Documentary Photographer Ana Pollard @ Pollachik Photography is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this social documentary photography. From her project ‘Maison Close‘. To see Ana’s body of work click on any image.

Having got to know a lot of the girls working here I realise that many have had difficult relationships in the past, whether in their childhood or abusive partners – Ana — Having got to know a lot of the girls working here I realize that many have had difficult relationships in the past, whether in their childhood or abusive partners – Ana

I used to work in France but the conditions were not great. I had to meet clients at hotels or at their homes. I didn’t feel safe. In Switzerland I can work in relative security. I now travel back and forth for work – Melya

I came here from the Ukraine sixteen years ago and have been working at this salon for ten. I used to work at a restaurant but the money wasn’t good – Lena

Prostitution has been legal in Geneva since 1942. Sexual services may be sold between two consenting adults and is considered an independent economic activity. Coercion is illegal and cracked down on by the police. Sex workers register as self-employed and pay taxes on their earnings to the State.

I’ve been reading about the economic sexual exchange theory. There is a continuum of relationships in which a man gives compensation for a woman’s sexual services. At one end you have marriage and prostitution at the other – Agathe

There are mirrors everywhere. Some girls don’t like them but they distract me. When I look at myself with a client in a mirror I feel beautiful – Sarah

I have seen how sexual mores changed. The services that clients want now are very different. Before requests for sodomy were rare. Now it is asked for all the time. It might be the influence of the internet – Lisa

Prostitution is still considered contrary to good morals by the Supreme Court and bureaucracy can make life difficult for sex workers. The famous Swiss prostitute and novelist Grisélidis Réal fought throughout her life for the rights of sex workers and in 1982 founded the association Aspasie that continues with this endeavor today. Grisélidis is now buried at the Cimitière des Rois next to Calvin and Borges.

For thirty years I have fought for the recognition of the personality and human value of prostitutes around the world so that they are given the respect and rights refused by the morality and hypocrisy of those people who need them and spit on them – Grisélidis Réal

Prostitutes are either pitied or demonised. People can’t accept that a woman can make a decision to sell sexual services of her own free will. Although prostitution is legal in Switzerland there is still a lot of work to do here. In particular, stigma is a major problem - Marianne Schweizer, Aspasie — Prostitutes are either pitied or demonised. People can’t accept that a woman can make a decision to sell sexual services of her own free will. Although prostitution is legal in Switzerland there is still a lot of work to do here. In particular, stigma is a major problem – Marianne Schweizer, Aspasie

Around four thousand sex workers are active over the course of a year in the Swiss canton They are particularly noticeable in Geneva’s red light district, the Pâquis, working the street, salons, bars and cabarets. The numbers have risen over the past years due to the deterioration of the economic situation, the higher prices in Switzerland and the clamp down on prostitution in countries such as France.

I started working here in order to have freedom from financial worries and to pursue art studies. In the end I don’t feel free. I have become a slave to the money – Mathilde

The worst thing about this work is the secrecy and leading a double life. I don’t mind the work but I have to lie about it to friends and family. They wouldn’t understand – Chérie

Prostitution is either embellished or denigrated by the press. I decided to start this work because I read an article that made it seem glamourous. It isn’t in fact. But it isn’t terrible either. The truth lies somewhere in between – Ana

I’ve been working in the Pâquis for three years. I am clean now and only take a few clients a week. Things are going well. I prefer to work in the street than in a salon. I get a better sense of what is going on and who the clients are – Amanda

These photographs and the accompanying quotes were captured from spending time with sex workers in Geneva over the period of two months in 2015. Real names are not used.