The women who are affected by trafficking are those that have entered into Germany through the false promise of a job and good pay and are then forced into prostitution or other informal work, such as work in the household sector. They either receive no wages for their work, or their salary is forcibly collected to repay an alleged debt. Often, the women's identity documents are taken away. Also affected are women who have entered the country for marriage and who are forced afterwards into prostitution and sexually exploited. Similarly, women who were also sex workers in their country of origin are affected when their adverse legal and insecure economic situations as migrants are exploited and they themselves cannot determine their work.
In addition to support in our counseling center, we do street work in bars, apartments, clubs and brothels. A large proportion of the sex workers in Cologne are migrant women. To build up trusting relationships with the women and to enable a low-threshold access to our counseling center, we regularly visit prostitution sites and offer information on socio-legal and health issues. We are a member of the Committee on Prostitution in Cologne, which has compiled a guide for sex workers: Guide for Sex Workers PDF to Download (5,3 MB)
In 2005, the crime of human trafficking was extended to include „Menschenhandel zum Zweck der Ausbeutung der Arbeitskraft“ (human trafficking for labor exploitation) (§ 233). As before, however, further improvements to the legal situation of victims of trafficking remain to be made.
Therefore, among other things, we call for:
agisra informs women about their legal situation, and offers psychosocial advice as well as providing secure accommodation. We're available as companions and for assistance before court. Lobbying initiatives regarding women's policies for women affected by trafficking are a main focus of our activities.
www.kok-buero.de
agisra is a member of the KOK - Bundesweiter Koordinierungskreis gegen Frauenhandel und Gewalt an Frauen im Migrationsprozess e.V. (National organization combating trafficking in women and violence against women in the process of migration)
