The Naked Anthropologist

Tag Archives: travel

Prostituées d’Europe – Prostitute Women and Sex Workers in Europe

Prostituées d’Europe
Un autre regard sur la prostitution

Mathilde Bouvard

La Maison du Livre
24-28, rue de Rome 1060 Bruxelles

EXPOSITION
du samedi 29 novembre 2008 au mercredi 7 janvier 2009

VERNISSAGE
samedi 29 novembre 2008 à partir de 18h00

« Prostituées d’Europe » est un projet socio-artistique à dimension européenne. Mathilde Bouvard a parcouru l’Europe à la rencontre de travailleur(e)s du sexe. Elle s’est rendu à Paris, Bruxelles, Berlin, Prague, Stockholm, Budapest, Hambourg, Amsterdam, Genève, Londres, Berne et Marseille. De ces rencontres sont restés des témoignages, des photographies, et parfois de simples moments de partage, que l´on ne trouvera sur aucun mur.

De ce photoreportage découle une sélection de 45 photographies en noir et blanc, accompagnées de 3 peintures sur étoffes et de témoignages écrits. Les photographies reflètent un regard différent sur la prostitution, loin des stéréotypes habituels qui évoluent entre le misérabilisme et l’image du « pied de grue ». Car la prostitution, comme le disait Pascale, ancienne du Bois de Boulogne, « c’est loin d’être un bout de trottoir. C’est toute une vie. Un art de vie. » Suivant les traces de feu Grisélidis Réal, les travailleurs du sexe rencontrés ont partagé avec Mathilde Bouvard un petit bout de cette vie. Continue reading →

Anti-trafficking: Sexy Sex Work Images on Banknotes

Since I first began thinking about people selling sex as part of their travels or migration projects, I’ve seen numerous strategies for warning them of the dangers. Governmental and charity projects alike have produced television commercials, posters, stickers, postcards. The latest tactic comes from the Ukraine, where almost perfect copies of euro-banknotes have appeared with images of prostitutes leaning on Europe’s monumental architecture.

Warning messages are printed at the top. The idea sounds clever, but is there any reason to think potential migrants will be influenced this way? I think the imagery actually glamourises prostitution, as the slender, feminine figures are positioned alluringly against the very emblems of European culture that attract them in the first place! It’s true the women look small next to the grand arches, but the effect is theatrical and the women become beautiful lone heroines on a classic stage.

Why banknotes? Is the idea that potential travellers will be more likely to pay attention to this warning message because they will be attracted to fake money? Perhaps. But this only confirms that campaigners and migrants alike agree that money is essential, desirable and powerful.

And what of those who facilitate the unregulated travels, or migrations, of such migrants, will they be influenced by the banknote campaign? Whether you call them travel agents, pimps or traffickers, they also may feel almost flattered by the dramatic images.

This is all guesswork, however. Perhaps anti-trafficking activists ought to employ marketing experts to study which messages might get through to candidates for migration – or women who get into selling sex. Maybe there is some strategy that could overcome people’s disposition to take risks in order to get ahead, make more money faster than they could any other way and see some of the world outside their homes. But I doubt it.

—Laura Agustín, the Naked Anthropologist

Europe: Grin and bare it, German naturists tell Poles

Here’s a story about sex and borders where both sides of a cultural conflict are Europeans on holiday. The simple ability to travel between Poland and Germany without passport controls has caused people to wind up in the same space – a beach – only to offend each other. It’s instructive to see how different moralities confront each other this strenuously in what is, after all, a pretty mild situation.

Europe: Grin and bare it, German naturists tell Poles

Jess Smee in Berlin

The Guardian, Monday July 28 2008

For decades, Germans holidaying on the white sandy beaches of Usedom have opted to leave their swimming trunks at home. Their penchant for naked bathing is nothing unusual in a country where naturism is popular and seen as, well, natural.

But this summer, border controls between Germany and Poland were dismantled as part of the Schengen agreement. Now flocks of Poles stroll along the leafy coastal paths to nearby German towns – and many are shocked by what they see.

Approach to airport on Usedom

Approach to airport on Usedom

“It is unheard of. People sunning themselves in the nude! And right on the coast, where normal people go walking,” Stanislawa Borecka, a 63-year-old from the Polish town of Szczecin, told the Märkische Allgemeine newspaper. “What should I tell my grandson?”

But for Germans of all ages who enjoy swimming and sunbathing on naturist – or FKK (free body culture) – beaches, the disapproving glances from Polish walkers are incomprehensible and intrusive.

“It’s an FKK beach. It’s awful that fully dressed Polish people come and stare at us,” said 46-year-old Elke Bernholz.

Naturism is so popular on the Baltic coast island of Usedom that German travel agent Ossi Urlaub selected it as a destination for its first nudist charter flight, a trip which was later cancelled because of “moral concerns”.

The culture clash between the border towns is a recent phenomenon. Many cheered in December, when the barbed-wire fence was dismantled as part of the Schengen deal.

“Finally we can cross the border without passport controls,” said Szczecin’s mayor, Janusz Zmurkiewicz.

Little did he know that some German tourists prefer to stroll in their birthday suits. With the FKK beach lying close to the border, some naturists have strayed on to the Polish beach. For many, that is a step too far.

“It is disgusting,” said Edward Zajac, a Szczecin politician who wants to move the FKK beach from the Polish border.

But the Germans, who have been unfolding their towels on the beach year in year out, are unlikely to want to move. For the time being, authorities plan to put up signs marking the boundaries of the nudist beach – in both German and Polish.

Green-card spam resembles smuggling opportunity

Amongst the Nigerian financial scams and offers of ways to improve my instrument with Cialis, this bizarre letter arrived the other day. The text is weirdly convincing and not bad English, with its talk of scanning, screening and serial numbers. For a minute I forgot I had never applied for a US visa!

But then look at the wacky list from the bottom called Explanatory Notes, referring to a job with big salary, free housing and ‘feeding’ as well as air ticket. This looks like an add-on by a completely different writer, perhaps one impatient with the foregoing prose. I can only hope it’s enough of a give-away that too many people don’t fall for this. People think ‘trafficking’ is bad, what about fake trafficking?

Embassy of the United States of America

U.S Consulate General
387 Wichayanond Road
Chiang Mai 50300,Thailand

Attn Winner,

Congratulations,you have been selected as one of the lucky winners of the US VISA through our internet email extracting and screening machine,your application was applied and processed by our internet email extracting and screening machine which randomly extracts and scans millions of email adresses across the world.

This Special visa programme is new and was innovated by the US embassy in Kuala lumpur Thailand last year november.The US Consulate in Chiang Mai launched the programme last November 2007,.The aim and objectives of the programme is to give free visas to citizens of developing countries around the world to enable them travel to the US and start a new life and work.The Chiang Mai consulate released 12 visas in this regards and hopes to increase the visa number to 24 by November 2009,you are among the 12 lucky people that won the visa and among the 5 foreigners that won the visa,7 visas were won by Thai nationals.

Your visa winner’s identity is:MM-52047 and your serial net visa passport with us is:JM-102648,your visa type permits you to travel with your family.Your visa duration is 10 years multiple entry to the U.S,it is renewable upon expiration and it permits you to work,study and own properties in the US.

In this respect you are directed to forward the following requirements for the immediate processing of your visa certificate and acknowledgement card:

Please be warned. please contact our claims Office agent with the verification form below:
Overseas Claims Unit African,Asian Pcific Fiduciary Office Agent for Mrs.–

Name: Mrs–
From African,Asian And Pacific Regional Visa Agent
Tel: +23480—,+64336—-35,+9665—1.
–00@gmail.com

1.Write in full your office and residential address.

2.Scanned copies of your recent passport photograph,members of your family passport photograph should be included if you have family members that wants to travel with you.

3.Scanned copies of your/members of your family international passport and i.d card,your family members above the age of 16 requires seperate international passports for travel.

4.Clearance and acceptance fee:U.S$615(Six Hundred and fifteen us dollars)only.This fee should be paid to the below accreditated agents Account Or through Western Union Money transfer.

Providing the above requirements will assure you your visa certificate/acknowledgement card and visa security pin code which we shall scan to your email adress.With the visa certificate/acknowledgement card and pincode we shall send to you,the U.S embassy in your home country or your country of residence will stamp the 10 years multiple entry visa on your/members of your family international passport within 3 working days immediately you present these documents to them because the Chiang mai Cosulate has confirmed your visa,all they will do is to log in to the U.S Immigration network database and key in your visa pincode there they will find your visa winning details.

Important notice:

According to the united states code of conduct in the constitution Vol:189/965:Act 220Sl guiding all immigrations,green cards,visas and permit agencies:if non-response after 31 days you receive this message,your winners status shall reveal no interest and we would in response refer your visa certificate/code and acknowledgement card back to the U.S government/immigrations service center.

We shall be anticipating your reply soon.

Warning:

You have to be very careful to avoid being duped by fake people who will want to use this visa lottery programme to dupe you. You should know that there are a lot of fraudsters on the internet.
If your regional visa agent asks you to pay any other money apart from the acceptance and clearance fee,you should report him to us.
Just adhere strictly to our directives and your greencard visa will be fully processed.

Explanatory Notes

1. Job attracts 8 working hours a day and 6 days a week

2. There will be regular overtime which also will be duly comensated.

3. The basic salary is circa $3,500 a month, excluding free feeding.

4. Living accommodation is also FREEE.

5. Free air travel ticket to U.S

Thanks

Mr.–
U.S Consulate Chiang Mai

N.B:DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL,SEND YOUR REPLY TO THE VISA AGENT,Mrs.–(–00@gmail.com)
Phone: etc etc et c

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