Red district in Amsterdam: prostitutes resist …

Behind the stained glbad windows illuminated with scarlet neon lights, hundreds of prostitutes are exposed next to the famous Amsterdam cbads and they are now resisting the change: the first mayor of the city plans to move them elsewhere, far from the historic center. But they are on the warpath to be in those streets appreciated by regular customers and by millions of tourists from all over the world.

Since the head of government, Femke Halsema, has promised to end the "mess" and "insecurity" in the famous red light district, the activity does not stop in these small streets.

To improve the working conditions of bad workers, Halsema plans to move the famous shops and brothels to another part of the city. To the dismay of many prostitutes: "Our study of 170 bad workers (who exercise) behind the windows clearly showed that 93% of them do not want to leave the Red Light District", says Felicia Anna, president of Red Light United.

Located in the center, near a church and a stone's throw from Central Station, the Wallen district is one of the biggest tourist attractions of Amsterdam, a city of 850 000 inhabitants that has welcomed last year 18 million visitors. The red light district, on the other hand, is far from a postcard: the region, rife with local crime and tourists looking for a party, has been described by police as a "square kilometer of misery".

The ecologist mayor has presented four proposals aimed at "fighting crime and human trafficking" and "making life more pleasant for neighborhood residents". In a first hypothesis, Halsema proposes closing the shop window curtains so that the bad workers and their workplaces are no longer visible from the street.

Likewise, options are being studied to move brothels to other parts of Amsterdam or to close all windows and open a new, hot neighborhood elsewhere, away from the capital's tourist center. Dutch.

At the other extreme, as with the fourth proposal, the mayor suggests increasing the current number of 330 showcases in the Red Light District, to limit illegal prostitution. In this case, a "prostitution hotel" could even be created.

"Only this last option is favorable to us," says Felicia Anna, a young Romanian. She claims that she and her companions do not need more protection from the mayor. "To say that we are victims and vulnerable to (people) trafficking does not help us, it stigmatizes us, stop talking about us this way," he says.

Professionals in the sector admit that there are problems but consider that a closure or transfer of these showcases is not a solution.

Neighbors, brothel owners and prostitutes recently met with councilors, including the mayor, to discuss their proposals. City Council will meet in September before making a decision.

"Among the options, we think the fourth is of course the best," says Mastern Stavast, owner of about 27 showcases and rooms that he rents to prostitutes. "Not only because we want more showcases, but because everything is concentrated in this area, and that's not good," he says. His son and partner Dave Koreke nods: "Amsterdam is not that big and there are too many people on the streets here today, something has to change."