Regulation system
The Regulatory system or regulation system was an English language term for a specific type of control system for prostitution that was used in a number of European nations between the early 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, as well as in some countries outside of Europe. It has been referred to by several different names, such as regulationism, licensed prostitution and public prostitutiton.
The purpose of the system was to take control of prostitution and prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infection by the forced registration of prostitute women, who were allowed to sell sex in exhange for regular compulsory medical examinations for sexual diseases.
During the course of the 19th century, the system was introduced in a many parts of the Western world, such as France, the British Empire, the Russian Empire and the German Empire, but also in the Ottoman Empire.
The system originated the First French Empire of Emperor Napoleon I, who introduced it in France and the countries occupied by France in the early 19th century. It was viewed as a role model for how to address prostitution, and introduced in many other countries during the course of the 19th century - either on national level, or in a more limited form by local city laws.
From the second half of the 19th century, the system attracted opposition from the women's movement and other activists. The system was targeted by national abolitionists organizations that collaborated in an international campaign, which was often coordinated with the campaign against the white slave trade.
The system was finally abolished during the first half of the 20th century.
History
Background
The system originated the First French Empire during the reign of Emperor Napoleon I. The purpose was to control the spread of sexually transmitted infection by taking control of prostitution. The system was introduced in several of the countries occupied by France during the Napoleonic era. The system was kept after the fall of Napoleon in 1815.The system eventually came to be seen as a role model in many countries for how to address the problem of prostitution and sexually transmitted infection. During the course of the century, the system was introduced in many countries that had never been controlled by Napoleon.
In the 19th century, there was a common view on prostitution in the Western world as a "necessary evil". This view built upon the sexual double standards for men and women.
Women were considered to have a limited to no sexual needs, and it was not seen as socially acceptable for a woman to have a sexual life outside of marriage. Some contemporary medical and psychological theories even defined women with a high sex drive as insane.
By contrast, men were considered to have a high and strong sexual needs, and it was seen as unavoidable for men to seek sexual satisfaction, and useless to try to prevent them from doing so, regardless if they were married or not. Some contemporary medical and psychological theories even saw it as necessary for a man's health to have sex regularly.
The system
The contemporary sexual double standard resulted in prostituted women to be viewed as a "necessary evil" in order to protect other women from sexual harassment from men, since it was seen as impossible to prevent men from seeking sexual satisfaction.In parallell with prostitution being seen as necessary, it also caused great concern for public health, because of the spread of sexually transmitted infection. It was therefore seen as desirable for the authorities to control prostitution, which was otherwise assumed to take place in secrecy.
The "French system" was seen as a solution to this dilemma, and as a consequence, a system with registration and regular force examinations of prostitute women were introduced in a number of countries. There were some variation in the method, but the principles remained the same.
Prostitute women were officially registered as prostitutes and forced to undergo regular medical examinations for sexual diseases: as long as the woman complied with the examinations, she was allowed to work, but failure to pass the test, or a refusal to report for an examination, could result in arrest and confinement to a lock hospital.
If a registered woman could provide proof that she had acquired another way to support herself financially and was no longer a prostitute, she would be removed from the register.
However, when a woman was registered as a prostitute, this was visible in her identification documents. This made it hard for her to get another job, which resulted in many women being unable to find other work and therefore becoming trapped in prostitution.
Abolitionist movement
From the second half of the 19th century however, the system attracted organized opposition. The movement working for the abolition of the regulation system became known as abolitionists.The opposition came from both the women's movement as well as from other contemporary social movements, such as the social purity movement and its eqvivalents in several different countries.
Abolitionist organizations was formed in many countries, which also collaborated internationally.
The start of the organized opposition to the system originated in Britain. From 1869 the Ladies National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts campaign against the System under the leadership of Josephine Butler. Butler did not restrict herself to Britain but made foreign tours to attracted attention to the issue in other countries.
In 1875 the International Abolitionist Federation was founded to coordinate an international campaign against the regulation system. This was followed by national organizations in many countries: some of them defined as affiliations or branches of the IAF, or independent organizations with the same goal. The so-called abolitionist movement campaigned against the Regulation System as well as against the white slave trade and prostitution in general.
In 1877 the International Abolitionist Federation organized the First International Abolitionist Congress in Geneva in Switzerland, with delegates from several countries.
The abolitionists viewed the control system as hypocritical, as it tolerated a prostitution that was officially condemned by society; and as a symbol of sexual double standards and a form of harassment of female sex workers, who were subjected to invasive forcible examination on threat of arrest, and targeted as the sole carriers of sexual infection, while their male clients were left out.
The system was finally abolished in most countries during the first half of the 20th century.
By country
Algeria
After French colonization in 1830, the French authorities regulated prostitution to try to prevent the spread of STIs. The regulation system was based on the Ottoman regulations that were previously in place, and the Mezouar was retained, although he had to pay an annual fee of 2,046 francs. Compulsory medical examinations for prostitutes were introduced by decree in July 1830. The main articles of the decree read:Prostitution in Algeria became illegal under Article 343 of the Algerian Penal Code.
Australia
In the colonial period, prior to federation, Australia adopted the Contagious Diseases Acts of the United Kingdom between 1868 and 1879 in an attempt to control venereal disease in the military, requiring compulsory inspection of women suspected of prostitution, and could include incarceration in a lock hospital.Austria
Since criminalization this did little to reduce prostitution, Austrian laws changed to consider prostitution as a necessary evil that had to be tolerated but regulated by the state. In 1850, Dr. Nusser of the Vienna police suggested that prostitutes be required to register with the police, receive medical examinations twice a week, and obtain special health certificates. In 1873, Anton Ritter von Le Monnier, head of the Vienna police, reformed Vienna's prostitution law, and health certificates have been obligatory since that time. Prostitutes who complied with the requirements of registration and examinations were no longer prosecuted by the police. A newspaper article of 27 October 1874 reported that 6,424 prostitutes had received health certificates and were under observation by police and health authorities. According to police estimates, at least 12,000 more women lived on the proceeds of "free love" without being registered. Most of these were factory workers who received so little pay that they needed the additional income. Of the registered prostitutes, 5,312 were unmarried, 902 widows, and 210 married. The youngest was 15 and the oldest 47 years old.Belgium
The Regulation System was introduced in the area of what was to become Belgium during the French occupation. The "French System", as it was called, was kept when Belgium became an independent nation in 1830 and officially and legally recognized in 1844.The System was managed by the city authorities and the prostitution police, who had the power of attorney to control the brothels and the sex workers, and to sentence and imprison women who did not comply with the regulations without interference from the justice system.
In the mid 19th century, the number of registered brothels diminished in Brussels. This concerned the authorities who saw the system as the only way to control prostitution. A reform of 1877 allowed for the registration of women under 21 in the brothels. This resulted in trafficking of under aged girls to the brothels in Brussels, and culminated in the infamous scandal known as the White Slave trade Affair in 1880–1881.
The Regulation System was abolished in Belgium in 1948.
Britain
The Regulation System was introduced on a local level by the introduction of the Contagious Diseases Acts of 1864. The Contagious Diseases Act mandated that women suspected of being prostitutes were to be officially registered as prostitutes and subjected to regular compulsory controls for sexual diseases.Britain was the country of origin of the abolitionist movement against the Regulation System. From 1869 the Ladies National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts campaign against the System under the leadership of Josephine Butler.
The campaign was eventually to spread from Britain to other nations. The abolitionist movement was eventually to become successful.
The Regulation System was abolished in Britain when the Contagious Diseases Acts was repealed in 1886.