"Monuments and sculptures dedicated to sex workers."

[Tania Admin]

I can not take credit for these posts. The full credit belongs to Марина Авраменко whom I have been following on another page but do not feel posting the link to her page would be the right thing to do. But hey please enjoy her posts as much as I do.

*She is fully aware I am sharing these.

"Monuments and sculptures dedicated to sex workers."
There are not so few of them.
They will be shared one at a time.

Spain. Valdepenas. La Galana.
La Galana (Spanish Graceful) or Juana Maria Galan y Heredia is the national heroine of Spain, the Spanish partisan during the Pyrenees wars, the national heroine of Spain. The feats of Galana personify the courage and nationwide character of the struggle of the Spanish people against the French invaders in 1808-1814.
In June 1808, Juana Galán became a member of the Defense Junta and, due to a shortage of men, called on women to fight the French. When on June 6, 1808, a French column tried to pass through the city, it encountered fierce resistance from the residents. The townspeople poured boiling water and oil from the windows, and Juana herself, armed with a club (according to another version, a cast-iron stewpan), fought hand-to-hand at the door of her hotel. Unable to capture Valdepeñas, the French left the entire province of La Mancha and did not make time for the battle of Baylen, which ended in the surrender of General Dupont's II Observation Corps of the Gironde. Subsequently, the city of Valdepeñas, which was defended by La Galana, was awarded the title of "Heroic".

Juana Maria Galan y Heredia was born in 1787 in Valdepeñas in southern La Mancha. A number of later sources say that the girl was born into the family of the owner of the hotel, although in reality it was an inn with a tavern, which enjoyed the reputation of a brothel and brothel, on the Madrid-Sevilla-Cadiz highway.
It is noteworthy that during her lifetime the girl was known under the nickname Puta (Spanish whore), but in the process of posthumous heroization it was replaced by the euphemism Galan (Spanish graceful, sexually attractive or gallant), which became the name of the heroine. Later the name was shortened to "La Galana".
Juana Galán, from her teens, worked there as a "pleasure girl", that is, a prostitute. Other researchers claim that due to her incredible physical strength, she worked as a bouncer at this drinking establishment. Galana's past finds indirect confirmation in the fact that at the time of the feat and after, in the third decade, which was older than the then marriageable age, she was not married, and patriotic writers reduced it to a minimum of 21 years and, at the same time, in describing the feat to “ critical "20 years). In addition, before the battle, the rest of the women were hidden in the cellars and basements, but she is not, that is, being in the same room with Juana compromised.

 

[Tania Admin]

Ireland. Dublin. Monument to the prostitute Molly.
In the capital of Ireland there is a monument to the prostitute Molly Malone, which is installed in the very heart of Dublin on Graffton Street, an analogue of the Old Arbat. Molly Malone was originally the heroine of the famous 19th century Irish ballad Cockles and Mussels. But there is a legend that this woman really existed and lived in Dublin. During the day she worked as a fish and fruit delivery woman, at night as a prostitute. Locals call the statue "Putana with a cart". But the Irish did not erect the monument to Molly for her nightly antics, but for the courage shown in the battle with the enemies when the British attacked the city. True, what was the feat of the woman, the Irish no longer remember.
Urban folklore portrays Molly as an attractive young woman who traded seafood on Grafton Street by day and her body at night. According to one of the versions, one of the guests infected her with typhoid fever, and she died quite young on June 12, 1699.

 

[Tania Admin]

Hungary. Budapest. Sculptural composition "Waiting"
The square of the Holy Spirit, as well as the square of Feu, are very popular among the townspeople. It is on this square that you can see a very unexpected composition "Waiting" (Várakozók). Its author is the famous Hungarian sculptor Imre Varga. The composition is dedicated to local prostitutes. The sculpture "Waiting" is located not far from the museum of its author. For example, many will be interested in the fact that initially Imre Varga dreamed of becoming a military man, graduated from a military school, fought in aviation. After the end of the war, he graduated from the Budapest Academy of Fine Arts and very quickly became a famous and sought-after sculptor.
The story behind this modern masterpiece is pretty simple. Once in Paris on a late winter evening, the sculptor was returning home and saw a group of prostitutes on the square, who were freezing in a snowy rain in anticipation of a late client. A mixed feeling of pity and shame made the artist take up the job. He created images of four street women under an umbrella, wrapped in raincoats, with a reticule under their arm and looking hopefully into the darkness, waiting for an unknown client. The composition consists of four female bronze figures. The first of them is French, a little further on the left side there is a Hungarian woman, still a little further behind there are English and German prostitutes. The monument "Waiting" was erected in 1986.
At first, the leadership of the Budapest Gallery refused to install this sculptural composition to Imre Vargi, as it considered it unacceptable to "create a memorial to whores." But the author was not embarrassed and began to defend his brainchild. He recalled that at the beginning of the last century it was in this area of Obuda that the famous writer Gyula Krudi lived and worked, who is now called the "Hungarian Proust". He created more than fifty works of art about the fate of fallen women, kept women, about women with a difficult fate. As the illegitimate child of a famous Hungarian lawyer and servant - his parents got married when he was already 17 years old - he found the right words and intonations that made him empathize with the heroines of his works. After his death, he was forgotten for a long time as a writer. Such arguments became convincing, and the authorities allowed to install this sculptural composition in Obud. Subsequently, similar compositions of four bronze female figures appeared in several other places, including in the homeland of Varga - in Siofok. There is even a plywood billboard on Feu Square, by going behind which any woman can enter the image of a European sex worker and take a picture for memory.

 

[Tania Admin]

Netherlands.
Amsterdam.
Monument to the female breast.
Rumor has it that the old church, which is located in the heart of the Red Light District, serves as a refuge for women who atone for their sins, of course. Before the opening of the Belle monument, a composition appeared near the Oudekerk church in the form of a hand caressing a woman's breast. A small bronze bas-relief was installed at night by an anonymous sculptor on Oudekerksplein in 1993. Earlier, the hand was chained to the girl's body with a chain and secured with a lock, which meant the codependency of female attractiveness and male strength.
The monument is overgrown with legends. One of them is about the story of a monument about the love of a young man and a girl who were separated by the war. On his return to the city, the blind warrior was called by a prostitute, in which the guy, touching her chest, recognized his beloved. In addition, it is said that the bas-relief was installed by grateful men who were in the arms of corrupt women. Perhaps this monument was erected in memory of the dead sex workers. A man who stands on this bas-relief is guaranteed inexhaustible love power for the rest of his life, and those who touch their chest with their hand will be able to achieve great success in the sexual field. In addition, there is information that the local authorities do not oppose the author's creative experiments and keep the identity of the extraordinary sculptor a secret.

 

[Tania Admin]

South Korea.
Seoul and Busan.
Monuments to women for consolation.

1. In 2011, in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul Park, statues were erected in memory of tens of thousands of Asian women who were sexually enslaved by Japanese soldiers during World War II. The monument consists of two statues, one of which depicts a young Korean girl with a serious, "accusatory expression." Opposite her is a statue of a Chinese girl sitting on a chair with her fists clenched on her knees.
And every Wednesday, rallies are held at the monument with the participation of former "women for consolation."
The system of "comfort women" refers to a form of forced prostitution for the needs of the Japanese army in the countries of the Southeast Army during the war.

2. In December 2016, a monument to "Women of Consolation" was erected in Busan opposite the Japanese Consulate General in the Republic of Korea. During the war, about 200,000 women from Korea, China, Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia were forced to serve Japanese soldiers.

The monument was erected by a public organization, the police tried to dismantle it, but the crowd surrounded the monument and did not allow the guards to approach it.
The Japanese government even temporarily recalled its ambassador to South Korea, and the city authorities of Busan, trying to smooth out the international conflict, took the monument away from the consulate, but not for long: crowds of protesting students and activists of Wednesday Demonstration refused to leave the streets and a couple of days later the statue was returned into place.
The monument was erected on the anniversary of the agreement between South Korea and Japan, according to which Japan must pay 1 billion yen (about $ 8.6 million) to compensate the "comfort women".

In 2017, the Parliament of the Republic of Korea established August 14 as the Day of Remembrance of "Women of Consolation."

 

[Tania Admin]

Netherlands.
Amsterdam.
The famous one is Belle.
The Belle (Beauty) statue appeared in 2007 in the world-famous quarter du Vallin, in the Red Light District. The monument to the wayward priestess of love is erected next to the Oudekerk church, the oldest in Amsterdam. A bronze woman stands in the doorway with her hands on her hips, defying the whole world. Her legs are spread wide. Despite the name, the bronze woman is not young, overweight. The inscription on the pedestal expresses respect for the sex workers who work for the benefit of all humanity.
This composition is the first and only officially recognized monument to a modern sex worker in the world. Its author is the Dutch sculptor Els Reiers, who is very famous in the country. The image created by the sculptor is collective.
The initiator of such an unusual composition is Mariska Major. In the past she is a priestess of love, then became the head of the information center for prostitution. Ms. Mayer said that earning a living through prostitution is not easy, and therefore millions of men and women who belong to the oldest profession deserve to be treated well. The opening of the monument was timed by Marishka Mayor to the Day of excursions in the quarter of prostitutes. This event is very popular, and is held in Amsterdam every year. Anyone can wander around the brothel and see the premises where clients are received.
In March 2007, a few hours before the monument was unveiled, Mayer tried to beat an elderly Dutch woman who was outraged that the monument would stand under the window of her house. The scandalous composition in the center of Amsterdam provokes a mixed reaction from residents. On more than one occasion, she was vandalized. The sculpture was placed on a granite pedestal so that especially aggressive citizens would not spoil the monument.
"Belle" is almost always covered with fresh flowers.

 

[Tania Admin]

China.
Nanking.
Monument to Comfort Women near a former brothel in China.
In early December 2015, a new memorial museum was opened on Li Ji Alley in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, in eastern China, dedicated to the "comfort women" held by the Japanese army during World War II. This was done in the year of the 70th anniversary of China's victory over the Japanese invaders, as well as the independence of South Korea, "
It is the first museum in China located on the site of a former brothel where women were held exclusively for use by Japanese soldiers in Nanjing.
The building was planned to be demolished in 2004, and since 2008 it has been used as a landfill - a sign of a buried shameful past.
However, in 2014 the demolition order was canceled and the site was declared protected for the first time.
The museum is a result of the growing recognition of these comfort women, which have long been buried in history.
A bronze statue stands against the wall of the former brothel. The monument was unveiled on the opening day of the museum.
The sculpture is based on a photograph of a war reporter, which depicts several ko women, including a pregnant woman named Park Yong Sim from Korea. Pak visited the site again on November 21, 2003. She died in 2012.
There are three female figures in the composition of the monument: one hugs her six-month pregnancy, the other rests on the back of a pregnant woman, and the third is kneeling on the floor, as if in pain. Behind them, on the wall, are huge drops of glass "tears".
The museum has many gruesome artifacts from that time.
One of them was a set of pills given by a former comfort woman, the late Lei Guiying. The tablets contained potassium permanganate, which was used as a contraceptive.
The second is a mirror used for internal inspection.
It is the first dedicated to this group on mainland China, and victims have identified it as a military brothel run by the invading Japanese more than 70 years ago.
On December 13, 1937, the Japanese captured the city, then the capital of China, where in six weeks they killed 300,000 people in what was later called the Nanjing Massacre or the Nanjing Rape.
The brothel is the largest surviving former "comfort station".
There were over 40 military brothels in Nanjing alone.
The story of comfort women has long gone unnoticed due to shame and cover-up
This story has only become widely known in recent years as it has been deeply buried in history and shame.
Approximately 200,000 women from China and neighboring countries were enlisted by the Japanese as “comfort women,” although it is not known how many of them lived in the brothel.
Many of the women who survived were too ashamed to tell their stories.
However, a small number of those still alive now share their experiences.

 

[Tania Admin]

China. The famous sculpture of Chinese artist brothers Gao Qiang and Gao Shen, "detention of a prostitute", was created under the impression of a photo of a real-life detention of a female sex worker by police during a RAID.

 

[Tania Admin]

China.
Nanking.
Monument to Comfort Women near a former brothel in China.
In early December 2015, a new memorial museum was opened on Li Ji Alley in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, in eastern China, dedicated to the "comfort women" held by the Japanese army during World War II. This was done in the year of the 70th anniversary of China's victory over the Japanese invaders, as well as the independence of South Korea, "
It is the first museum in China located on the site of a former brothel where women were held exclusively for use by Japanese soldiers in Nanjing.
The building was planned to be demolished in 2004, and since 2008 it has been used as a landfill - a sign of a buried shameful past.
However, in 2014 the demolition order was canceled and the site was declared protected for the first time.
The museum is a result of the growing recognition of these comfort women, which have long been buried in history.
A bronze statue stands against the wall of the former brothel. The monument was unveiled on the opening day of the museum.
The sculpture is based on a photograph of a war reporter, which depicts several ko women, including a pregnant woman named Park Yong Sim from Korea. Pak visited the site again on November 21, 2003. She died in 2012.
There are three female figures in the composition of the monument: one hugs her six-month pregnancy, the other rests on the back of a pregnant woman, and the third is kneeling on the floor, as if in pain. Behind them, on the wall, are huge drops of glass "tears".
The museum has many gruesome artifacts from that time.
One of them was a set of pills given by a former comfort woman, the late Lei Guiying. The tablets contained potassium permanganate, which was used as a contraceptive.
The second is a mirror used for internal inspection.
It is the first dedicated to this group on mainland China, and victims have identified it as a military brothel run by the invading Japanese more than 70 years ago.
On December 13, 1937, the Japanese captured the city, then the capital of China, where in six weeks they killed 300,000 people in what was later called the Nanjing Massacre or the Nanjing Rape.
The brothel is the largest surviving former "comfort station".
There were over 40 military brothels in Nanjing alone.
The story of comfort women has long gone unnoticed due to shame and cover-up
This story has only become widely known in recent years as it has been deeply buried in history and shame.
Approximately 200,000 women from China and neighboring countries were enlisted by the Japanese as “comfort women,” although it is not known how many of them lived in the brothel.
Many of the women who survived were too ashamed to tell their stories.
However, a small number of those still alive now share their experiences.

 

[Tania Admin]

Sex workers include Striptease, erotic dance, and go-go dancers. USA.
Las Vegas.
"Crazy girls".
At the entrance to the Las Vegas Riviera hotel, there is a bronze bas-relief depicting go-go dancers in a somewhat strange pose: their backs are turned to those entering. There is a widespread belief among gambling enthusiasts that if you Pat or slap girls on the buttocks before going to the casino, the winnings are guaranteed, and quite large!

 

[Tania Admin]

MONUMENTS TO SEX WORKERS.

In some countries, girls from past centuries, who provided sex services, became folk heroines.
In others, they immortalized the memory of those who were forced to "comfort" the invader soldiers.
Investigation revealed that there are many monuments to Comfort Women, Comfort Women, or Comfort Women that worked at the comfort stations for Japanese soldiers during World War II.
It is assumed that some of the women could go there voluntarily in order to avoid death and earn some money. But later in military brothels began to forcefully expel girls from all the captured countries of Southeast Asia.
These pages of history have been closed for a long time. The victims were ashamed of their past. And this makes them very close to modern sex workers, who are accused of everything, no matter what happens to them. But times are changing.
Now in many cities of South Korea there are monuments to "Comfort Women" or they are also called monuments to "Girls of the World."
There are monuments to these women in other countries. We will talk about this in subsequent publications.

SOUTH KOREA. KIMHE.
In August 2018, on the eve of Liberation Day (15 August). In the Yonji Sculpture Park in Gimhae, South Korea, the "Girl of the World" monument was inaugurated.
At the opening ceremony of the monument, those present honored the memory of the victims of the war "Women for Consolation."
The money for the monument was collected by the Committee of local residents on their initiative, over a year and a half.
The statue of the girl is installed on a granite pedestal.
The bronze statue of a girl stands barefoot with an outstretched hand, and on the back of her palm is a butterfly symbolizing hope. In general, it contains the meaning of trying to overcome the girl's pain and sadness with dreams and hopes.

P.S. It is striking how touchingly the residents treat these statues as living people. They not only bring them flowers and light candles, but also dress them warmly when it's cold. For them, it is a memory of real living people.

 

[Tania Admin]

PHILLIPINES

MANILLA
One of the occupied countries during the Second World War was the Philippines. During the occupation of the Philippines, Japanese soldiers forced many Filipino women to become "women of comfort." In fact, they turned them into sex slaves. About 60 of the affected women are now alive.
On December 8, 2017, on Roxas Boulevard in Manila, the country's first monument was inaugurated in honor of about 1,000 Filipino "women of comfort" who suffered from the Japanese army during the Second World War. The monument was created and installed with donations from local residents.
It was a tall bronze figure of a young Filipina girl. In her hands she was clutching a handkerchief, and her eyes were tied with a ribbon.
A spokesman for the City of Manila said the monument symbolizes the suffering of the "comfort women" and that Filipinos will never forget it.
However, after 4 months there was a scandal. At the end of April 2018, the monument suddenly disappeared at night. Officials said they removed the sculpture due to the need for drainage work. However, local activists believe that the country's leadership made concessions to the Japanese government, which expressed its dissatisfaction with the opening of the monument. The removal of the sculpture was a decision of the Philippine government.

 

[Tania Admin]

BULAKAN
BAHAY-ON-PULA
This is the name of the memorial house. Red house. Red, like the bloody crimes that were committed in it.
The invaders assumed that local men were involved in the resistance. They executed them. The women were brought to the “Red House” where they were raped regularly and repeatedly. Some of them were girls as young as eight or nine. If the girls tried to fight back, they were killed. Girls and women from Bulacan and Pampanga were forced to live in the house as "comfort women" or slaves.
In Bahai-na-Pula, survivors recalled how they were brutally mistreated inside and outside the home. Mothers and daughters were also raped in the same rooms. In the gruesome account of some of the survivors, it was said that one beautiful girl was the "favorite" of many soldiers and was raped 20 or 30 times a day. When she tried to escape, she was caught in the bathroom and brutally raped again and then drowned.
The house is now almost destroyed. They say that the souls of the dead women remained to live there, and at night terrible screams are heard on its ruins.
After the war, former comfort women could not get married because they were considered disgraced. Therefore, many of them hid their terrible past, were ashamed of it. And only recently have several women started talking openly about these crimes.

 

[Tania Admin]

Spain. Valdepenas. La Galana.
La Galana (Spanish Graceful) or Juana Maria Galan y Heredia is the national heroine of Spain, the Spanish partisan during the Pyrenees wars, the national heroine of Spain. The feats of Galana personify the courage and nationwide character of the struggle of the Spanish people against the French invaders in 1808-1814.
In June 1808, Juana Galán became a member of the Defense Junta and, due to a shortage of men, called on women to fight the French. When on June 6, 1808, a French column tried to pass through the city, it encountered fierce resistance from the residents. The townspeople poured boiling water and oil from the windows, and Juana herself, armed with a club (according to another version, a cast-iron stewpan), fought hand-to-hand at the door of her hotel. Unable to capture Valdepeñas, the French left the entire province of La Mancha and did not make time for the battle of Baylen, which ended in the surrender of General Dupont's II Observation Corps of the Gironde. Subsequently, the city of Valdepeñas, which was defended by La Galana, was awarded the title of "Heroic".
Juana Maria Galan y Heredia was born in 1787 in Valdepeñas in southern La Mancha. A number of later sources say that the girl was born into the family of the owner of the hotel, although in reality it was an inn with a tavern, which enjoyed the reputation of a brothel and brothel, on the Madrid-Sevilla-Cadiz highway.
It is noteworthy that during her lifetime the girl was known under the nickname Puta (Spanish whore), but in the process of posthumous heroization it was replaced by the euphemism Galan (Spanish graceful, sexually attractive or gallant), which became the name of the heroine. Later the name was shortened to "La Galana".
Juana Galán, from her teens, worked there as a "pleasure girl", that is, a prostitute. Other researchers claim that due to her incredible physical strength, she worked as a bouncer at this drinking establishment. Galana's past finds indirect confirmation in the fact that at the time of the feat and after, in the third decade, which was older than the then marriageable age, she was not married, and patriotic writers reduced it to a minimum of 21 years and, at the same time, in describing the feat to “ critical "20 years). In addition, before the battle, the rest of the women were hidden in the cellars and basements, but she is not, that is, being in the same room with Juana compromised.

 

[Tania Admin]

USA
SAN FRANCISCO
In November 2017, in San Francisco's St. Mary's Square, a monument was unveiled depicting three girls from Korea, China and the Philippines (in these countries, most women have experienced this form of violence). all three girls are dressed in their national costumes and stand next to each other back to back in solidarity. The fourth statue depicts Kim Hak-sung looking at them with hope because she was the first survivor to openly talk about the horrors in 1991.
It was after her recognition that this problem was finally paid due attention.
Ms. Kim Hak Sung, a former “comfort woman”, first identified herself as such in 1991 and was interviewed on August 14. After that, the Parliament of South Korea approved a law, according to which August 14 became the "Day of Remembrance of the" women for consolation "who became victims of the Japanese army."
The monument was created by the English sculptor Stephen White, with funds raised by the Chinese diaspora of San Francisco and donated to the city. The mayor approved this decision, despite the dissatisfaction of the Japanese representatives.
The monument was erected so that people were confident that this story will not be forgotten. Also, this monument is dedicated to all women who suffered from sexual slavery during all past and current wars.
The words are engraved on the monument: "No more."
According to the stories and memories of the survivors, being at the "stations" was like real slavery. The girls were kept like animals, they were raped every day, often 20 times. Vianbu survivors said that sick girls could be buried or burned alive, they were given lethal abortifacient drugs, no one prevented the cruel treatment of them by the soldiers. The mortality rate among these women was colossal, some committed suicide or became addicted to opium, which they stole from soldiers in order to somehow alleviate their fate.
After the war, the lives of those who went through the Japanese-created hell were broken. In Korean culture, as in most Eastern cultures, a woman is considered guilty of loss of honor regardless of the circumstances. This fact of the biography made it almost impossible for the former Vianbu to get married, create their own family and have children. Because of the burning sense of shame, not all women could return home.
Many of those who integrated into society were physically unable to have children after abuse, severe traumas received in slavery, the effects of the strongest abortive drugs that forced them to take. Thousands of women have endured this trauma alone for decades.
"No more".

 

[Tania Admin]

SOUTH KOREA, USA, AUSTRALIA, CHINA, CANADA.
In 2011, a monument to Women for Consolation was erected in Seoul, South Korea, opposite the Japanese Embassy. This caused serious complications in relations between states. Japan is still very reluctant to admit the very existence of "comfort women" and their guilt.
When these women spoke, the world was horrified.
In memory of what they suffered, monuments are erected to them all over the world. They copy the first one.
More than a dozen bronze sculptures of a Korean girl with a strict look have been installed in the world.
In several cities in South Korea, in three cities in the United States, Australia, China, Canada, a young and fragile "girl for comfort" is sitting on a chair.
The sculpture symbolizes the ruined innocence and lives of tens of thousands of Korean women. Moreover, every detail matters:
- the bird on the shoulder symbolizes peace and liberation, as well as the inextricable connection of those who have been in heaven for a long time, with those who are still alive and remember the horrors they experienced.
- short hair means a break with family and home,
- barefoot raised heels above the ground - the unstable position of surviving women after the war, when they were afraid to return home and openly talk about their fate.
- an empty chair next to the statue of a girl allows anyone to sit on it and feel in her place, as well as to imagine in her place relatives and friends.
The statues are treated with special affection: they dress her in real clothes in the winter cold, bring her flowers and gifts.
In August 2017, five hundred small comfort women figurines were displayed at Cheongye Stream Square in downtown Seoul to celebrate International Comfort Women Day. Each mini-statue has the name of the victim written on it. The 500 statues represent 239 identified victims in South Korea and an unknown number of victims in North Korea.
On the same day (then annually on August 14), five public buses began to run in Seoul, in each of which sat a statue of a "comfort girl", to commemorate Comfort Women Day. The traditional Korean folk song "Arirang" is played as the bus passes the Japanese Embassy in downtown Seoul.

 

[Tania Admin]

"Girls of the World".

They were also created in memory of "women for consolation". They are installed in different cities of South Korea and China, Taiwan. These are figures of young girls, often holding a butterfly and a caterpillar in their hands. The caterpillar reflects wounds from the past before turning into a butterfly, which signifies the future. When a girl releases the butterfly, she also lets go of her past scars - finally, she can find hope for the future.
Also, these are memorial plaques.



Studying the history of “women of comfort” and “comfort stations”, we see the tragic consequences of legalization of sex services with a pronounced “hygienic” approach. When concern for the comfort of soldiers and their health becomes more important than the freedom, health and lives of other people.

We have come to the conclusion that this is necessary for several reasons.
- The topic of legalization and control over sex services, coercion and violence against sex workers is relevant in general for modern international relations and for all organizations that protect the rights of sex workers and seek to decriminalize sex work in the world. If the state begins to strictly regulate the sex market, sooner or later this will lead to violence against sex workers. In today's world, we too may face this problem.
- We honor the memory of sex workers of the past centuries who showed heroism in wars or in the struggle for their rights, although we do not know whether they were independent or exploited them.
- The idea of creating "comfort stations" came from the Japanese military leaders in order to preserve the health of soldiers and monitor the health of women who will provide sex services. The Japanese government claims that the "comfort station" recruited women at will, and even paid them for their work. A number of such women were also from Japan. Also, they claim that contracts were signed with women, and the "stations" themselves were not guarded. However, according to eyewitnesses, women were often deceived. They were lured with the promise of work in hotels, in restaurants, but in fact they were forced to provide sex services, and were forcibly held. When there were not enough women willing, the military forced girls from the occupied territories to provide sex services, and this turned into bullying, horrible violence and murder. All of this is very reminiscent of the modern schemes of involving women in sex slavery, with which we are fighting today.
- Sex workers against human trafficking and sexual exploitation. We support the fight against trafficking at any time and in any country. The story of Comfort Women provides an example of what the lack of an offer of voluntary sex work can lead to. Where there is a strong demand for these services, there are opportunities for crime. There are people who create networks of coercion, sex slavery, human trafficking and benefit from it. If there is not a sufficient supply of voluntary sex services, sooner or later there will be violence, slavery, trafficking and murder.
“Comfort women” have experienced the same stigma and discrimination that modern sex workers face. Despite the fact that they were forced to provide sex services, society did not forgive them for "immoral" behavior and they became outcasts. That is why they were silent for decades. They were ashamed of what they had done to them. Many sex workers today experience the same stigma from society and government. And they also have to hide the fact that they provide sex services, even if they are forced.
- In order not to apologize and to avoid financial compensation, Japan just uses the arguments in favor of the fact that it was licensed, voluntary prostitution. Thus, the stigma is affirmed that "prostitutes cannot be raped", that they knowingly "agree" to everything that will be done with them. We must expose these stereotypes and misconceptions.
- In response to the honest stories of "comfort women" about violence against them, there were people who claimed that they were lying and insultingly called them "prostitutes." Today, sex workers also often try to insult, humiliate, and use the word “prostitute” as an insult.

We, the sex workers of the world today, are proud of our choice to engage in sex work today. For us, sex work is work.
We believe that we must remember those who did it against their will and suffered. Therefore, we decided to place several posts and photos in memory of them. That would not happen again.

 

[Tania Admin]

Norway.
Oslo.

Oslo City Hall (City Hall) is surrounded by numerous statues and reliefs.
The most interesting one is located at the corner of the eastern façade. The composition "Albertina", carved from granite, was created in the 40s based on the scandalous novel of the same name and the painting by Christian Krogh.
“Albertina is a poor seamstress living in the eastern part of Christiania. She is seduced by "Winter", a police officer who will eventually rape her while she is unconscious. She later experiences a humiliating visit to the police doctor's office. In the end, she turns out to be a prostitute working in the Vic area. "
On the bas-relief, Albertina stands in the center of the composition. The well-dressed man on the right is likely her client. With a man dressed in plain clothes, Albertine secretly holds hands. The man himself seems to be hiding around the corner. Most likely this is the girl's beloved, from the workers. According to another version, he may be her pimp. Although, he can be both, if the girl ever gave him part of the money she earned.
The book was published on December 20, 1886, and the next day it was confiscated by the police on the orders of the Minister of Justice. This was done because the problems of society were truthfully described in the novel. Prostitution was recognized as a problem and a few years after the confiscation of the book, public prostitution was declared illegal in the Norwegian capital.
Now this bas-relief reminds passers-by that prostitution and violent nightlife once flourished in this bohemian area.
Bas-relief author, Norwegian sculptor Alfred Seland.

 

[Tania Admin]

GERMANY
KONSTANZ

Konstanz is a small medieval town in Germany, on the border with Switzerland.
A huge statue of a courtesan named "Empire" has become a symbol of this city. This is a real person, the heroine of Honore de Balzac's novel "The Beautiful Empire". The characters of the novel are women of easy virtue, to whom the churchmen went for sex services immediately after the meetings. This is how the French classic ridiculed the Ecumenical Council and its participants. And the statue appeared in 1993 in memory of the Ecumenical Council, which took place in this city in the 15th century.
The writer allowed himself a historical inaccuracy: the courtesan Imperia Konyati, whose image he brought out in the novel, had never been to Constanta and died a hundred years after this cathedral. In the raised hands of the Empire are the naked figures of the Emperor Sigismund, who convened the council and the Pope Martin V elected there. According to the plan of the sculptor Peter Lenk, in the hands of the courtesan are the fate of the entire Christian world. And the "Empire" pedestal is used to measure the water level.
The monument was erected at the entrance to the Vokzalnaya Bay on the shores of Lake Constance, despite the violent protests of the Catholic Church. The monument is a clear anti-religious symbol and openly ridicules the established canons of life.
The 9-meter figure of the "Empire" slowly rotates and can be seen from all points of the city and lake.

 

[Tania Admin]

Netherlands
Amsterdam

Not only is the Belle famous, it stands proudly on the streets of Amsterdam.
The monument to Gerbrand Bredero, the great Dutch poet and playwright, is installed in Amsterdam, near the Weight Tower.
But the sculpture depicts not the great writer and poet, but the heroes of his work “Spanish Brabander” (“De Spaansche Brabander.” On a pedestal with the author's name, we see a girl who provides sex services, and the scammers Gerolimo, who is trying to talk to her and But the girl seems to understand that the man is not a suitable client and turns away from him. It was this episode that was depicted in his creation by sculptor Pete Esser.
The monument was erected near the Weight Tower on New Square, next to the Red Light District, to the 350th anniversary of the birth of the famous Dutch poet and playwright, composer of love sonnets Gerbrand Adriaensz Bredero (1585-1618)

 

[Tania Admin]

USA
California
Nevada city.

It is not every day in the United States that you see a historical monument dedicated to local sex workers. There is one in Nevada City though. This is a small, homage to the city's past that was a wild Gold Rush city.
Nevada City, one of the most colorful cities of the Gold Rush era. It houses one of the oldest permanent hotels west of the Rocky Mountains,
the National Exchange Hotel (also known as the National Hotel). It is listed on the California National Register of Historic Places and Historic Landmarks.
In the parking lot of the National Hotel, there is a memorial plaque dedicated to the "ladies of the night" (ladies of the evening) and their special contribution to the era of the Gold Rush.
A memorial plaque to the "Evening Ladies" is installed right next to the fence in the hotel parking lot. It is one of the little-known, overlooked memorial sites erected in the American West by the ancient and honorable order of E. Clampus Vitus (ECV).
The ECV, a fraternity dedicated to the preservation of the heritage of the American West, installs plaques in places that are usually overlooked by more traditional historical societies. Its members erect memorial signs in honor of a variety of important events and people in their opinion.
The organization first emerged in the 1800s, spreading to gold mining cities, before eventually breaking up after the civil war. But this did not last long. In 1930, a new generation of Clampers revived the brotherhood. Even now, it is still gaining traction, and its members are dedicated to highlighting forgotten fragments of the Wild West's past.
The members of the fraternity were distinguished for their love of jokes and fun, but in their actions they were very serious. They helped each other in cases of illness, hunger, death of family members, collected donations and gave gifts and treats for Christmas to poor workers in distant mines. In the 19th century, they helped runaway slaves, hid them, and then transported them to the Northern States.
All the more valuable is the fact that they noted the important role of girls who provide sex services, recognizing their contribution to the development of the West.
A plaque commemorating the Women of the Night is located in the parking lot east of and adjacent to the historic National Hotel on Broad Street. The point of interest is in front of the mesh fence, just above Highway 49.

Lettering on the board:
Ladies of the evening
To perpetuate that ubiquitous segment of society that no one recognized: who, although not known, made a significant contribution to the settlement of relations in the West.
Dedicated to October 7, 1972
City of Nevada. California
Thanks to #ShonaSchonning for the information.

 

[Tania Admin]

Russia.
Moscow.
Monument "Girl on a Pole". Doesn't exist today.
A graceful figurine of a fragile girl dancing on a pole, between heaven and earth, in the very center of the capital, during the day reminds all passers-by of the stormy nightlife of the city. It looks more like an original advertising move, which was undertaken by the owners of the nearby striptease club "White Bear", which is included in the list of the very first such establishments in Moscow.
The graceful and fragile metal figure of the girl seems to float above the catwalk. The sculptor captured the moment of her dancing around the pole, when her body, smoothly bending, repeats the beat of the music.
The work of the sculptor Andrey Aseryants, which he called "Girl on a Pole", is very expressive. The dancer's plastic is perfectly conveyed; attractive facial features, thin arms and slender legs are clearly marked as the standard of women in this profession.
Like all Moscow city statues, this composition is rubbed on certain parts of the body and make a wish.
You could see a monument to a stripper in Moscow near the house at Prospekt Mira, 116a. How we got permission to erect the monument is unknown, but before that there were always flowers around it in memory of the deceased girl, whom the regulars knew. It was a monument to the dashing 90s. After the closure of the Polar Bear club in 2017, the Girl was also removed. Where she is now is unknown.

 

[Tania Admin]

UNITED KINGDOM.
Devonian.
Plymouth.


The largest bronze sculpture in the kingdom was installed in the UK on 20 March 2019. The giant figure of a woman in a bent position reaches a height of seven meters, and its weight is ten tons.
Some outraged residents refer to the statue as a "squatting prostitute."
In fact, the statue depicts the actress in the role of "Bianca", one of the characters in Shakespeare's play "Othello". In the story, she was the mistress of Cassio, whom Othello considered his rival. Bianca is described as a courtesan and is widely known as a prostitute, she plays an important role in the tragedy.
In the play, the expressions are used several times in relation to Bianca: - "street creature", "courtesan", "person of easy virtue", although she herself claims that "lives an honest life."
The city authorities decided to make the statue of Bianchi the largest in England, among those dedicated to women. It was installed near the city's Royal Theater (Royal Theater).
The statue had many ill-wishers. They believed that the concept of sculpture was very controversial, and some people feared that the composition "defames and humiliates women."
Visitors will walk under her legs wide apart (she is wearing trousers) and look up to see what is in between.
However, the Executive Director of the Royal Theater Adrian Vinken said: “Public art will, and perhaps always should, be controversial. People's perceptions of what they think they like or dislike change over time. "He noted that the statue, designed by Cornish artist Joseph Hillier, will become a landmark and a heritage for the city. Project leaders hope the giant sculpture will become a symbol of Plymouth and will attract the flow of tourists.It will also act as an arch in front of the theater: guests can enter the building through its legs.
Bianca will signal change, and change is always alarming. This explains why some people are afraid of this. "
On design and creation, Joseph Hillier explained that he felt how important it was for the sculpture to be female. She has to confront the many male statues that dominate Plymouth and other cities in England. “Presenting a woman on such a scale and in public space turned out to be more revolutionary than I initially thought,” Hillier said.
"Messenger" (as the residents nicknamed the statue) is based on the pose of actress Nicola Cavanagh rehearsing for "Othello" at the Plymouth theater in 2014 as she was about to jump off a squat. Its title "The Messenger" refers to the actor's role in bringing life to the writer's words.
We think that the role of the “Messenger” is also to convey to society the importance of the role of women and sex workers.

 

[Tania Admin]

GERMANY
KONSTANZ
Konstanz is a small medieval town in Germany, on the border with Switzerland.
A huge statue of a courtesan named "Empire" has become a symbol of this city. This is a real person, the heroine of Honore de Balzac's novel "The Beautiful Empire". The characters of the novel are women of easy virtue, to whom the churchmen went for sex services immediately after the meetings. This is how the French classic ridiculed the Ecumenical Council and its participants. And the statue appeared in 1993 in memory of the Ecumenical Council, which took place in this city in the 15th century.
The writer allowed himself a historical inaccuracy: the courtesan Imperia Konyati, whose image he brought out in the novel, had never been to Constanta and died a hundred years after this cathedral. In the raised hands of the Empire are the naked figures of the Emperor Sigismund, who convened the council and the Pope Martin V elected there. According to the plan of the sculptor Peter Lenk, in the hands of the courtesan are the fate of the entire Christian world. And the "Empire" pedestal is used to measure the water level.
The monument was erected at the entrance to the Vokzalnaya Bay on the shores of Lake Constance, despite the violent protests of the Catholic Church. The monument is a clear anti-religious symbol and openly ridicules the established canons of life.
The 9-meter figure of the "Empire" slowly rotates and can be seen from all points of the city and lake.

 

[Tania Admin]

Croatia.
Zagreb.

Tkalcicheva street in Zagreb is endless rows of summer cafes, houses on three floors, over which the hillsides rise. in the 19th century, many girls came to the city in search of work. Many of them sooner or later began providing sex services. 100-200 years ago, there were many brothels on Tkalchichev Street.
Now on this street there is a monument dedicated to the girls who worked in these brothels.

 

[Tania Admin]

USA
San Francisco
The original Condor Club site at the corner of Broadway and Columbus in North Beach, San Francisco, features a bronze plaque "Where It All Started." It is dedicated to the dancer Carol Ann Doda, who was the first in the world to perform topless in public on June 19, 1964, and five years later - completely naked (bottomless).
Carol Doda is also known for being one of the first to double the size of her bust using silicone injections. She insured him for one and a half million dollars. In honor of her, one of the hills of Yosemite National Park in Central California, which resembled a woman's breast in shape, was named "Doda Dome".
At first, Carol worked as a waitress at the Condor Club, and later began to sing and dance. One of her most famous numbers, when she came down into the hall from the ceiling on a white piano and danced on it.
On June 19, 1964, when Daude was 26 years old, she was presented with a swimsuit without a "monokini" top. She performed topless that night, becoming the first famous entertainer of the era to do so. The action was an instant success. Two months after she began her performances in semi-nude, the rest of San Francisco's Broadway was topless and soon followed by artists across America. Doda became an American cultural icon of the 1960s.
She played 12 concerts every night so management could keep the crowds. A large illuminated sign in front of the club showed her cartoon with flashing red lights depicting her nipples.
Several times Carol Dod was summoned to court for indecent and depraved behavior, but the judges always acquitted her. In the memorandum of Judge Friedman to the lawyers of the opposing parties, it is said: "Whether the actions ... are obscene and depraved, does not depend on the interpretation of any person or personal opinion, but on the consensus of the entire community ..."
In the 70s, Carol starred in several films and worked in television. In the 80s she again began to dance to "Condor", she was 45 years old and she danced a wonderful striptease. Later, she opened boutiques of champagne and luxury lingerie.
In 2009, she said in an interview: “For the first time I realized that I exist, on the very night when I appeared topless on the Condor stage. My only goal was to entertain the audience. "
She still danced in the nightclubs of North Beach, even though she was already over seventy. She danced, however, not topless, but dressed. One day she told a journalist: - "Cutie, I will stop dancing only when I can no longer walk."
On November 9, 2015, Doda died of kidney failure at St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco.

Full text on the plaque: “Condor; where it all began; the birthplace of the world's first topless and bottomless entertainment; topless - June 19, 1964 Bottomles - September 3, 1969 starring Miss Carol Doda; San Francisco, California "

 

[Tania Admin]

Paris

France

At the end of the 19th century, a circle of women formed in Paris, which began to be called "demimond".
The women of this circle formed their own world, as if parallel to the world of secular ladies. It included kept women, expensive cocotte prostitutes and girls of the new generation, who were called "grisettes". The name comes from the color of the fabric of the dresses they wore ("grisette", from the French word "gris" - "gray"). The grisettes were more of a working class because they earned money mainly by sewing or selling flowers. They knew how to communicate with men, and by the standards of society, led a fairly free lifestyle. They could have several lovers, a landlord, and many male friends at the same time. They were distinguished from prostitutes by the fact that they themselves chose their partners, their main income was brought by another occupation, and they were in demand as wives for workers and petty bourgeois. However, for their cheerful disposition and easy behavior, public opinion put them on a par with prostitutes. Today we would say that "grisette" is a type of voluntary sex work. Grisettes are a whole era in the life of Paris, almost eighty years. So it is not surprising that in Paris, among the many monuments to a variety of historical figures and events, there is also a modest monument to the grisette. This is a sculpture of a flower girl, staged in 1911. This monument was created by Jean-Bernard Descomps (1872-1948). The Monument to the Grisette is located in the Place Jules-Ferry in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, opposite the Canal Saint-Martin. It is very close to Republic Square.

 

[Tania Admin]

GENEVA

SWITZERLAND

Old town, statue of "Clementine". Naked haggard teenage girl with a slim silhouette stands in the center of the old town on the Place Bourg-de-Four. This is one of the most popular statues in Geneva. The residents of the parish christened her "Clementine", probably because the statue is almost opposite the cafe La Clemence. The bronze girl was created by the sculptor Heinz Schwarz and installed in the center of Geneva in 1974. Schwartz's Clementine is much more than an exquisite statue. She is a symbol of solidarity for women and girls - especially those who are forced into prostitution - around the world: the reason why flowers are often scattered at her feet. The Clementine monument is a protest against cruelty, indifference and violence. Statue denouncing injustice. She has become a symbol of the problems associated with the exploitation of women and child abuse. Around the monument, all the trees are hung with newspaper clippings about violence against children and women. Fresh flowers appear in Clementine's hands every week. This tradition is over 30 years old.

 

[TantraShiva]

Interesting thread

 

[Tania Admin]

RUSSIA.
St. Petersburg.
On one of the historical buildings of St. Petersburg, at the corner of Sadovaya Street and flour lane, in the piers between the windows, there are sculptural images of female heads in the Art Nouveau style. The most popular was the bas-relief depicting portraits of three beautiful girls. There is a legend that 200-150 years ago there was a brothel in this house, and the bas-relief is dedicated to the women who worked there. The girls' heads were cast in 1903, from plaster. The author of the sculptures is unknown. There is another version that these are three graces: Aglaya (shine), Thalia (blooming happiness) and Eufrozina (joyful mood). They are Aphrodite's companions and give those around them joy and fun. This version does not contradict the legend that the composition is dedicated to sex workers. The girls' faces are beautiful and sad. Locals sometimes call them "mermaids". Unfortunately, vandals often spoil this work of art. But the stone can be spoiled, and the memory of the three gentle beauties will remain for centuries.