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Sex workers feel bin Laden's pinch
Jessie, a Berlin
prostitute, has never been to New York and hasn't a
clue where Afghanistan is.
But the bubbly
hooker says her brothel has suffered since September
11 and blames the US terror attacks, the war in
Afghanistan and the looming recession for shrinking
demand.
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"The clients
are staying away in droves," said Jessie,
33. "Demand fell 20 percent since the
terrorism thing. Men don't seem to have as
much money for pleasure any more."
The
hijacked airliner attacks on New York and
Washington sent after-shocks through
virtually every walk of life, including the
world's oldest profession.
An informal
Reuters survey found sex business booming in
some parts of the world -- such as Nevada's
legal brothels -- but prostitutes in other
hot spots such as Amsterdam, Germany and
Thailand reported a slide in their local sex
trade.
Sex operators in the United States say their
customers may be turning to hometown hookers to seek
comfort from the mental anguish stemming from images
of the September attacks.
"People are scared. They want that connection," said
Joe Richards, owner of the "Cherry Patch" brothel in
the Mojave desert 120 km north of Las Vegas -- one
of the few isolated US regions where prostitution is
permitted.
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"Any time a
disaster happens, it improves the sex business,"
Richards said, adding turnover rose 30 percent since
September.
"They're spending
money they think they might not have a chance to
spend in the future."
But in countries
where prostitution is traditionally legal or
tolerated, anecdotal reports indicate a downturn --
largely because Americans are not travelling abroad
as much any more.
The fall is often
linked to a dip in travel since September 11,
exacerbated by slowing economies and recession
fears.
In Amsterdam, where
prostitution has been legal since 1815 and scantily
clad women sit in large windows for inspection, sex
workers said they were feeling the pinch.
"Business has been
hurt because there are fewer Americans," said a
spokeswoman for the Dutch prostitutes' association,
Rode Draad (Red Thread).
In Thailand, the
Americans are also sorely missed.
"After the attacks
on their cities, the Americans have been afraid to
travel and they have not shown up here," said
Praphan Poomchawsuan, operator of a powerful
entertainment group in Bangkok's notorious Patpong
red-light district.
In Berlin, a
spokeswoman for Hydra, a lobby representing some
400,000 prostitutes in Germany, said there were
about 1.2 million sex transactions each day before
the attacks.
"Times were better
before," she said. "But I think the recession is
taking a toll as well. Tough economic times usually
hit the male libido. They worry about money."
However some beg to
differ from the general mood of pessimism. A Berlin
prostitute named Gina, who has more than 15 years
experience, said she was sure business would pick up
again.
"Men are always
interested in sex," she said. "The demand never dies
out."
Erik Kirschbaum (Reuters)
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