De Wallen
It consists of a network of alleys containing approximately 300 one-room cabins rented by prostitutes who offer their sexual services from behind a window or glass door, typically illuminated with red lights and blacklight.
[citation needed] Historically because of proximity to the harbor the area has attracted both prostitution and migrant populations and these are the features it is best known for today.
In 1578 during the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule a Protestant city board was formed with fornication deemed punishable.
[citation needed] In the 18th century, wealthy men would meet prostitutes at gambling houses on De Gelderskade and Zeedijk.
For those who could not afford entry to these houses, there were still women to be found around Oudekerksplein and unofficial policies of tolerance remained, although prostitution was technically illegal.
In this Napoleonic era, men from the French Imperial Naval Corps were the main clients for prostitutes in De Wallen.
[citation needed] The total area is approximately 6,500 square metres (1.6 acres), limited by the Niezel in the north, the sea dike/Nieuwmarkt in the east, the Sint Jansstraat in the south and the Warmoesstraat in the west.
Prostitution takes place within this area in the following streets: Barndesteeg, Bethlehemsteeg, Bloedstraat, Boomsteeg (now closed), Dollebegijnensteeg, Enge Kerksteeg, Goldbergersteeg, Gordijnensteeg, Molensteeg, Monnikenstraat, Oudekerksplein, Oudekennissteeg, Oudezijds Achterburgwal, Oudezijds Voorburgwal, Sint Annendwarsstraat, Sint Annenstraat, Stoofsteeg, and Trompettersteeg.
[4] There is no compulsory requirement for sex workers to undergo sexually transmitted disease (STD) or HIV testing in the Netherlands.
The bronze statue was unveiled on the Oudekerksplein in front of the Oude Kerk at the open day in March 2007 and shows a woman standing in a doorway.
Men are in the window for the day not to actually work in any way other than model, but to raise awareness for the Red Light District's lack of male and gay representation, as the vast majority of its sex workers are cisgender, straight women.
[citation needed] The police close down several male brothels each year, so it is difficult to determine how many still operate in the country.
Coffeeshops were not allowed to operate in certain cities near the borders of Germany and Belgium because it was felt soft drug use might raise crime there.
[citation needed] A recent policy meant that 26 coffeeshops in the De Wallen area had to close their doors between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2015.
[13] Netherlands has been listed by a report of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime as a top destination for victims of human trafficking:[14][15] According to Job Cohen, the former mayor of Amsterdam, "We've realized this is no longer about small-scale entrepreneurs, but those big crime organizations are involved here in trafficking women, drugs, killings, and other criminal activities".
They will try to work outside this system and they'll be vulnerable when they're detected by the police and tax office, and the ones who are trafficked may be forced by their pimps to register so they have a kind of legal status.
[16][22] European citizens of the 27 member EU states have the legal right under internal market to employment in the Netherlands in any work.
[26] A Christian organization of aid workers named the 'Scharlaken Koord' (in English, Scarlet Cord) has set up a special 'pal'-program for prostitutes in which the pals help the women build a new social network.
[27] In September 2007, the city council of Amsterdam at the behest of mayor Job Cohen, concerned about trafficking and pimping in the area, forced the owner Charlie Geerts to close 51 prostitution windows, reducing the total number of windows in De Wallen by a third.
Amsterdam authorities bought 18 properties from Geerts, with the aim of developing the area with fashion designers and other upscale businesses.
[28] Mariska Majoor of the Prostitution Information Center and representatives of the sex worker rights group De Rode Draad have decried the decision, claiming it would not reduce crime but would only lead to higher rent and more competition for the remaining windows.
[28][29] In January 2008, the city council announced plans to close the Rosso live sex theatre and the Banana bar strip club in the area.
[30] Local business owners have formed the group "Platform 1012" (named after the zipcode of the area) to oppose the efforts of the Amsterdam government.
[33] Karina Schaapman, a former Amsterdam prostitute who is now a city councilor said: "There are people who are really proud of the red light district as a tourist attraction.
"[34] But in 2013 Metje Blaak, who worked in the sex trade for 25 years before turning to filmmaking, says closing legal brothels will push women out onto the streets.
[35] In July 2019, more than ten years after Asscher's efforts to bring change to the Red Light District, new mayor Femke Halsema announced a different approach.
A report called "The Future of Window Prostitution in Amsterdam" outlined four changes to the district that would become under serious consideration.
It raises questions about whether or not it is a positive idea to try to bring different types of people into an industry that keeps a lot in the dark.
