Sex workers fear the proposed crackdown will not end prostitution and could instead increase the dangers for people selling sex. At demonstrations, some held placards reading: “Sex work is work” and “Feminist whores,” while sex workers’ association Astras has threatened to name and shame politician clients in a bid to shoot down the new rules. In Greece and the Netherlands, sex work is legal and sex workers must apply for a license and follow rules on where and how they work. Earlier this year, Belgium decriminalized sex work, with a labor law that supporters said would let sex workers set their own terms, and could reduce exploitation and violence. For now, Spanish sex workers’ efforts are focused on securing amendments to the Socialists’ bill, including reversing the criminalization of buying sex and narrowing the definition of pimping to avoid landlords becoming liable.
