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The stolen lives behind Amsterdam’s multibillion ‘red-light district’.

27 August 2012 11,388 views 7 Comments
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A woman recently went missing while taking her dog out for an evening walk during a holiday in Holland. It is rumoured she may have been abducted by human traffickers whilst exercising her Chihuahua at sunset.

Red Light District. The Bridge MAG image

It later transpired that this apparently outlandish incident had more to do with the woman’s own unwitting failure to respect the social mores of a foreign culture: her family was advised that the summery manner of dress, including a pair of skimpy shorts revealing her toned and beautiful legs, might have led to her being perceived as advertising her ‘assets’, especially since she was in a street within the Amsterdam’s “red- light district” at the time.

 

The message from this seems simple: to avoid this type of inadvertent misadventure, it is always best to be well informed about local customs and social etiquettes. One can always come across such districts abroad, and even in countries where prostitution is forbidden, there still tend to be certain urban locales where sex-orientated businesses are thriving.

 

Live Porno Show in Amsterdam Red Light District. The Bridge MAG image

The Cambridge Dictionary Online defines a ‘red-light district’ as ‘a part of a city where people and businesses sell sex’.

Most typically found in larger cities, red-light districts hold a seedy allure in the popular imagination. The phrase itself originates from all sources, the Bible, in which Rahba, a prostitute in Jericho, helped Joshua’s spies by guiding them to an Inn using a red-light, which enabled the Israelites to capture the city.

 

 

The depiction of the ‘prostitute’ has been tackled in various forms in literature throughout the last couple of centuries:

From Charles Dickens’ Nancy in Oliver Twist; through Thomas Hardy’s “fallen woman” (referring to  a  woman  whose sexual experience, particularly if outside wedlock, has made her a social outcast)…

De Wallen Amsterdam-Netherlands…

 

 

Follow the links below to read more:

 

 

 

 

1)

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/soft-hard-news-global-news-that-never-fades-the-bridge-magazine-book-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-r2dywj.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

 

 

   2)

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/global-news-that-never-fades-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-ennmdm.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

 

 

 

Rachel Tcheungna, Author, Writer of 

The Bridge Books and 

The Bridge Magazine Editor.

 

 

 

7 Comments »

  • Sophia said:

    This was an interesting article, what caught me was the Medical doctor who description: “A prostitute is a woman who gives for money that which she ought to give only for love”. Does this also refer to other modern exchanges you hear about, “gold-digging” “marrying-up” . I am due to write an article on the topic, “do smart woman, marry money”.

    This article also resonates with me since I use to live in Amsterdam, close to the red-light district and it was the norm to see these “beautiful” women in the shop window. To learn the other side of what goes on, how some may end up being there by force, even the tourist – was quite shocking. But should I be shocked. As prostitution has been going on since the beginning of time. Should people judge the oldest profession? Is it a “needs must” for some, like that man says : an exchange which should be for love. Do people do this and not realise when they are making certain sacrifices in exchanges?

    • Rachel Tcheungna said:

      Dear Sophia,
      Many thanks for your comment. It is hard to say. However, accepting gifts or money from a lover a boy friend a fiancé or a husband should not be perceived as prostitution. The same goes for what you refer as “modern exchanges … “gold-digging” “marrying-up”.
      – smart woman, marring money”.
      The concern is when a woman start accepting gift or money from total strangers:people she does not know from Adam’s either after a one night stand or after sleeping with a myriad of men per day to make a living.
      “Giving for money what one is ought to give for love” is less likely to refer to a “smart woman marring for money”. She still belongs to one person: her husband.
      Whereas, a prostitute, the Amsterdam one, has been forced somehow to sell her soul to the devil: ready to sleep with a zombie for cash. The very sad news is that many of them have never chosen that status. I am 100 percent sure that very few women on this planet will deliberately sleep with 24 men per day, what ever the reason.
      I hope this help.
      With best regards

      Rachel

  • Mandy said:

    I want to to thank you for this wonderful read!
    ! I definitely loved every bit of it. I’ve got you book marked to look at new stuff you post…

    • Rachel Tcheungna said:

      Dear Mandy
      How kind! I am blown away by your lovely comment.I will make sure there is a part 2, 3, …
      With best regards
      Rachel

  • Rachel Tcheungna said:

    Dear Mikka,

    How kind! I am dazzled by your kind words and comments thanks for this. Of course, feel free to import some chunk of my piece to your website. It shouldn’t be a problem to quote me, as long as you will mention your source.
    With best regards
    Rachel

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    • Rachel Tcheungna said:

      Dear Tomoko,

      Many thanks for your comment.
      Wishing you the best for the festive season.
      Best wishes

      Rachel

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