The Spanish Socialist Party PSOE is drafting a sweeping bill to address the legal limbo affecting prostitution, which is neither regulated or criminalized in this country. The sex workers themselves would not be targeted in any way, as they would be regarded as victims. The bill is inspired by the abolitionist model pioneered by Sweden see side box.
The new law seeks to disincentivize demand by outlawing the purchase of sex. It also considers human trafficking for sex exploitation to be a form of gender violence.
Sweden was a pioneer of the abolitionist model with a law that penalizes clients with as much as one-year prison sentences. In , France introduced fines for people who purchase sex. In Finland, the client is punished if the prostitute is the victim of a trafficking ring.
The Netherlands has opted for a regulation model, and prostitution has been considered a job since Brothel owners pay taxes and pay social security contributions for their sex workers.
The United Nations and the European Parliament consider that these goals have not been met. Prostitution is not regulated and is therefore neither legal nor illegal, although the Spanish criminal code does consider pimping a crime.
