topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2117.66 -0.08
DAX 6323.19 -0.26
IBEX 30 6401.2 -2.17
CAC 40 3042.97 -0.16
FTSE 100 5356.34 0.09
AEX 292.76 0.00
DJIA 12454.83 -0.60
Nasdaq 2837.53 -0.07
FTSE MIB 13057.26 -0.74
TSX Composite 11566.15 -0.09
ASX 4140.3 0.49
Hang seng 18810.25 0.05
Straits Times 2787.26 0.00
ISEQ 20 501.76 0.16
You are here: Home News Dutch News Amsterdam city council helps clean up red light district

Dutch News

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


12/10/2009Amsterdam city council helps clean up red light district

Amsterdam city council helps clean up red light district The city is recruiting a team of special council workers to help police check the papers of prostitutes.

Amsterdam – The Amsterdam city council is going to combine forces with police to prevent human trafficking in the red light district.

The city council will recruit and train special council workers to assist the police in various duties that aim to stem out illegal prostitutions.

Special council workers’ main duty will be checking the papers of prostitutes to make sure they are working legally, reports freesheet Spits.

Currently, only the police check whether the prostitutes working in the sex industry are legal immigrants and not forced into the sex industry.

Special council workers will also be trained to spot signs of human trafficking. If they come across other criminal activities, such as money laundering, they will pass the information on to the police.

It is possible that the council workers will be granted special status, making them special investigating officers.

Amsterdam is the first city council to take such measures. The new system will be introduced for three years and will be evaluated every year.

Sleazy image no more
In 2007, the city council announced a crackdown on crime in the red light district. A series of measures, which includes screening entrepreneurs for criminal records being allowing them a licence in the area, were introduced to rid the area of its sleazy image.

Many of the windows once occupied by prostitutes are now filled by shop window dummies wearing designs by fashion students.

The area has also been earmarked for an upgrade. The council hopes to attract more restaurants, cultural institutes and businesses from the creative sector.

The transformation, which has been dubbed Coalition Project 1012 after the area postcode, is due to take 10 years.

Many Amsterdammers feel the council is taking its nanny state tactics too far and there have been a number of demonstrations against the council's plans.

Radio Netherlands / Expatica


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating



0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment
Discussion Forums

Americans in the Netherlands

reporting birth abroad

Relocating to the Netherlands

Taxation on Rental Apartments!

Housing in the Netherlands

Taxation on Rental Appartments?

Discuss Dutch Culture

High-quality fake passports, driver's licenses, ID

English in the Netherlands

Moved to Hengelo

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Setting up home in the Netherlands

Setting up home in the Netherlands

A guide to telephone, internet and television along with utility services water, electricity and gas in the Netherlands.

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2012.

A brief introduction to the Netherlands

A brief introduction to the Netherlands

Expatica offers a whistle-stop tour of life in the modern Netherlands.

Giving birth in the Netherlands

Giving birth in the Netherlands

The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.