Spanish Parliament votes in favour of legislation abolishing prostitution

The Spanish Parliament has voted in favour of legislation to abolish prostitution, cracking down further on pimping and introducing tougher penalties for men buying sex in a controversial initiative that has split the women’s rights movement.

Although prostitution has been illegal, brothels have operated as hotels or other lodging establishments across the country.

Under the proposed legislation tabled by Socialist Party’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, sex workers would be protected under laws where they would be treated as victims rather than criminals as they would be under any outright ban on prostitution.

The proposal was passed with a majority of 232 lawmakers, while 38 voted against it and 69 abstained.

It now faces a lengthy process during which lawmakers can suggest amendments that can be approved or rejected, reports Reuters.

After the bill undergoes discussions/debates to suggest any changes, lawmakers must vote again and only then will the law be sent to the Senate.

Prostitution boomed in Spain since it was decriminalised in 1995. Recent estimates available till 2019 put revenue from the domestic sex trade at $26.5bn a year, with hundreds of licensed brothels and an estimated workforce of 300,000.

Supporters of decriminalisation claim that it has brought benefits to those working in the trade, including making life safer for women. However, this largely unregulated market has also become infested with criminality, turning Spain into a global hub for human trafficking and sexual slavery.

The country has become known as the brothel of Europe, after a 2011 United Nations report cited Spain as the third biggest capital of prostitution in the world, behind Thailand and Puerto Rico.