Hookers’ sex boxes declared a success

SO- CALLED “sex boxes” where hookers can romp with clients have been declared a success.

The Swiss city of Zurich installed the booths five years ago after residents gave the idea the thumbs- up in a local referendum.

Last week the city’s social services department said there had been no case of serious incidents of violence reported at the site in the west of the city.

The boxes are equipped with safety alarms and authorities had said they wanted to provide sex workers with a place where they could ply their trade safely.

Before the sex boxes were introduced, prostitutes gathered on the riverside Sihlquai area near Zurich’s main railway station, and violence was a daily reality.

The boxes are under 24- hour surveillance and feature facilities including a laundry, shower and café.

Hookers using the facility must get a permit and pay tax.

Prostitution is legal in Switzerland but sex workers are required to register with municipal authorities and get regular health checks.