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Amsterdam to take action against illegal prostitution in massage parlors

Amsterdam, July 27, 2009 [DutchAmsterdam.nl] — The City of Amsterdam is planning to take action against Chinese massage parlors illegally involved in prostitution.

The warning comes by way of a spokesperson for Amsterdam’s Centrum borough in reaction to an investigative report in Dutch news daily Trouw.

The paper, which earlier wrote about illegal prostitution in Chinese massage salons in The Hague, investigated three massage parlors in the center of Amsterdam.

The investigation revealed that aside from massages masseuses also offer sex. They do so illegally since the massage parlors are not licensed to offer prostitution services.

Prostitution has never been illegal in the Netherlands, but it was not until January, 1988, that it was defined as a legal profession. Prostitutes may work as regular employees, but the vast majority of Amsterdam’s 11,000 prostitutes work as independent contractors.

Brothels were long tolerated under a policy the Dutch refer to as ‘gedogen,’ and on October 1, 2000, brothels became licensed, legal businesses.

Massage parlors can be operated without a license, but if a massage parlor wants to offer prostitution services, it must apply for a license to do so.

However, illegal prostitution in massage parlors is difficult to prove, according to the Amsterdam Centrum Borough spokesperson. A masseuse who illegally offers sex must be caught in the act of doing so in the case is to hold up in a court of law.

Anton and Janet Hein
Publisher at DutchAmsterdam | Website |  + posts

Anton and Janet Hein live and work in Amsterdam. We are the publishers of DutchAmsterdam.

Anton was born on a houseboat in the center of Amsterdam, right across from the iconic Westertoren and what later became the Anne Frank House museum. Having lived in nearly every district since then, he knows the city like his own back pocket.

Janet was born in England and raised in Ireland before moving to Amsterdam 42 years ago. Even to date she brings an expat’s perspective to the DutchAmsterdam website.

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Last updated Sunday, September 25, 2011 CET (Central European Time)

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