The Red Thread (De Rode Draad)
The Red Thread (De Rode Draad in Dutch) was an advocacy-support group for prostitutes in the Netherlands.
[1] Important points of attention for De Rode Draad were denouncing exploitation, and combating the social stigma that surrounds prostitution.
The women from the talk group found that the work of prostitutes wasn't taken seriously enough by the police, health care and politician.
De Rode Draad also acted as an official interlocutor of the government, police and health care about safe sex, the ban on brothels, and trafficking in women.
In addition to its legal goals, the foundation also had other objectives: to strengthen the position of the prostitute and to inform people about human trafficking, hygiene, safe sex and other health issues.
In addition, employees of De Rode Draad visited brothels, sex clubs, window prostitutes and red-light districts to keep in touch with their target group.
The roots of the De Rode Draad lay in an article in the magazine Viva of January 13, 1984 on the position of women in prostitution.
After the brothel ban in 2000 was lifted, it appeared that prostitutes often had to sign dubious work contracts, and in practice rarely had the same rights and obligations as other employees.
[8] By means of a complaint to the Equal Treatment Commission, the foundation also managed that prostitutes could open a business account with ING Bank.
On January 1, 2005, the subsidy to De Rode Draad, 200,000 euros annually, was discontinued due to cutbacks in the government.
[7] In later years, De Rode Draad was particularly concerned with visiting sex workers in the country to point out their rights and encourage them to address abuses.
[12] In 2007, the foundation also organized a publicity campaign at the Amsterdam Red Light District where people opposed the presence of pimps,[13] and in 2008 conducted research into illegal prostitution in massage parlors.
[14] In the first half of 2009, De Rode Draad had to close its office due to a lack of subsidy and sponsorship funds.
