A suspected sex worker puts on clothes at a hotel room during a police raid, as part of plans to crackdown on prostitution, in Dongguan, Guangdong province, February 9, 2014. Chinese authorities have carried out a rare crackdown on the sex trade in the &q
A suspected sex worker puts on clothes at a hotel room during a police raid, as part of plans to crackdown on prostitution, in Dongguan, Guangdong province, February 9, 2014. Chinese authorities have carried out a rare crackdown on the sex trade in the "sin city" of Dongguan following a candid report by the state broadcaster on the underground industry. Picture taken February 9, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer REUTERS/Stringer

A New Zealand sex worker has made history by winnng a case of harassment filed against the brothel's manager where she was working. The Human Rights Tribunal upheld the charges raised by the sex worker against the perpetrator and ordered a fair compensation for her. What makes the case interesting is that the woman was never assaulted or raped, ripped or dismissed, trafficked or forced to do things she did not like. The victim was Williams (name changed), who worked at a Wellington brothel, and her boss used to say certain things that made her feel uneasy.

Finally, Williams decided to take the bull by its horns and filed an official complaint with the Human Rights panel. After two years of proceedings, the panel gave a verdict that upheld her rights and ordered payment of $25,000 for the agony she endured. The Tribunal started hearing the case in March 2012.

Boost For Human Rights

In 2003, New Zealand decriminalised prostitution and made it legal and moral with the message that sex workers are entitled to the same legal protections as anyone else, and no one can treat them like dirt because they work in an industry which may be disreputable or disgusting to some people.

According to Stuff.Co.Nz report, the skinny vivacious woman in her 20s, has been very assertive about her rights and already left the sex trade after the incident. Williams is modern and wears jeans and T-shirt, the report said. The lady in her 20s moved to the capital Wellington a few years ago and joined the sex industry by making it a career option. For Williams, sex work is perfectly legal, and she does not care about the stigma attached to it, since "it didn't really bother me - it was just something I wanted to try out, so I did," she said. Her earnings were good and relations with co-workers were also nice at Kensington in Willis St, known as "The K", where she worked. But the problem cropped up from the domineering and aggressive manager Aaron Montgomery.

Evidence Of Harassment

In her evidence to the panel, Williams narrated her problems and harassment she faced. Montgomery used to ask her questions like... if she was shaved, whether she was willing to have anal sex with clients, whether her "pubes matched her hair," or she swallowed during oral sex. A fellow worker also testified that Montgomery used to say such inappropriate things to all the women. Williams objected to Montgomery's unsettling insistence on talking about such private stuff with her, without a valid reason.

The tribunal believed her testimony over Montgomery and came to the conclusion that the manager had subjected her to sexual harassment by the use of filthy language that was unwelcome and offensive to the victim. The Human Rights panel's ruling also validates a similar ruling by the European Court of Justice, which said prostitution is an "economic activity" and the rights of sex workers have to be protected, reported Yahoo News.