Sexual assistants meet carnal needs, but they are also trained to help the handicapped discover and manage their sexuality.
Tomas Pik has lost nothing of his lust for life despite the crippling
disease that confined him to a wheelchair five years ago as the nerves
in his limbs withered.
The 26-year-old Czech has relied on
prostitutes to meet sexual needs, but says many refuse after they learn
he has the rare neurological disease Friedreich's ataxia, the symptoms
of which he first experienced a decade ago.
"Being handicapped,
you don't have much self-confidence, and when a prostitute turns you
down, it's quite the blow," he told AFP in the Czech capital Prague.
Now there is a new paid service on offer for the country's disabled, one without the risk of rejection.
Sexual assistants meet carnal needs, but they are also trained to help the handicapped discover and manage their sexuality.
The
EU member of 10.5 million people is the first ex-communist country
where the service is on offer, following nations such as the
Netherlands, an early pioneer in the practice, Denmark, France, Germany
and Switzerland.
It took about two years to get the service up
and running using know-how provided by Swiss partners, according to
Lucie Sidova, head of the Rozkos bez rizika (Risk-free Pleasure)
organisation helping women in the sex industry.
Sidova told AFP that like prostitution, the service is not a crime under Czech law.
Pik,
a bespectacled second-hand charity shop worker, runs a Facebook page
promoting sexual assistance and never misses an opportunity to spread
the word.
Sipping coffee from a cup he has trouble holding, Pik
explains that specially trained sex assistants are not out to retain
clients, but to ultimately help them find a lover of their own.
Hugs, kisses, nudity"The
task of a sexual assistant is to teach the disabled how to engage with
their sexuality and sex toys and the right way to masturbate because no
one else will talk to them about that kind of thing," he said.
"The
sexuality of disabled people is a big taboo here," added Pik, who has
had one tantric massage from an assistant since the service got the
go-ahead from authorities late last year.
Lucie
Sidova, chief of the Risk-free Pleasure organisation, helping women
working in the sex business, speaking in Prague. The Czech Republic is
the first ex-communist country to allow sexual assistance to the
handicapped. (AFP/Risk-free Pleasure Organiation)
The range of services varies -- sexual assistants can go as far as
intercourse with their clients, but some draw the line at massages and
instruction.
"I don't offer penetration or even oral sex but
only touches, tantric massages, hugs, kisses, nudity," says Iva, an
assistant from a town northeast of Prague who calls herself a sex
teacher.
"Some people with mental disabilities or complex handicaps can't even say what they want so I have to use pictures to find out."
Iva
is one of five sexual assistants working with Risk-free Pleasure. They
charge up to 1,200 koruna (45 euros, $50) per session.
"Many disabled people don't have a partner. They are, say, 35 years old, so I open the door to sexuality for them," says Iva.
She insists on only meeting a client a handful of times at most to prevent him from developing too close of a bond with her.
Risky business"Disabled people are often full of pent-up sexual energy," she said, adding that some may be impulsive and aggressive at times.
"When
they release that sexual energy, and it's the strongest energy you'll
find in the body, their mood improves and they are easier to handle,"
Iva told AFP.
Although sexual assistance itself is not illegal,
the Risk-free Pleasure NGO still walks a fine line as they can advertise
the service but cannot themselves put assistants in touch with clients.
That could carry charges of procurement, or pimping, which is a broadly
defined crime under Czech law.
The service is still in its
initial phase -- Iva said she only had two clients in January -- but
Lucie Sidova is hoping to boost the current roster with additional
assistants, including men, in the future.
She said they have already received one thank you letter from a man who used a sexual assistant.
"After
many years of looking for a partner in vain, his self-confidence grew
so much that he told us he wasn't coming to the next session, that he
has a girlfriend now."
