Swedish football boss invited to German brothel

1 February 2006

STOCKHOLM — A group that organises German sex workers has invited the head of the Swedish Football Association to visit a brothel, reports said Wednesday.

“This is a serious invitation. We have organized guided tours during the past three years for many different organizations, even the church has been here,” Juanita Henning, spokeswoman of the Frankfurt-based sex worker’s group Dona Carmen, told the Goteborgs- Posten newspaper.

“The aim is to tackle the prejudice against us. We discuss prostitution, visit a brothel, and show various rooms and how we operate,” Henning said, adding that prostitution is a recognized profession in Germany.

“I don’t know if this is a serious invitation, but I understand they have also sent copies to newspapers. That suggests they want attention,” football president Lars-Ake Lagrell said, adding he would not accept the invitation.

Published reports suggest that some 40,000 sex workers will ply their trade during the World Cup finals in Germany next June 9-July 9, cashing in on visiting football fans.

Media reports have suggested that German police would allow temporary brothels, so called performance boxes, to be erected.

The reports have triggered protests in Sweden.

Some 16 football clubs and the city council of Pitea, 870 kilometres north of Stockholm, last year adopted a resolution protesting against the plans.

Last December, Lagrell, Deputy Prime Minister Bosse Ringholm, who handles sports matters in the cabinet, and Jens Orback, Minister for Gender Equality issues, wrote a joint article urging Swedish football fans who planned to visit the World Cup finals not to buy sexual favours, citing that the sex trade “exploits, degrades and violates women.”

Sweden enacted a law in 1999, which makes it a criminal offence to purchase sexual favours. Swedish law does not punish the prostitute who offers these services.

DPA

Subject: German news