The book is about the Hungarian sex workers living in Germany, where they represent the two third of the profession. Munk has been collecting stories in the field in Germany for 6 months, continually publishing these on Index — reports mno. Prostitution, lives of sex workers are things that everyone is interested in, but almost nobody talks about in public. What made you take such an interest in this topic? How many Hungarian sex workers are there in Bremerhaven?
There is only one street, the Lessingstrasse, where this kind of work is allowed. There are approximately women, two third of them Hungarian, who are working in the glass cabins. What do the interviewees say: why is it better to pursue this line of work in Germany, than in Hungary? Even though prostitution is legal in Hungary, authorities are doing their best to make it hard. German authorities believe that if they allow prostitution, then there will be less illegal accidents or incidents.
Women choose Germany because they can work in a more relaxed atmosphere, thanks to the more liberal laws on prostitution. There is even a police subdivision in Bremerhaven especially for the red light districts; the police are doing a monthly inspection on the street with the help of an interpreter. Although the police are very helpful, the Hungarian women do not trust them fully — no wonder, looking at the situation at home.
How much money do they make at Bremerhaven? They told me that they make about thousand euros per month, but they have expenses like the daily 80 euro rent and the work accessories. It is revealed in your book that this situation is not uncommon for these women. What about the rest of the money? What are they saving for? Most of them are saving for their own flat or a business venture.
Almost all of them have at least one child, they are brought up by relatives at home, in Hungary, but sometimes they bring along the smallest ones with them. These women argue that the reason why they are working in this field is to provide a safe future for their children. Do these dreams come true? Not really. What kind of family and social background do these girls have? A lot of them are from the foster system, others had a rough childhood, there are others even who are from good families, or more aged women, who have adult children at home.
