Reem Alsalem, the UN’s special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, was set to present her annual report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today.

In it, she is particularly critical of Switzerland’s stance on prostitution, which is not only legal in the country, but also treated like any other service industry.

Alsalem said this approach has led to a “significant increase in foreign women” engaged in prostitution in the country, calling Switzerland a “pimp state” which benefits from taxes levied on sex workers and brothels.

In response, PROCORE, the national network for the rights of sex workers, countered that prostitution, as it is practiced in Switzerland, cannot be equated with violence and coercion.

READ ALSO: Five things that reveal Switzerland’s unique attitude to prostitution

Prostitution has been legal in Switzerland since 1942, though, like everything else in this country, it is heavily regulated.

However, the rules are intended to protect sex workers and allow them to work freely — that is, to rule out any attempts by third parties at foul play (read more about this below).

Today, there are more than 20,000 prostitutes of all genders registered in Switzerland.

Interestingly, the trend in this ‘profession’ mirrors the one observed in the country’s labour market in general: because of the high earning potential, Switzerland is a mecca for foreign sex workers, mostly from South America, Eastern Europe, and EU nations.

All of them are considered to be self-employed contractors and can choose venues where to ply their trade, such as brothels, clubs, or streets.