Prostitution

Europe News

Sex workers in Belgium gain labour rights as historic law takes effect

The new law in Belgium, which came into force over the weekend, grants sex workers formal employment contracts and legal protections similar to other workers.

02/12/2024

World News

European court upholds French law penalising clients of sex workers

According to rights group Amnesty International, Thursday's ECHR's ruling was a missed opportunity to better protect sex workers from abuse and violence.

25/07/2024

Europe News

Euro 2024 boosts businesses, with sex industry being no exception

Estimates suggest that nearly 14,000 additional sex workers arrived in Germany's Euro 2024 host cities for the tournament.

11/07/2024

Spain

Spanish police bust Malaga crime group forcing women into prostitution

The gang abused at least 500 women across four brothels in Costa del Sol, authorities said.

04/07/2024

Euronews Witness

Sex workers can now have regular job contracts in Belgium

The new rules allow them to sign job contracts with approved employers. It's an unprecedented effort to regulate the sector, but not everyone is convinced, as Euronews Witness reports.

21/06/2024

Netherlands

EU agency 'concerned' about 'erotic centre' near its Amsterdam HQ

The European Medicines Agency has said it is keeping a close watch on plans for a new sex work venue as Amsterdam disperses its notorious red light district.

21/12/2023

Brussels, My Love?

Brussels, my love? Ursula von der Leyen looks back on policy promises

In this edition of our talk show Brussels, my love, we pick apart the EU Commission president's State of the Union speech and discuss a European Parliament report that calls prostitution a form of abuse and not a job.

16/09/2023

Europe News

MEPs call for measures to protect people in prostitution

The report's authors celebrated it as a breakthrough in the fight against human trafficking and exploitation but critics call the approach "biased".

15/09/2023

World News

European court will hear case against crackdown on sex workers

The European Court of Human Rights will hear an appeal against laws which criminalise sex workers.

07/09/2023

Italy

‘We’re part of society’: Italy’s sex workers fight for new rights

For the first time in almost 20 years, sex workers in Italy have gathered in the city of Bologna to discuss how the legislation around sex work in the country affects their daily lives.

07/06/2023

Climate

Senegal: Locals turn to prostitution as gas project kills fishing jobs

A gas rig in the town of Saint-Louis has brought only a wave of problems, unemployment and more poverty.

14/04/2023

Netherlands

Anger over plan to move Amsterdam’s Red Light District to suburb

Sex Workers and Amsterdam residents are teaming up against the city's plan to create a suburban "erotic centre".

11/04/2023

Austria

UN concerns over reporting of human trafficking and other crimes

The United Nations says a decrease in the reported numbers of human trafficking and other crimes is in reality masking a much bigger problem

24/01/2023

Romania

Social media influencer Tate's detention is extended til 27 Feb

A Romanian court has extended the police detention of social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan. The pair will stay in custody until 27 February, as investigations continue over allegations of rape and exploitation.

21/01/2023

Europe Decoded

EU countries are split on how to deal with sex work

Belgium became the first European country to decriminalise sex work in 2022. Now MEPs are debating what the rules should be at the EU level.

03/01/2023

Culture news

Berlin sex workers launch audio tour to destigmatise profession

Berlin's sex workers, the Schwules LGBTQ Museum and local officials have launched the "We Have Always Been Everywhere" audio guide to tell the history of the capital's famed red-light district from the 1880s onwards.

16/12/2022

The Cube

UK bans dating ads offering to meet 'lonely' Ukrainian women

Multiple dating ads promoting to meet 'lonely' Ukrainian women have been banned by a UK watchdog due to their offensive nature.

14/07/2022

My Europe Series

Spain's sex work crackdown 'would push the issue further underground'

“I know very well how this will play out – obviously very negatively for us. [It] means we’ll end up in the hands of the mafias."

04/07/2022

Spain

Spain has a huge market for prostitution. But for how much longer?

Medicos del Mundo estimates there are some 350,000 women in prostitution in Spain and 80% per cent of them are foreigners without legal papers.

08/06/2022

France

France unveils plan to tackle 'worrying' rise in child prostitution

At least 7,000 to 10,000 children are affected and the number is "constantly increasing," the government said.

16/11/2021