Slavery in Switzerland

 
Prostitution Walker filmed an oppressive commercial against the trafficking of women. 
A campaign entitled "Euro 08 against trafficking in women" aims to denounce the inhumane business of modern slaves in the sex trade with a stirring film. The campaign is linked to a petition "for better protection and more rights for victims of trafficking in women". The petition was launched by a broad-based association - from the Women's Information Centre (FIZ) to Amnesty International and Unia to the umbrella organization of Swiss men's and fathers' organizations. Well-known sponsors were also secured for the campaign. These made a spectacular film possible, which the Walker agency was able to realize with London-based Sonny Production in Prague. 200 women and 100 men stood in front of the camera as extras. The story, realized like a trailer for a cinema film, equates the modern tugboat trade with a historical slave trade or even a cattle market. The film was directed by Jeff Thomas, who also has experience with CSI series. The music is a gift from Jonny Greenwood. The haunting sounds come from the Oscar-winning film "There Will be Blood". The music was awarded the Silver Bear in Berlin.
Pius Walker and his clients are excited to see how the mood of their 60-second film will touch the Swiss public. The commercial will not only be shown on television during Euro 08, but also on all the big screens at public viewings. The spot is intended to shake up the audience shortly before the start of the match and draw their attention to the fate of enslaved women. A bold, bold message for a human and political message just before the sporting spectacle.
 
Well-known Zurich politicians were shocked by a vision: "Is this campaign intended to destroy the good atmosphere at Euro 08? How will this film affect the fans' mood?" However, Uefa is providing the attractive advertising time at twelve public viewings free of charge. UBS is at least offering a discount at its arenas.

The advertising agency believes that its commercial has fulfilled its task of raising people's awareness of the growing trafficking of women in Switzerland. "We knew that sixty seconds could never do justice to the scale of this problem. But we can make it a lot harder to ignore," says Pius Walker, explaining the concept behind his film. At the premiere during an information evening in Bern, the style was also compared to Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List". In fact, Walker is deliberately building on grand cinema. This is intended to create an atmosphere and not provide any concrete rules of conduct for dealing with the women concerned.
The initiators of the petition are also aware that the "love habits" of a client cannot be changed in 60 seconds. Nor do they want to make a moral statement about the general phenomenon of prostitution. For former National Councillor Ruth-Gaby Vermot, co-president of the campaign, public awareness is therefore just as important as the target group of clients. Doctors, lawyers and judges should also be shaken up and made aware of the issue so that they give enslaved women a chance to step out of their anonymity. As long as women caught in prostitution do not receive legal assistance as illegal immigrants, no action can be taken against the traffickers.
The campaign has already received widespread media coverage. Campaign manager Yvonne Zimmermann has also recorded "a sharp increase" in petition signatories on www.stopp-frauenhandel.ch.
In Bern, Doro Winkler, the second co-president of the campaign and representative of FIZ - Fachstelle gegen Frauenhandel, was able to demonstrate just how acute the problem is in Switzerland. Including the marriage market, dancers in cabarets and domestic helpers, the coordination office at the Federal Office of Police estimates that there are currently 3,000 victims of modern slave trade in Switzerland. The specialist unit has advised 167 women so far. "But there are more every year," says Doro Winkler. The criminal investigation department is currently conducting 20 investigations into suspected human trafficking in Switzerland. Small traffickers in particular have opened up a market here.
Estimates that these abuses will increase around Euro 08 have not been substantiated. At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, fans were more upset about red cards than red lanterns. For the initiators of the "Euro 08 against trafficking in women" campaign, such a lull in the brothels would not be an argument for diminishing their concerns. The big football event is simply "a unique opportunity to reach as many people as possible in the fight against slavery".
Andreas Panzeri