We are not helpless and we are not stupid girls from the village, says sex worker Lara Freudmann. (Andreas Arnold / DPA)
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Ms. Freudmann, you describe yourself as a sex worker, not a prostitute. What makes the difference for you?
Lara Freudmann: If someone calls me a prostitute, it hurts me. I work like everyone else. That’s why I’m talking about sex work. I do not give myself a price and do not give myself up. But that is the meaning of “prostitute”. That’s how Wikipedia explains, and that’s an insult to me.
They say you have freely chosen your profession. How did you get there?
Because I can decide for myself when I want to work. I don’t have a boss to tell me what to do. I decide – about my guests and my service. I make the money I need for my life. I have all the freedom.
Have you never experienced a situation of coercion or threat? For example by clients or by criminals who wanted to take “protection money” from you?
Most of all, I am afraid for my job. Not only me, my colleagues are also scared. I experience crime like everyone else, in a private or professional context. Companies are being broken into, and I have been assaulted by guests. Crime remains crime.
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– You don’t deny that there is also forced prostitution, do you? And that women from your native Romania also suffer from this.
There is crime everywhere in society, including sex work. There is human trafficking and forced prostitution. But the number of cases is small and has been falling for years. This is also shown by official statistics from the BKA.
Organizations like Terre des Femmes are calling for a ban on purchasing sexual services. What are the consequences for you?
I had personal contact with Terre des Femmes on April 18, 2014: My colleagues and I invited the representatives to visit us in “House 9”. That was refused. Now Terre des Femmes wants to forbid my guests to use my service. They’re trying to make me unemployed. You want to prevent me from doing what I and my guests enjoy. That is wrong. They have their noses very high.
In Bremen the debate revolves mainly around the fact that the rock group “Hells Angels” could be behind the large brothel “Eros 69” and another project. Do you understand the concerns of the police and the state government?
The discussion is currently about more than just the “Hells Angels”. The discussion is also about a ban that threatens my guests and me. One has to be separated from the other.
How do you assess the situation of women in “Eros 69”?
Two of the tenants of “House 9” also worked in “Eros 69”. I know from you that it was a completely normal rental. Your rooms were very good. They were not bothered by the operator or the staff of the “Eros 69”.
Have there ever been attempts by the Hells Angels or other gangs to do business with you?
No. Years ago, my husband was asked whether he could imagine a cooperation in “Eros 69”. From a person who did not appear as “Hells Angel”. My husband refused. That had no further consequences.
In your “House 9” you rent four rooms to sex workers. How much is the rent?
“House 9” has been run by my husband Klaus Fricke, who was retired at the time, since the beginning of 2019. He runs “House 9” with no intention of making a profit. That is stipulated in the rental agreement. If profits are generated, these will be reimbursed proportionally to the tenants for the tax year during the rental period. The tenants can have a say in investment measures for “House 9”. You will receive all documents in your mother tongue. The weekly rent per room including sales tax is a maximum of 385 euros.
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– Where do women come from and how do they find you? Are you staying longer or is there a high turnover?
The tenants come almost exclusively from Romania. My mother tongue is Romanian, we can communicate without any problems. The tenants come to “House 9” through recommendations, often over and over again for years. There is little change.
Who ensures the safety of sex workers?
We help each other and also call the police. In addition, the house provides emergency alarms that can also be taken to appointments outside. This means that my husband, I and another employee can be reached around the clock. So far we have been able to calm down all unreasonable guests. We are not helpless and we are not stupid village girls.
What do women live on now when they are not allowed to work because of the coronavirus?
It’s a shame that sex work is still banned but other body-hugging services are allowed. “House 9” has had a hygiene concept since August 2020 that includes self-tests. It has Hepa air filters in all work and common rooms. Some women who have worked here for a long time now have houses in their homeland. They got married and have children. Tenants who were here during opening hours in 2020 are now living on their savings. They are waiting to be allowed to work again. I speak to them on the phone almost every day.
The interview was conducted by Joerg Helge Wagner.
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To person
Lara Freudmann
is registered as a sex worker under this alias at the Bremen Economic Authority. The law expressly allows the use of pseudonyms to protect privacy. Lara Freudmann runs the brothel called “Haus 9” together with her husband.
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