Spanish lawmakers have agreed to consider a prostitution bill proposed by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialists to punish clients, an issue that has divided the ruling left.
In a country where prostitution is not regulated by law, and therefore a large number of brothels are approved and tolerated, this text is a response to Sanchez's promise to end prostitution.
However, it is opposed by a section of the left, some feminist movements and associations for the protection of sex workers who are in favor of regulating prostitution and estimate that such a law would only help pimp networks.
This draft specifically aims to penalize customers, as has already been done by other European countries, such as France, Great Britain, Norway and Sweden. If accepted, customers could pay fines of thousands of euros and serve prison terms if the prostitute is a minor, reports reuters.
The text would also give prostitutes victim status and the right to help. According to official estimates, the number of prostitutes in Spain is 45-120. Most of them do not have a regulated status.
According to a 2008 public institute survey, the most recent on the subject, nearly a third (32.1 percent) of men in Spain used the services of prostitutes. /Telegraph/
