It was a bitterly cold night in early December, the kind when you wish you were at home with a cup of hot chocolate cradled in your hands. There is little movement, as they stand posed against a thick trunk or a lamp post, the glowing end of a cigarette sending a ribbon of gray smoke up past the cone of light and into the darkness beyond. The contrast is bizarre; most people would not associate an amusement park with prostitution, but here it is, unsheltered but also un-policed, just another recreation on offer in this, one of the largest inner city parks in Europe.
Street prostitutes who are active in this kind of β labeled by the Austrian legislature β "immoral" business, must abide to certain rules. These rules involve specific working hours and working places. During cold winter days, the work of street prostitutes is confined to eight hours a day, starting at 8pm in the evening and ending at 4am in the morning.
During warm and light summer nights, working hours start at around one hour later, when daylight has disappeared. There was a fair amount of men gathered around the area β it was hard to tell whether they were pimps or clients. We decided to tackle the situation by car. It seemed to be the safer choice. We asked her if she would be willing to answer some questions. She was from the Czech Republic, she told us. She looked no older than We thanked her and headed for another, equally young, standing on the other side of the street; but again had to move on once she was addressed by a stranger seeking her sexual services.
Currently, there are 2, prostitutes registered at the Polizeikommissariat Innere Stadt," we learned from Frau Hohenwarter, a spokeswoman for the commission, of which not even are Austrian. However they may not put in a legal claim for their wages should a client decide to not to pay.
It was hard to tell whether she was dancing Salsa, practicing some very idiosyncratic motional exercises β accompanied by incomprehensible chanting that was barely understandable β or simply trying to keep her body temperature up to cope with the damp cold. The young woman, still half dancing and chanting, eventually calmed down and stopped, looking at us inquiringly. She did not quite understand what we wanted at first, although her German was surprisingly good for a Romanian who had only been living in Vienna for three years.
