RIGHTS-SPAIN: NGOs, Opposition Reject Crackdown on Prostitutes

By Tito Drago Reprint | | Print |

Tito Drago

MADRID, Jun 23 2000 (IPS) - Human rights groups, trade unions and opposition parties in Spain are opposed to a repressive approach to prostitution as sought by the governing centre-right Popular Party (PP), in line with demands by local retailers.

PP municipal authorities as well as the office of defence of minors and the government of the autonomous community of Madrid, in the hands of the PP, are pushing for measures ranging from booting out prostitutes from certain public areas to applying criminal charges.

Concha García, spokeswoman for Hetaira, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that assists prostitutes, dubbed those seeking to keep sex-workers off the streets “hypocrits.”

The office of defence of minors and municipal authorities in Madrid argued this week that scantily-clad prostitutes plying their trade in the streets and the Casa de Campo park could be seen by children, which meant they were committing the offense of “obscene exposure before minors,” punishable by three to 10 months in prison.

But chief prosecutor in the Madrid courts, Mariano Fernández Bermejo, said he would not bring charges against prostitutes, arguing that they “are not exposing themselves, but are simply working in the uniform of their profession.

“Prostitution is a legal occupation that is not punished by the penal code, and I prefer that things remain that way,” he added. “Whoever is pushing to get it penalised should open a debate in parliament, but not try to do so through the back door.”

García, meanwhile, said the women were “not looking for children, but trying to attract potential clients.” She criticised those who were shocked at seeing a woman in a bikini as “hypocrits,” pointing out that children saw much more explicit images while watching TV with their parents.

Some 400 women stand alongside the roads in the Casa de Campo everyday, offering their services in exchange for fees that vary according to the time of day, whether it is a weekday, weekend or holiday, and the age and appearance of each sex-worker.

Prostitutes are also commonly seen in other spots in Madrid, like the downtown Puerta del Sol plaza, the plaza del Cuzco, and around bus and train stations.

The Confederation of Retailers protested to the national government of Prime Minister José María Aznar Wednesday that prostitution “makes the city ugly”; that downtown Madrid is “the mirror of Spain”; and that sex-workers should be forced to work elsewhere.

But spokesman for the opposition Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) in the Madrid town hall, Patrocinio de las Heras, criticised the PP politicians, and said the municipal government was attempting to misconstrue a social issue as a punitive matter.

“This problem cannot resolved by police measures; we must approach it from a social angle,” he argued.

The United Left coalition, trade unionists and local NGOs echo that view, asserting that the important thing is to crack down on the exploitation of prostitutes by organised criminal bands and pimps.

The positions taken by PP municipal authorities, the autonomous community of Madrid and the national government vary, and their demands range from the regulation of prostitution to a complete ban on the activity. But they all agree that sex-workers should be banned from the Casa de Campo and downtown Madrid.

According to statistics made available by the government of Madrid, most prostitutes working on the city’s streets are immigrants, while 90 percent of Spanish sex-workers are drug addicts.

Most of the Latin American, Asian, African or East European sex- workers were brought to Spain by criminal bands that paid their fares and obtained visas and other documents for them, after deceiving them with the promise of other jobs, generally in the services sector.

Once they reach Spain, far from their families and with neither money nor legal aid, the women are forced to work as prostitutes, generally in discotheques, night clubs, etc. Many of those working the streets have escaped from the prostitution rings.

Hetaira and other organisations defend the legal and social rights of prostitutes, arguing that it is their own choice whether or not they continue to exercise the profession.

If they decide to continue, Hetaira argues, they must not be persecuted by authorities, and should receive social benefits like any other worker. Moreover, the NGO says efforts are needed to keep them from falling into the hands of pimps or criminal rings.

But if the women decide to abandon prostitution, says Hetaira, they should receive the necessary social and economic support to enable them to do so.

The question will be discussed by public authorities, social researchers and representatives of NGOs at an international seminar next week in Madrid. Participants will also tackle the issue of sex tourism in the countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, closely linked to the problem of commercial sexual exploitation of minors.