Carly, 32, is an Italian cross-border commuter. In order to work freely five days a week she drives 6. Carly is a sex worker. Italians are lewd because prostitution in our country is still a taboo". And in Ticino there are no pimps: "What I earn, once I've paid taxes, goes straight into my pockets. We need the money, we've got a three-year-old daughter. We'd like to buy a house in Switzerland and settle here one day. Carly works six hours a day β from noon to 6pm β and shares an apartment with another Italian commuter colleague.
At the end of her shift, she drives back to her family in Como. When she's away for holidays she rents her room to other co-workers from Milan. First, differently from Italy, prostitution is regulated. All you need to do is register at the police office, tell them you'll be prostituting yourself and get an official work permit as a self-employed worker.
The great thing about Ticino, explains Carly, is this special police section, called Teseu, which is in charge of controlling the sex industry by cracking down on abuses and violences. They know where I live. Carly has a registered VAT and regularly declares her income: "I prefer to pay taxes, even if they're high, in exchange for perfect services and social security.
I'll have a pension one day when I decide to retire. Plus, all expenses related to my job are deductible: mobile calls, travel, health checks, beauty parlours and even plastic surgery. Getting the business running in Ticino is also pretty easy. Advertisement can be quite expensive but it's certainly worth it: your mobile number is there for clients to reach you. Carly settled with the latter option and currently pays 70 francs per day.
Ticino has always been considered a haven of the Swiss sex industry. Dozens of Italian sex workers, both women and men β regularly commute to Ticino especially on Saturday nights.
