Is the $3 billion legal sex trade in Switzerland too liberal?

Switzerland, a country that prides itself on its neutrality and flawless banking system, conceals an industry in its frozen streets that generates 3 billion Swiss francs annually — more than double its domestic cheese production.

This industry, legalized since 1942, operates under a facade of regulation and control that masks a complex web of human exploitation, international trafficking, and systemic violence. The promise of protection through legalization has proven to be a dangerous illusion, perpetuating cycles of abuse under the veil of legal legitimacy.

The current system has not only failed to protect the most vulnerable but has created new forms of institutionalized exploitation.

In Zurich, where temperatures drop below zero, hundreds of people work in inhumane conditions on the streets. The city, in a desperate attempt to control this reality, built specific zones with taxpayers’ money — a solution that only pushed the problem into the shadows. These infrastructures, far from solving the problem, created a false sense of security that primarily benefits exploiters.

The reality on the streets is brutal: people work in extreme conditions, exposed not only to biting cold but to all types of violence and exploitation. The system has failed to protect precisely those who needed protection most.

“Most people, if they had a choice, would prefer to do something else. They feel violated, victimized, not treated as normal human beings,” reveals Olivia Fry, manager of Zurich’s Women’s Center. This raw statement exposes the hypocrisy of a system that claims to be protective but perpetuates cycles of abuse.

The stories that reach the center are devastating: people trapped in endless cycles of debt, threats, and psychological violence. Legalization, instead of bringing protection, has only normalized exploitation under a facade of legitimacy.

The financial aspect reveals a modern form of debt slavery. “In the morning, when I wake up, I’m already in debt. I have to pay the person who answers the phone, the security guard, those responsible for advertising,” reports a worker. This predatory system ensures people remain eternally indebted, in a vicious cycle of financial exploitation.

Debts start in the thousands of euros and grow daily, making financial liberation an unattainable mirage. Exploiters use these debts as a control tool, keeping their victims in a perpetual state of economic dependence.

Human trafficking thrives in the gaps of legality, using brutal control tactics. Criminals manipulate through astronomical debts, threats to families, and psychological manipulation techniques. A person trying to escape needs approximately 50,000 pounds — an impossible sum for someone living under systematic exploitation. Criminal networks operate with impunity, taking advantage of legal limitations and their victims’ vulnerability. The legal system, paradoxically, provides cover for these criminal operations.

Law enforcement finds itself handcuffed, limited by contradictory legislation. In areas where the activity is illegal, exploited individuals face heavy fines if caught, deepening their dependence on exploiters. This perverse system effectively criminalizes victims while protecting the real criminals. The law, instead of serving as an instrument of protection, becomes an additional tool of oppression.

At the opposite end of the economic spectrum, luxury services bill astronomical amounts — up to 20,000 francs in 20 days. This high-end segment serves as a facade to legitimize the entire system, masking the brutal reality of massive exploitation occurring on the streets.

The existence of this elite market is frequently used to justify maintaining a system that, at its core, perpetuates systematic violence and exploitation.

Technology emerges as a new tool for control and exploitation. A Swiss entrepreneur developed a platform promising to revolutionize the market through identity verification and rating systems. However, this technological modernization merely digitalizes exploitation, creating new forms of control and surveillance. Technology, far from solving fundamental problems, only modernizes and perpetuates them.

The true human cost of this 3 billion industry remains incalculable. While the legal market generates astronomical profits, lives are systematically destroyed under the veil of legality. Swiss society, with all its wealth and development, chooses to ignore this brutal reality unfolding in its frozen streets. How long will we continue to accept human exploitation under the guise of liberalization?

What is a human life worth?

Switzerland, with its liberal model, has effectively put a price on human dignity. This system hasn’t just failed to protect the vulnerable — it actively facilitates their exploitation. Liberalization, far from being a solution, has proven to be a sophisticated way of institutionalizing abuse.