Experts by experience
We consider it important to work with experience experts, as this fits in with our aim to promote emancipation and self-reliance of sex workers. They know better than anyone else what is involved in the work.
We use experts by experience for different work, such as physical and online outreach work, but also as receptionists. In Dutch, they are referred to as a vipper or ‘voorlichter in de prostitutie’ or ‘Educator in prostitution’.
Our vippers
At the ACS, we refer to our prostitution educators as ‘vippers’. It stands for ‘Voorlichters in Prostitutie’. Our vippers come from the same countries as many of Amsterdam’s sex workers—Eastern Europe and South America. They speak the same mother-language and know the cultural norms of these countries. This is invaluable in bridging the language gap, in understand where they come from and can help to quickly connect and gain trust with these sex workers.
Our vippers are mainly out and about in outreach work at the window zones or clubs, but they also contact sex workers working from home or as escorts.