'Seal of Quality' for Better Brothels?
 

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THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The Dutch government backs plans
for "seals of quality" for well-run brothels and
standard contracts for prostitutes, as well as more
support for those who want to leave the world's oldest
profession, it said on Friday.

The Dutch cabinet said it supported the initiative
from the prostitution industry to further improve
supervision four years after the Netherlands lifted a
ban on brothels to improve regulation of the business
and fight trafficking in women.

"The sector has said it wants to develop a seal of
quality to improve its image," the cabinet said in a
statement. "This seal could be given to prostitution
firms, which ... comply with criteria in areas such as
safety, health and integrity.

The Netherlands has some of the world's most liberal
rules on prostitution, defined as a legal profession
since 1988. There are some 2,000 brothels operating
openly in the country's infamous "Red Light" districts
and about 30,000 prostitutes.

The center-right government urged local authorities
which are responsible for regulating brothels in their
regions to work with the industry to develop such
policies.

It said abuses had declined since the ban was lifted
on brothels but called on the police to do more to
inform the victims of trafficking about the
possibility of temporary or permanent residence in the
Netherlands.

A large proportion of prostitutes in the Netherlands
are illegal immigrants, some of whom are working
against their will.

The cabinet also backed programs to help prostitutes
leave the profession and said it would introduce a
central register for license holders in the escort
business and a code of conduct for the media so only
licensees could advertise their services.

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