Prostitution age raised in Amsterdam

2/27/2013 4:30:10 PM

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- The Amsterdam, Netherlands, City Council voted Wednesday to increase the minimum age for prostitution and to introduce closing hours for brothels.

The city's executive approved the new rules, which will be legally binding once they are incorporated into local by-laws, DutchNews.nl reported.

Council research showed younger women are more likely to be forced into prostitution and exploited, so they decided to raise the minimum age of prostitutes from 18 to 21.

The council also determined brothels should be closed from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. to combat a lack of social control on the streets in the early morning hours, DutchNews.nl reported.

The Dutch government has been considering rules requiring prostitutes to register as sex workers and for all clients to check whether a prostitute is registered when procuring services.

Approximately 5,000 to 8,000 prostitutes work in Amsterdam, many of whom come from abroad.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2…

8 comments

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jack0505

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12 years ago

What a dumb move. This will only increase the youth unemployment in Europe, and the last thing they need is higher unemployment there.

jester214

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12 years ago

While I don't care for much of what the government in the Netherlands has been doing over the last few years, I think this is a good thing. Forced prostitution has been creeping more and more into the red light district and even some of the brothels.

gatorfan

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12 years ago

But can they drink?

Cheo_D

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12 years ago

I believe nowhere in the EU is the drinking age over 18, gatorfan.

But yes, if you're gonna have some activity be legal and regulated, well, then do regulate it so that abuses are avoided or corrected.

Pablo Antonio

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12 years ago

I think the US should raise the age of prostitution to 21 for foreign girls. This will keep our stripclubs free of the sin of participating in human trafficking.

duomaxwell

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12 years ago

I guess the only people that would be super bummed about this are people that want to bang someone that may have been 17 the day before. I don't know if 21 year olds are less likely to be forced into prostitution, though... it might be more effective if they had them also include a 3 page essay on why prostitution is the avenue they wish to take. Handwritten, single spaced, and those i's better be dotted with hearts.

deogol

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12 years ago

The west is slowly making children out of adults... unless they need to imprison them. Then they are "adults."

dalex

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12 years ago

Well, guess Alucard is never visiting Amsterdam now.

But, I'm all for this.

There isn't much difference between 18 and 16 year olds, by the age of 21 you really do have grown women though.

I don't even like those 18 year olds, they're too childish for me.

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