Spain PM: Make prostitution illegal

Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, is calling for prostitution to be made illegal, saying it “enslaves women”.

The country has been identified as the third biggest sex work capital in the world, behind Thailand and Puerto Rico.

Prostitution was decriminalised in 1995, and Spain has seen a surge in the number of women being trafficked and forced to sell sex.

Marcella, originally from Brazil, told ITV she took what she believed to be a housekeeping job in Spain after her family suffered a sudden loss of income.

Upon arrival in Spain she discovered the job didn’t exist and was forced into the sex trade. Traffickers used photos of her family to threaten and control her.

Since her escape, Marcella now works for a charitable organisation rescuing other women trapped in exploitation.

Last year, an alliance of sex trade survivors and frontline groups urged the Scottish Government to adopt the ‘Nordic Model’ to criminalise the purchase of sex.

Diane Martin, a survivor of sex trafficking and prostitution and vice-chairwoman of the alliance (ISTAC), said:

“Now is the time for Scotland to develop a new approach to prostitution, ensuring victims no longer face criminal sanctions but are provided with tailored support to exit; and where pimps, sex buyers and pimping websites are no longer able to operate and exploit with impunity.

“I want to be part of a Scotland that completely rejects the idea that women and girls can be for sale, treated as commodities by men who believe this is their right and entitlement.

“It is this demand that fuels the sex trade and Scotland must create a hostile environment for those who exploit victims. We must stand together to ensure this exploitation ends. The cost of inaction is too high.”

CARE campaigns for the purchase of sex to be criminalised. To find out more about our work in this area, visit: Commercial Sexual Exploitation | CARE