Die Gemeinde machte einen Schritt zurück: Sexarbeiterinnen dürfen bis zum Morgen arbeiten

In Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, the city administration has reversed its decision to close the brothels in the Red Light District earlier after strong reactions from sex workers and shop owners. Sex workers in the Red Light District in the center of Amsterdam can continue to work until 6:00 a.m. as before starting this weekend. The city of Amsterdam implemented a series of new decisions on April 1, 2023, to prevent the noise and chaos caused by many day tourists at night in the historic city center. According to the municipality’s decision, for safety reasons, brothels in the Red Light District had to close by 3:00 a.m. at the latest. The closing time of the catering establishments in the region was also changed to 2:00 a.m. instead of 4:00 a.m. The city council argued that these measures were taken with the aim of improving the quality of life in the region. Residents of the district have been complaining for years about crowds, noise, and incidents due to activities, alcohol, and drug consumption, especially at night. This decision, however, affected sex workers and the food and beverage sector in the district. Sex workers and business owners took the case to court. The court deemed the municipality’s decision justified and rejected the application. However, the reactions and objections from sex workers and local shop owners, emphasizing that safety issues had increased after the time restriction, persisted. As a result, Amsterdam lifted the working hour restrictions for sex workers. Investigations conducted by the municipality and non-governmental organizations found that sex workers faced serious problems because the brothels‘ closing time was moved to 3:00 a.m. Studies showed that sex workers faced financial and moral pressure due to the early closure. Brothel staff experienced income losses due to the regulation. Sex workers often started picking up clients on the street or in other buildings after closing hours or going to clients‘ apartments. This led to unsafe situations for them. Therefore, starting this weekend, the municipality allowed brothels in the Red Light District to remain open until 6:00 a.m. The Amsterdam city administration plans to establish a new „Erotic Center“ on the European Boulevard in the south of the city instead of the Red Light District. However, the city council has not yet made an official decision on the location. It is stated that even if a decision is made, the construction of the new sex center will take seven years. For this reason, the municipality withdrew its decision on working hour restrictions, citing that there are not many opportunities for sex workers in the Red Light District. T24

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