Lots of people don't know what we do. They think we're pimps or something.
They have no idea that we just rent out the windows.
The red light district is located in the oldest part of Amsterdam.
An area with a dodgy reputation, full of prejudices and dark sides.
In Behind the Red Light District we visit people who make an honest living here
and see the neighbourhood from their perspective.
Behind the Red Light District
The Window Landlord
Typical for the Red Light District are the rooms, belonging to rental firms.
These companies are often associated with pimps or other seedy types.
One of these rental firms is Agapi, run by 23-year-old Devenando.
He rents out about 20 rooms.
Tonight we'll take a look at how he runs his business...
and what it does and doesn't involve.
Welcome to our office. -Your office. What happens here?
My father has a window rental company. We rent windows to prostitutes.
They come here to pay and we give them the key.
We have 21 rooms. We're open from 10 a.m. to 5 the next morning.
Are you an employer? -We're like a hotel. We rent out rooms.
Is that the same as being a pimp? -No. A pimp forces a woman to work...
so that he can live off the money. We don't force anyone.
They're free to come and go as they please.
Devenando does the rounds every night to make sure everything's okay.
We often stand here at night. We've got three windows over there.
The other windows are all here.
So you can see them all from here, and make sure no weirdos go inside.
People who shouldn't go in.
You're one of the rental firms here. How many are there in the area?
At number 52 there's another one They have about 54 rooms.
Then there's Roos, who have 34 I think. And the rest are all small.
Right. And is there a lot of competition?
No, like I said the girls are free to decide where they want to go.
They decide where they want to work. You don't need to advertise or anything.
They come to us. They like it here. -They like us because we're sociable.
More sociable than other companies? -Absolutely.
Is it common in window rental? -Not at all.
It was different in the old days. It was a lot simpler.
How was it simpler?
They just paid and started working without any papers.
That led to lots of illegal prostitution because everyone turned a blind eye.
The municipality made some changes so you have to check lots of things now.
It's a bit too much. But it keeps out most pimps and people like that.
Have they all gone? -Not completely. There are always some.
But now they're mostly pimps who manipulate the girls mentally.
A girl falls in love with a guy and he lives off her.
So how do you check the women? -We check their documentation.
They have to be registered at the Chamber of Commerce.
A valid passport. We also interview them.
When a girl is new, we have to interview them.
Where are you from? What did you do previously?
As the rental company we have to find out if the woman is being coerced.
We try to be as sociable as possible so the girls feel at home here.
We had a barbeque recently and we went for a boat trip together.
We just try to be one big family. If you have problems, we will help.
Do they confirm this? You try to build a trusting relationship...
but do they in fact confide in you?
A month ago a girl was being beaten up by her boyfriend. She came to us first.
So we called the police. It ended well. She went to a women's shelter for a day.
The boyfriend took off anyway. So it was solved.
He got frightened and he never came back.
How do you know you have a relationship with the girls?
When they come back from holiday, they bring back souvenirs, things like that.
A long time ago we went to Sensation White. As a gift, you know?
They took you? -Yes.
I see apple pie in the fridge. -One of the girls made it for us.
Really? -Yes. They bake for us.
Sometimes they bring homemade food.
Most of the girls are from Romania. We also have Bulgarians, Hungarians.
They don't have anything here. They only come here to work.
Sleep, work, sleep, work, shop, sleep, work. They don't meet many new people.
They see us most of all. So we need to be ready to help them.
Was that one of the girls? -Yes, she's ill.
What happens to a room if it's empty? -She will have to pay.
She called very late to cancel so we can't rent it out for a whole day.
Agapi charges 150 euros rent during the day and 200 euros at night.
All the money earned in the room is for the person working there.
Usually she stands at the window here. -She sits right here?
So this room belongs to that window? -Yes. That's it really.
This is the emergency button. If there's a problem she presses it.
We see an alarm and get here as quickly as possible.
What kind of problem? -The customer won't leave...
or thinks he's been treated unfairly. It's usually something stupid.
Like he's drunk and can't get it up. So we ask them to leave.
If they refuse, we call the cops. Then they leave.
What's the strangest thing you've seen after an alarm?
A customer wouldn't go. So I went. The girl had got him outside...
but he stayed in front of the window. So I explained, the only thing to do...
if you've been unfairly treated is go the police.
He wouldn't do that. He wanted me to call the police. So I got my phone...
and he threw it in the canal. He got really aggressive.
But I went straight back inside. I'm not allowed to do anything.
If I hit someone the company is liable. We never heard another word about it.
I had to get a new phone, though.
Devenando's father, Masten, is the owner of Agapi.
He's worked in the Red Light District for years. The firm is fun due to him.
How's it going? -Yeah, fine.
Everything under control? -Yep.
Why is it important that your company is so personal with the girls?
Firstly, it's a tough job. One of the toughest there is.
So you have to do whatever you can to facilitate their work.
You have to support them too. It wasn't like that in the past.
It used to only be about profit. No one thought there was another way.
I think this is the future. The old way isn't sustainable in the long run.
Where does that mentality come from? -My Buddhist persuasion, maybe?
It's all about Buddha. -They do call me Buddha.
That's why. I think that's part of it. If you take Buddhism seriously...
I think that's how you should do things in this world.
It's not how the world is, I admit. But you can try.
How was the cake? It's nice that they do these things, right?
Absolutely. -I think it's nice.
It's mutual, right? -Of course.
What's the most annoying trend in the Red Light District?
It has become a tourist attraction. People only come here to look.
How do you guys see the future?
Hard to say. Every four years a new council is elected.
Its opinion about the Red Light District can change drastically.
Four years ago they wanted to close it down and then another group...
wanted to keep it for all the tourists it attracts, like the coffee shops.
You never know what the future will be like. I hope it stays this way.
Red.
Subtitling: EinionMedia.com