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Updated October 18th, 2021 at 11:39 IST

As Spain inches closer to abolishing prostitution, here is how it operates in Europe

Prostitution has a long history in Europe. It was back in 1942 that the Swiss government announced the act to be completely legal and protected by law.

Reported by: Riya Baibhawi
Spain
Main Image: AP  | Image:self
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Prostitution has a long history in Europe. It was back in 1942 that the Swiss government announced the act to be completely legal and protected by the constitution. Other countries including Germany and Greece-soon followed suit. The Netherlands, a popular sex tourism destination today- decriminalized prostitution in 2000. 

Image: AP 

According to a recent estimate, there are about 12 lakh prostitutes working across the 27 European Union nation-states. Germany alone accounts for 10 lakh sex workers, reveals a Business Insider report. With Pascha- the largest brothel across the continent- prostitution in Germany is roughly a business worth more than US$ 16 billion.  

Meanwhile, in Spain, brothels are given a more euphoric name- clubs de alternate (alternate clubs). According to The Gaurdian, the act is so ubiquitous in the popular tourist destination, that the Spanish administration, in 2014, tried to calculate its contribution to the GDP. However, as Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist party gained power, it vowed to “abolish” the act in a move that critics say is an attempt to woo female voters, BBC reported. 

Image: AP 

Sweden has a more interesting take-while it is illegal to buy sex or operate a brothel in the country, it is completely legal to use one's own body for such services. The Netherlands, meanwhile, has elaborate Red Light districts that attract millions of visitors every year. A report by Amsterdam.org asserts that in the Dutch capital, where sex trade is legal as well as regulated- witnesses over 200,000 annual visitors to its red-light districts. De Wallen, is the largest and most famous red-light district in the city and a famous destination for international sex tourism.

Similar to other businesses, prostitution also fluctuates with the economy. In Greece, for instance, the financial state has been so bad that it has pushed more women into the sex trade, with Athens seeing a  seven per cent increase in sex workers since 2012, even though the price of sex has plunged considerably, reported Business Insider. 

A more permissible attitude 

As compared to the rest of the world, Europe has a more permissible attitude towards prostitution. In countries including Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Greece, Turkey, Hungary, and Latvia, the multi-million business is not only legal but also regulated with brothels paying taxes and following certain laws. In other nations, like Spain and France, the business is legal yet unregulated by the administration. While the COVID pandemic and related restrictions pushed many small-scale brothels and independent sex workers on the brink of choosing an alternate means of livelihood, things are returning to normal as more domestic and international tourists flock in. 

Main Image: AP 

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Published October 18th, 2021 at 11:39 IST

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