Subject: Dutch to bar non-European prostitutes
From: Kinsey Dinan (dinank@hrw.org)
Date: Mon Dec 27 1999 - 20:00:13 EST
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International: Dutch to bar non-European prostitutes
JUSTIN L'ANSON SPARKS in Amsterdam
12/26/1999
The Sunday Telegraph (United Kingdom)
Copyright (C) 1999 The Sunday Telegraph; Source: World Reporter
(TM)
ONE of the world's most infamous red-light districts looks set to
shrink as
the Dutch government moves to regulate the country's sex industry.
The number of prostitutes operating in Amsterdam could fall from 25,000
to 10,000, say industry watchers, under new legislation taking effect
next
summer. Many brothels will be forced out of business as the price of
vice
rises sharply.
The law, which will outlaw sex workers from non-European Union
countries, is part of plans to legalise prostitution and regulate
brothels.
"Foreign girls working in the Netherlands have been tolerated up to
now,"
said Karin Vissenburg, of the De Graaf Institute for Issues of
Prostitution
. "But with the new law they will be forced to move either to other EU
countries or to operate illegally."
She added: "Girls from the poorest countries in the EU, such as Spain
and
Portugal, will most likely move in to fill the vacuum."
Women from African and Asian countries are prepared to work for as
little as pounds 10 per customer because of favourable exchange rates
when sending money home. But EU prostitutes are expected to demand
far higher prices.
Andr van Dorst, of the Dutch Association of Brothel Owners, said the
sex
trade would inevitably shrink as prices rose. "I don't believe that
inflation
will be rampant in the long term," he said, "but it will rise sharply
in the
beginning, going up by at least 25 per cent."
There are concerns that higher prices in Amsterdam will lose the city
trade
to neighbouring countries where foreign prostitutes are still
tolerated.
Some people expect more than a third of the country's 3,000 registered
brothels to close.
Mr van Dorst pointed out that the new government regulations also posed
a big problem for smaller brothels. "New fire escapes, more lavatories,
sinks, showers and new tax contributions for employees - these are what
will drive many to bankruptcy," he said.
However, the forecast price rise has been welcomed by the prostitutes'
own union, which complains that Amsterdam has the cheapest prices in
much of Europe.
"There's too much competition," complained Anouk, a Dutch prostitute
who works in one of Amsterdam's red-light window booths. "Hopefully,
fewer of us will lead to greater price stability and a yearly increase
like in
any other job, such as hairdressing or banking."
Tineke Bekker, of the Foundation against Women Trafficking, is less
optimistic. She fears that foreign women will be forced to work
illegally in
worse conditions with little access to health care and support groups.
-- Kinsey Alden Dinan Women's Rights Division/Asia Division Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10118-3299 Tel: (212) 216-1858 Fax: (212) 736-1300 E-mail: dinank@hrw.org--Boundary_(ID_Il3R3zMUsFSQyRVjY/x3tQ) Content-type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit
<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> International: Dutch to bar non-European prostitutes
JUSTIN L'ANSON SPARKS in Amsterdam12/26/1999
The Sunday Telegraph (United Kingdom)
Copyright (C) 1999 The Sunday Telegraph; Source: World Reporter
(TM)ONE of the world's most infamous red-light districts looks set to
shrink as
the Dutch government moves to regulate the country's sex industry.The number of prostitutes operating in Amsterdam could fall from 25,000
to 10,000, say industry watchers, under new legislation taking effect
next
summer. Many brothels will be forced out of business as the price of
vice
rises sharply.The law, which will outlaw sex workers from non-European Union
countries, is part of plans to legalise prostitution and regulate
brothels."Foreign girls working in the Netherlands have been tolerated up to
now,"
said Karin Vissenburg, of the De Graaf Institute for Issues of
Prostitution
. "But with the new law they will be forced to move either to other EU
countries or to operate illegally."She added: "Girls from the poorest countries in the EU, such as Spain
and
Portugal, will most likely move in to fill the vacuum."Women from African and Asian countries are prepared to work for as
little as pounds 10 per customer because of favourable exchange rates
when sending money home. But EU prostitutes are expected to demand
far higher prices.Andr van Dorst, of the Dutch Association of Brothel Owners, said the
sex
trade would inevitably shrink as prices rose. "I don't believe that
inflation
will be rampant in the long term," he said, "but it will rise sharply
in the
beginning, going up by at least 25 per cent."There are concerns that higher prices in Amsterdam will lose the city
trade
to neighbouring countries where foreign prostitutes are still
tolerated.
Some people expect more than a third of the country's 3,000 registered
brothels to close.Mr van Dorst pointed out that the new government regulations also posed
a big problem for smaller brothels. "New fire escapes, more lavatories,
sinks, showers and new tax contributions for employees - these are what
will drive many to bankruptcy," he said.
However, the forecast price rise has been welcomed by the prostitutes'
own union, which complains that Amsterdam has the cheapest prices in
much of Europe."There's too much competition," complained Anouk, a Dutch prostitute
who works in one of Amsterdam's red-light window booths. "Hopefully,
fewer of us will lead to greater price stability and a yearly increase
like in
any other job, such as hairdressing or banking."Tineke Bekker, of the Foundation against Women Trafficking, is less
optimistic. She fears that foreign women will be forced to work
illegally in
worse conditions with little access to health care and support groups.
--
Kinsey Alden Dinan
Women's Rights Division/Asia Division
Human Rights Watch
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10118-3299
Tel: (212) 216-1858
Fax: (212) 736-1300
E-mail: dinank@hrw.org
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