With its numerous erotic bars and night clubs, as well as the very visible presence of prostitutes on many of its streets, Prague is developing a reputation as "the Amsterdam of the east". The city's sex industry has aroused much discussion in the past, with many calling on the government to bring the situation under control. Now a draft bill is being prepared by the Ministry of the Interior, which aims to legalise and regulate prostitution.
If passed, the new law would see licences issued to prostitutes, who would then be able to legally work in designated places and even pay taxes. These legal prostitutes would have to fulfil certain criteria to practice their trade and would also have to undergo regular health checks to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted disease. Although some have praised the bill for its forward thinking, many who are involved with the sex industry are sceptical about how effective it will be.
At nine in the evening, a prostitute on Prague's main shopping boulevard Wenceslas Square offers to have oral or penetrative sex with me in a phone booth. This sort of soliciting is a relatively common experience for any man walking unaccompanied at night in Prague's main thoroughfare.
According to many estimates, there are thousands of prostitutes working in the Czech capital, which seems to suggest that business is booming. Meanwhile, across town, "Robby" shows me around K5 - the night-club he manages.
It is one of dozens of strips bars and erotic clubs dotted around the city. The surroundings here are a lot more salubrious than a Wenceslas Square phone booth:. In general, prostitution is illegal. The word 'prostitution' is not legal. Now we try to do everything as cleanly as possible. We've managed to get as far as being clean on erotic massage. We can give erotic services such as a massage. We have a licence for this.
