Should prostitution be made illegal?
Pedro Sánchez: Spanish PM *vows to outlaw prostitution
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged on Sunday to criminalise prostitution in the country.
Speaking to supporters at the end of his Socialist Party's three-day congress in Valencia, Mr Sánchez said that the practice "enslaves" women.
Prostitution was decriminalised in Spain in 1995 and in 2016 the UN estimated the country's sex industry was worth €3.7bn (£3.1bn, $4.2bn).
A 2009 survey found that up to one in three Spanish men had paid for sex.
However, another report published in 2009 suggested that the figure may be as high as 39% and a 2011 UN study cited Spain as the third biggest centre for prostitution in the world, behind Thailand and Puerto Rico.
Prostitution is currently unregulated in Spain, and there is no punishment for those who offer paid sexual services of their own will, as long as it does not take place in public spaces. However, pimping or acting as a proxy between a sex worker and a potential client is illegal.
The industry has boomed since its decriminalisation and it is commonly estimated that around 300,000 women work as prostitutes in Spain.
The Spanish police freed 896 women being exploited as sex workers in 2019 and estimate that over 80% of those working as prostitutes are victims of mafias.
"Prostitution is not an expression of women's sexual freedom," said APRAMP, an association which campaigns to prevent and eradicate sexual exploitation. "It is almost always linked to violence, marginalisation, economic difficulties and a sexist, patriarchal culture."
This Socialist Party (PSOE) proposal comes at a time when issues such as gender violence and sexual consent have been taking centre stage in Spanish public debate.
However, CATS, a charity which provides support to sex workers in southeastern Spain, warned that policies aimed at abolition are unlikely to work, instead sending the sex industry further underground.
"If you throw people engaged in prostitution out of the establishments and flats where they work, then they're going to end up on the street," said Nacho Pardo of CATS. "And that is sad, it's dangerous and it makes them vulnerable to mafias."
'Mafia paradise'
César Jara, a Spanish journalist who has researched the sex industry, told Efe news agency that "95% of prostitution in Spain is not free, it's forced in one way or another, whether because of socio-economic conditions, threats or other pressures".
Sex trafficking generates €7-8m daily in Spain, he says, describing the country as Europe's second-biggest prostitution market in Europe after Germany, and as "a paradise for international mafias".
"The worst thing is that some young people see it as normal to pay so that a woman gives them pleasure however they want."
In 2019, Mr Sánchez's PSOE published a pledge in its election manifesto to outlaw prostitution, in what was seen as a move to attract more female voters.
The manifesto called prostitution "one of the cruellest aspects of the feminisation of poverty and one of the worst forms of violence against women".
However two years on from the election, no legislation has yet been tabled. Spanish media report that the PSOE would need to agree on a draft with their left-wing Podemos coalition partners before presenting a bill to parliament, so there is still a long way to go.
PSOE equality secretary Carmen Calvo, quoted by Efe, said "we've passed other laws which were much more difficult, so we'll get this one done", though she warned of "ridiculous traps" frequently placed in the path of feminists.
Supporters of Spain's current system say that it has brought huge benefits to the women working in the trade and made life safer for them.
However in recent years significant concerns have grown around the potential for women to be trafficked into sex work.
Spotlight on Vocabulary:
"Spanish PM vows to outlaw prostitution"
(v) - to make a determined decision or promise to do something (jurar hacer algo)
- He vowed to quit drinking after being warned by his doctor.
- The activists vowed that they would continue with their protests.
(n) - a serious promise or decision (juramento, voto)
- She made a vow never to take people for granted again.
- Charles and Diana exhanged vows in front of millions of TV viewers. (intercambiar votos)
Source: You Tube (CBS News) Key Words: exchange vows Charles Diana
Thanks to Augusto for creating the Quizlet!
Comments
I didn´t know that Spain is the third biggest centre for prostitution in the world, as UN, and the second-biggest prostitution market in Europe after Germany. That´s not good.
The worst thing is that prostitution in Spain is not free. It´s the paradise of international mafias. Many people come to Spain cheated by mafias to get a job. It seems that there are pimps or proxies who take advantage of sex workers. Spanish police should chase these criminals and protect all victims.
This article of BBC news said, that Mr. Sánchez pledged to outlaw prostitution in 2019, but he follows saying it in 2021. Prostitution is legal in some countries, but I don´t know if this is the best solution, it seems that could be good for sex workers, at least, they wouldn´t exploit by mafias.
Prostitution began when the human being took his first step over the Earth. Since then, a lot of people, governments, countries, institutions and so on have tried to abolish prostitution but nobody has got it up to now. The first person in the world that is going to get it, without a doubt, will be Spain´s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Great.
See you.
I think the main problem is the trafficking and enslavement of women. I think there is a case for legalising prostitution but I don't know if that alone would stop the mafias. Many, if not most women in the UK turn to prostitution to feed their drug habit. There is no easy answer to all the problems surrounding prostitution.
I didn´t know that Spain is the third biggest centre for prostitution in the world according to the UN, and the second-biggest prostitution market in Europe after Germany. That´s not good.
The worst thing is that prostitution in Spain is not free - in the sense that women are not free to choose. ...
This article of BBC news said, that Mr. Sánchez pledged to outlaw prostitution in 2019, and he goes on saying it in 2021. Prostitution is legal in some countries, but I don´t know if this is the best solution, it seems that it could be good for sex workers, at least, they wouldn't be exploited by mafias.
Prostitution began when the human being took his first step on Earth. Since then, a lot of people, governments, countries, institutions and so on have tried to abolish prostitution but up to now / so far nobody has succeeded. The first person in the world that is going to be able to do it, without a doubt, will be Spain´s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Great.
In my opinion it’s mean we have a problem in our sociaty and our country. I have already heard that punished prostitution is not the solution but legalized it neither.
instead of punished the person who doing it, the y should punished the client. The prostitution indeed is treat a person as a product, how a person could pay for another. What kind a sociaty allow persons pay for another. Of course there are people without resources how don’t find other way for living, the need help not just to be punished. It’s very sad for me thinking there are yet people thinking there are men who paying for sex with a woman and don’t care is a person as him.
I hope you took note of some of the words and expressions found in the text.
I don't see why the clients should be singled out for punishment. In the case of drugs, it is the dealer not the user who is the criminal.
I don't have a problem with someone who provides sex as a service. If someone chooses to be a prostitute, why shouldn't they earn a living and pay taxes just like any other worker.
Prostitution, like drugs, is not going to disappear just because it is outlawed. So I think other ways of dealing with these issues should be explored.
I was surprised that Spain is now the third biggest center of prostitution.
In my opinion, it means we have a problem in our sociaty and our country. I have already heard that punishing prostitution is not the solution but neither is legalising it.
instead of punishing the person who does it, they should punish the client. Indeeed, prostitution is treating a person as a product; how can a person pay for another? What kind of society allows people to pay for others? Of course there are people without resourceswho don’t find another way to make a living; the need help and not simply be punished. For me, it’s very sad to think that there are still people who believe there are men who pay for sex with a woman and don’t care is a person as him (I can't figure out what you mean with the last part of the sentence).