Why Should We Care About the Red Light District of Amsterdam?

There’s nothing like a global pandemic to highlight the dire inequalities and power differentials that exist within society. Even in Amsterdam, one of the wealthiest cities in Europe, it didn’t take long for the already vulnerable to teeter on the edge of collapse during the lockdown of March and April 2020. Amsterdammers, like everyone else, have adapted to a new reality: keeping a physical distance of 1.5 metres away from each other. Yet, this has been devastating for the sex worker community in the Red Light District whose entire livelihoods rely on close bodily proximity. Rough estimates are that about half of the sex workers in Amsterdam have returned to their origin countries, the other half are barely surviving on social grants and charity. The transgender community, many of whom are undocumented, are one of the worst hit. <a href="https://nataliedixon.medium.com/why-should-we-care-about-the-red-light-district-of-amsterdam-ff5f5919803c">Website</a>