Clear to partly cloudy and seasonably cool, but not as cool as last night. .
Clear to partly cloudy and seasonably cool, but not as cool as last night.
People gather during a demonstration against a bill that would penalize prostitution customers and enablers such as club owners or pimps, facing sentences up to 4 years of imprisionment in front of the Spanish Parliament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Spain is considered to be one of the less punitive legal frames for prostitution in Europe, that would turn into a so called nordic model under the new bill, punishing both clients and enablers. The banner reads in Spanish: "More legislation less prohibition".
People gather during a demonstration against a bill that would penalize prostitution customers and enablers such as club owners or pimps, facing sentences up to 4 years of imprisionment in front of the Spanish Parliament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Spain is considered to be one of the less punitive legal frames for prostitution in Europe, that would turn into a so called nordic model under the new bill, punishing both clients and enablers.
People gather during a demonstration against a bill that would penalize prostitution customers and enablers such as club owners or pimps, facing sentences up to 4 years of imprisionment in front of the Spanish Parliament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Spain is considered to be one of the less punitive legal frames for prostitution in Europe, that would turn into a so called nordic model under the new bill, punishing both clients and enablers. Sign reads in Spanish: "sex is health, the service is paid, forcing ourselves is a vice"
People gather during a demonstration against a bill that would penalize prostitution customers and enablers such as club owners or pimps, facing sentences up to 4 years of imprisionment in front of the Spanish Parliament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Spain is considered to be one of the less punitive legal frames for prostitution in Europe, that would turn into a so called nordic model under the new bill, punishing both clients and enablers.
People gather during a demonstration against a bill that would penalize prostitution customers and enablers such as club owners or pimps, facing sentences up to 4 years of imprisionment in front of the Spanish Parliament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Spain is considered to be one of the less punitive legal frames for prostitution in Europe, that would turn into a so called nordic model under the new bill, punishing both clients and enablers. The banner reads in Spanish: "More legislation less prohibition".
People gather during a demonstration against a bill that would penalize prostitution customers and enablers such as club owners or pimps, facing sentences up to 4 years of imprisionment in front of the Spanish Parliament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Spain is considered to be one of the less punitive legal frames for prostitution in Europe, that would turn into a so called nordic model under the new bill, punishing both clients and enablers.
People gather during a demonstration against a bill that would penalize prostitution customers and enablers such as club owners or pimps, facing sentences up to 4 years of imprisionment in front of the Spanish Parliament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Spain is considered to be one of the less punitive legal frames for prostitution in Europe, that would turn into a so called nordic model under the new bill, punishing both clients and enablers. Sign reads in Spanish: "sex is health, the service is paid, forcing ourselves is a vice"
People gather during a demonstration against a bill that would penalize prostitution customers and enablers such as club owners or pimps, facing sentences up to 4 years of imprisionment in front of the Spanish Parliament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Spain is considered to be one of the less punitive legal frames for prostitution in Europe, that would turn into a so called nordic model under the new bill, punishing both clients and enablers.
MADRID (AP) — Protesters including brothel owners and sex workers demonstrated Monday in front of the Spanish Parliament over a bill that would penalize prostitution customers and sex club owners or pimps with sentences up to 4 years in prison.
The bill backed by the ruling left-wing PSOE party proposes broadening the definition of pimping, not making the exploitation of a prostitute necessary but a mere trade relation. For the first time in Spain, it would also penalize customers.
Demonstrators wore face masks and used bright red umbrellas to conceal their identities.
“We ask the socialist party to withdraw the bill, that implies an actual abolition of prostitution and condemns us to work underground,” said Susana Pastor, the president of the Platform against Abolition. She owns an apartment in Valencia where women rent rooms to offer sexual services.
“I came here today to protect my job,” said one demonstrator, Sandra, a single mother who has done sex work for 12 years.
But the new sex worker union Otras didn't back Monday's protest because sex club owners arranged it.
“They don't look after sex workers’ rights at all," Otras secretary general Concha Borrell told The Associated Press.
Borrell demands legal contracts for sex workers and estimates there are around 200,000 in Spain.
Both Otras and sex business owners deny the government's official data that 90% of the sex work in the country is forced. Police say 491 victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation were rescued in Spain in 2021.
On a European level, the European Parliament estimates there are up to 180,000 trafficking victims exploited in prostitution and the industry generates 10.8 billion euros ($10.9 billion) a year in the bloc.
Spain is considered one of the laxest legal frames for prostitution in Europe, only punishing when exploitation or abuse can be proven. The proposed bill would punish both clients and enablers. It still needs to pass through parliament.
Spain has also recently forbidden the advertising of prostitution.
This story corrects the EU figure to 10.8 billion euros, not million, a year.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here.
- The Cadillac Pub opens where Klingers used to be at 24 E. Main Street in Fleetwood
- II-VI Inc. (pronounced "two-six") will become Coherent Corp., taking on the name of a company it recently acquired.
- ABEC, a company that provides services and products to the pharmaceutical industry, with headquarters in Northampton County, will invest in a new disposable-container facility in North Carolina.
- A new Lehigh Valley Martial Arts center will hold a grand opening starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, with a ribbon-cutting shortly afterward.
- Bethlehem Township's planning commission has approved an Amazon parking lot with 248 spaces at Brodhead and Mowrer roads.
- The Bethlehem Zoning Hearing Board rejected variance requests that would have allowed multifamily homes to go up on the Southside properties at 508-512 Selfridge St.
- Northampton County Council voted 1-8 against a tax break for development of a proposed warehouse at the Dixie Cup building on South 25 Street in Wilson Borough.
- The former Valley Farm Market, now known as Gerrity's Valley Farm Market, will take on a new name as of Oct. 14: Gerrity's The Fresh Grocer.
- Hamsa Exoticz is already open at the Lehigh Valley Mall, but it will hold a grand opening at 5 p.m. Sept. 16 with the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce.
- A new Home Depot will open a 136,048-square-foot building on about 21 acres of vacant land just off Hamilton Boulevard in Lower Macungie Township.
- Rocco Ayvazov's Monocacy General Contracting received approval from the Bethlehem Planning Commission to put up a six-story building with 55 apartments and retail space on the first floor at 128 E. Third St.
- The old Allen Organ showroom building on Route 100 in Lower Macungie Township will come down and about 100 total apartment units will go up.
- Reading Hospitality's Catering by DoubleTree will handle food at events at Reading Country Club, after Exeter Township supervisors approved a new agreement.
- Natural healing is the goal at Reike Balance, which will open Sept. 9. on Reading Avenue in West Reading.
- The Pocono Chamber of Commerce held a grand opening at the Bartonsville branch of Farmhouse Cafe.
- The reopening date for the historic Frenchtown Inn building overlooking the Delaware River in New Jersey remains unclear.
- River Paws, a pet-supply store, is across Race Street from the Frenchtown Pharmacy.
- The planned reopening date of Aug. 13 for Toby's Cup was pushed back after ownership said a dispute about the occupancy of a home on the hot dog stand's property delayed the reopening.
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