Amsterdam's red-light district opened its first "prostitution
museum" on Thursday, hoping to lure tourists who always wondered
what life was like for those on the other side of the infamous
glass windows -- but were too afraid to ask.
"How do they live? What happens in their world?" said Melcher de
Wind, a founder of the "Red Light Secrets Museum of Prostitution"
which showcases one of the Dutch capital's most famous
attractions.
"I have always wondered what really happens behind those
neighbourhood windows."
Nestled between two famous brothels overlooking a canal, the new
attraction seeks to offer something different to nearby museums on
the subject such as the Sex Museum or the Museum of Eroticism.
"The other museums focus on sex and sexual performance. The new
museum gives you a glimpse into the world of sex workers -- what it
feels like to stand behind a window and the looks you get,"
explained Yolanda van Doeveren, who deals with prostitution for the
Amsterdam municipality.
"Maybe tourists will get a chance to change their behaviour and
show a little more respect," she added.
Inside the small museum, a large television screen shows a woman
performing a strip-tease. Visitors are then shown a film about the
other side of prostitution -- women with families living everyday
lives.
There are exhibits showing how both fashions and attitudes towards
the world's oldest profession have changed over the centuries.
Visitors are shown a display of the tools of the trade -- condoms,
lubricants and sex toys -- based on the experiences of former
prostitute Ilonka Stakelborough who advised the museum.
Prostitution in the Netherlands was legalised in 2000 and there are
now around 7,000 people working in the industry in Amsterdam.
Around three-quarters of the women come from low-income countries,
mainly from Eastern Europe, according to Amsterdam municipality
figures.
They pay 150 euros ($202) to hire one of Amsterdam's 409 "frames",
which comes with a chair in front and a bed at the back.
Many women work 11 hours a day, six days a week with a visit to a
prostitute lasting around 10 minutes.
The museum depicts BDSM (bondage, domination, sado-masochism)
practices, and also features a "luxury" room with mirrored
ceilings, a bed lit from below, and a bathtub next to an open
bottle of champagne.
By way of contrast, there is a small room with barely space for a
single bed that was used by a Polish prostitute when she was not
with clients.
"We want to show all aspects of prostitution," Stakelborough told
AFP.
"Yes, there are women who are victims of human trafficking, but
prostitution is mostly a career many women volunteer for."