In , prostitution was depanelized as a voluntary activity, leading to an unregulated and very successful establishment of the sex industry since then. In fact, not only is Spain the European country with the highest demand for sex , but is also third internationally. This lack of a jurisdictional model has been criticised by different actors for its lack of a comprehensive approach towards sex workers and the facility it offers to mafias to coerce and exploit victims into the industry.
Although the new proposal aims to solve this limbo and social stigma, it is uncertain whether this is the right approach. The high demand of paid sex goes hand in hand with a wide acceptance of its consumption. Indeed, prostitution in Spain is a very successful business that is no longer associated with one category of customers.
Currently, year old teenagers on a night out, to all-men business meetings can comfortably end their night in a brothel. Unsurprisingly, to cope with the voluminous demand, there is an estimated , sex workers in Spain.
So far, the laws in Spain have been ineffective in tackling the unregulated market of prostitution. It has been commonly understood that the line between prostitution and sex trafficking is when one or more persons are subjected to engaging with commercial sexual activity.
Although Spain has undergone many changes in its legislation and action plans since the s, there is still much room for improvement. Recently, Amnesty International has launched a campaign denouncing the instrumentalization of victims as a means to dismantle a trafficking network and the need to approve a Comprehensive Law against Human Trafficking.
