The “sex business” is looking to make a killing from Euro 2012 by tapping into the high-spirited desires of football fans.
The prospect of thousands upon thousands of fans arriving in the country and looking for a good time that extends beyond the actual matches has caused a stir in brothels and dens of inequity.
Gazeta Wyborcza reported that a Wrocław go-go club was looking for an extra 50 women to meet an expected surge in demand (gwałtowny wzrost popytu) once the football starts. “Experience not required and a safe and pleasant atmosphere (Doświadczenie nie jest wymagane i bezpieczna i przyjemna atmosfera),” went the club’s advertisement on the internet.
Anybody hired can earn, according to the advertising, up to PLN 3,000 a night but for that they will have to dance, perform a striptease and offer the client a “hot and unforgettable night of fun”.
Another advertisement said that knowledge of English was not essential. “Customers do not come here for a chat,” said the person who placed the advertisement.
While prostitution is legal (prostytucja jest legalna), pimping goes against the law but this has not stopped some pimps getting ready for business.
Rafał, a pimp interviewed by Gazeta Wyborcza, said he had four apartments lined up to deal with the surge in expected demand, adding that all the flats have central locations because “fans will not want to travel out to the distant suburbs”.
He added that while he was aware that the police might ramp their anti-pimping activities during the tournament, the rewards were worth the risks.
But others involved in the prostitution business complain that the prospect of easy money from foreigners has led to prostitutes migrating to the host cities, and bringing down prices. In Poznań, where Ireland, Croatia and Italy will play games, prices have dropped from PLN 200 per hour to PLN 150.
In the lead up to the football some of country’s regional police forces have targeted the sex trade. Paweł Petrykowski, spokesman for Lower Silesia police, said the force had raided a number of clubs and go-go bars, and shut down three prostitution agencies. But, he added, during the Euros ensuring safety on the streets would have a higher priority than combating prostitution.
With large number of prostitutes and large numbers of men looking for sex, health officials are worried that Euro 2012 could also lead to an increase in sexually transmitted diseases.
To prevent this, the health ministry has come up with its “Fair Play” campaign, which will see the distribution of some 150,000 free kits of condoms. Distributed in the fan zones the condoms will come with leaflets in Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, German and English warning about the dangers of unprotected sex.
Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)
