General
information
Kassandra e.V. serves as a point of contact for anyone working as a sex worker or in the sex industry, as well as for anyone interested in the topic of sex work.
Through a variety of projects, KASSANDRA offers a broad range of professional and cultural education to sex workers, advising and support in specific professional and existential questions, issues related to addiction and HIV/STI prevention, psycho-social stabilisation and promoting the integration of migrant sex workers.
What we offer
Any questions…
You can contact our information centre with existential or specific professional questions related to sex work. Our pedagogical employees can offer you information and advice. We can also help you with questions on the Prostitute Protection Act (ProstSchG).
…in your language…
We can organise a translator if needed. Please contact us in order to enable advice in your language.
… anonymous, free and with confidentiality …
We advise anonymously. Our offers are free for sex workers. We are subject to confidentiality.
… appreciative …
With information and advice we show ways to support you in your own decisions.
Streetwork
We regularly visit apartments, clubs, brothels, the Frauentormauer and other locations where sex work is performed in the Nuremberg, Fürth and Erlangen area. Thanks to our on-site visits, sex workers can obtain information and advice directly at their place of work.
During our street work sessions, we are able to reach sex workers who only recently began working in KASSANDRA’s service area, or are only doing so temporarily.
Often, we can also make contacts with brothel operators via our street work. By maintaining regular contact with sex workers, we gain a realistic insight into the industry and are able to assess processes of change and make predictions about new developments.
When we carry out street work, we make sure not to disrupt ongoing operations. However, we offer discussion and advice directly in the workplace if the opportunity presents itself.
We have access to the local scene thanks to the activities of our male street work team.
KASSANDRA informs and advises boys and men on sex work-related questions.
The risk of infection with HIV/STIs plays a major role in male prostitution, partially due to the higher likelihood of encountering customers infected with HIV and/or an STI. Working conditions in the male sex work industry are often less safe than for female sex workers. Boys and men frequently work alone, at night, and outdoors (or meet their customers at such times/places). This increases their risk of becoming the victims of violence.
In general, going to a customer’s home or apartment is dangerous. Using drugs together to increase sexual stimulation is also a common practice. The risk is that this may reduce condom usage, even if the sex worker and customer know condoms are effective. Many male sex workers are only looking for an occasional source of additional income, and may not see themselves as sex workers or engage in professionalisation measures. In addition, in most cases they are working illegally (in a restricted area) and therefore may not openly disclose they are prostitutes. Because of this, finding such sex workers can take great tact. Doing so, however, is all the more important as this target group is less likely to be aware of available support services.
If sex workers are looking for a new professional direction, we can support them with advice and services, such as German language courses and job interview training. We can support them in every step of the process as they start regular employment subject to social security requirements, or as they become self-employed.
Sex workers are a heterogeneous group. They differ based on age, nationality, marital status and based on their schooling, language and professional, as well as cultural, backgrounds.
Today’s labour market serves as a point of orientation when determining a realistic development process. We identify what competencies and resources the individual already has, and motivate them to utilise their potential.
Our goal is to individually support sex workers in terms of identifying their needs and providing resources as they look for professional alternatives outside of the sex industry and become integrated into the first labour market.
KASSANDRA is a member of …
