Why did the experiment in legalizing prostitution fail?
In past years, several countries have regulated prostitution and legalized procurement: states in Australia, the majority of the Austrian Länder, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland. In some countries, brothels are state institutions (Turkey, Indonesia). Else where, the prostitution industry is often considered as a vital sector for the development of the country (Philippines, Thailand, etc.). The impact on trafficking in women and children are considerable. The example of the Netherlands is a good indicator of the expansion of the sex industries: 2,500 prostitutes in 1981, 10,000 in 1985, 20,000 in 1989 and 30,000 in 1997. The Netherlands has become a key destination for world sex tourists. In Amsterdam, where there are 250 brothels, 80 % of the prostitutes are of foreign origin “and 70 % of them lack papers”, strongly suggesting that they have been the victims of trafficking. In 1960, 95 % of the prostitutes of the Netherlands were Dutch; in 1999 only 2
