experiences will have been made”.