The bill would not make prostitution illegal but proposes prison terms of between three and six years, as well as fines, for pimps or procurers. It also proposes penalizing those who make money by knowingly providing premises or apartments for the practice of pr_stitution.
“In a democracy, women are not for purchase nor for sale,” Adriana Lastra, the Socialist party’s deputy secretary general told Parliament.
ALSO READ:Zimdancehall music producer’s wife in love triangle exposed
Pr_stitution is legal but greatly unregulated in Spain.
Accurate statistics are difficult to come by but a 2011 U.N. report said the country was the third biggest center for pr_stitution in the world, behind Thailand and Puerto Rico.
The Spanish branch of Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) estimates there are some 350,000 women in pr_stitution in Spain and 80% percent of them are foreigners without legal papers. The group says that many pr_stitution customers come from abroad, either as tourists, business visitors or truck drivers.
“People who turn to women in a situation of pr_stitution participate directly in the network that shores up this serious violation of human rights,” the Socialist party said on its parliamentary Twitter account.
Prostitutes can be seen on certain city-center streets in most of Spain and roadside brothels, some of enormous size, are common throughout the country. Ads for pr_stitutes on the internet are also common.
The bill could undergo any number of changes as it passes through parliament and may take many months before it is finally approved.
The proposal was backed by the leading opposition conservative Popular Party, which indicates that it could be approved relatively fast.
Some political parties and experts have argued that Spain should regulate prostitution to protect sex workers rather than try to eliminate it.
The Socialists say the bill is aimed at banning pimping in all its forms. They add that the law does not aim to penalize prostitutes but rather offer them protection as victims of a crime.
Several other European countries already have similar legislation.
Source:ABC News
