Amsterdam to take action against illegal prostitution in massage parlors

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.

Source: http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/712-chi...lors-amsterdam