Why it could be the end for prostitution in Amsterdam's Red Light District
- Prostitution has been part of the fabric of Amsterdam for centuries.
- But politicians and locals want it to have a reputation for art and architecture, not sex and drugs.
- And that might mean closing the windows of the world-famous Red Light District for good.
Amsterdam lifted its ban on brothels in 2000 fully legalizing prostitution hoping to bring order to the streets and greater protection to sex workers. The idea was that sex workers would be self-employed taxpayers who wouldn't need to rely on brothel owners or gangs for their income. But the legalization of brothels didn't entirely clean up the industry, and sex workers continued to be stigmatized, according to Reuters.
In 2019, the city's mayor, Femke Halsema, presented a plan that included the possibility of relocating sex workers outside of the Red Light District. Eight possible locations for an "erotic center" are being considered, but sex workers told Insider the city center is where they belong. We went to Amsterdam to see if it's really lights-out for the Red Light District.