Prostitution is legal in Switzerland but prostitutes have to register with city authorities and health authorities and get regular health checks. Pimping in the country is illegal and uncommon: most prostitutes operate independently from small studios via mobile phones.
Authorities in the country say that the heavy regulations are an attempt to try to control and reduce the more undesirable consequences, such as forced prostitution, sexually transmitted diseases, the locations of brothels and links with criminal organizations. A recent story reported that in Switzerland human trafficking can carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years and coercing a person into prostitution is punishable with up to 10 years in prison.
The number of prostitutes and sex clubs in Switzerland has risen over the past few years. A recently published story in Swiss Info. reported that prostitution in Switzerland now generates an annual turnover of $2.65 billion.
The number of prostitutes in Zurich has increased by 20 percent since 2003, according to a 2005 report. In Basel, a new brothel opened every two weeks while the number of prostitutes went up in Geneva by 50 percent from 700 to over 1,000. Around 14,000 prostitutes worked in Switzerland in 2005.
In their annual report, the Swiss police say that they are aware of the possibility of a rise in human trafficking cases linked to prostitution, and will do their best to combat any this.
“Sex can be a very lucrative business. And with such huge profits up for grabs, criminals might take higher risks," said Jürg Bühler, from the Federal Police Office. “There could be turf wars going on over each group's share of the cake."
