Prostitution

Yes, it's legal. Just mosey on over to the Red Light District and you can pay for sex. Prostitution has been in the Netherlands since the 1200's when sailors would come in to port. If you have any questions about the legal issues surrounding prostitution you can go to the Prostitution Information Center to gather information (and free condoms).

The prostitute stands in a display window, similar to a store display, with a red light surrounding it (hence the name “Red Light District”). She displays her scantily clad body to those who pass by in the street. A very small bedroom is behind her with a small bed and bathroom. Once she gets a customer, she closes the drapes across her window.

There are no pimps, no forced sex slaves, and condoms are required. The prostitutes are licensed, file employment taxes and even have an employment union! (In case you're wondering, in order to get a license you must have a clean criminal record, submit to STD testing, be drug free, avoid minors, and use condoms.) Each prostitute rents her window space from the Kamerverhuurbedrijf, which is a central room rental office. She pays for a 6-8 hour shift in advance and then does her day's work. Rental space during the day is cheaper and the prostitutes are “less appealing” (so I've heard). Night space is more expensive to rent.

Each prostitute window/room has a buzzer that she can push if she has troubles or sees trouble in the street. A large bouncer or police officer appears and takes care of the issue. The police regularly patrol the area on horseback (many streets are too narrow for cars) and there are small cameras all over the area.

Each prostitute is required to sumbit to HIV testing. If a prostitute does contract HIV she is given an apartment in the city, along with a nice lifetime pension plan. This is an attempt to combat the spread of HIV.

One thing you need to steer clear of in the Red Light District is taking pictures! Snap a picture and a bouncer will appear in a second and your camera will most likely be taken or smashed. Because most of the prostitutes are someone's niece, daughter, grand-daughter or even wife (!), pictures are NOT allowed under any circumstances!

If you hang out near Centraal Station (the train station) on Thursday evening, you will see the “working women” coming in to town for the weekend. Skinny, high-heeled women in tight clothing arrive on the train with their overnight bags. They're in town to work for a few days and earn enough money to live on for a week or two.

Of course the Red Light District is filled with lots of interesting shops too. Want a pen shaped like a penis? How about a t-shirt with naked women on the front? Raunchy postcards to embarrass your mail carrier? Maybe a copy of a low budget porn movie? It's all here!

I was reading an interesting article the other day. It was comparing the rates of HIV and active teenage sex in Amsterdam to those in the US and the UK. The article pointed out that the US launched an abstinence program, telling young adults to just wait. The UK simply ignores the issue. And the Netherlands shows a special program for teens (on some prime time channels and shown in some schools) explaining how sexual diseases are transmitted, how teens can protect themselves, and giving tips on how teens can still have “sexual fun” without actually having intercourse. The Dutch know that teens are curious and will experiment, so why not teach them how to protect themselves?

So what about crime? The crime rates in Amsterdam are CONSIDERABLY LOW, especially compared to comparable cities in the US (however, Amsterdam is more densly populated than major US cities). Pickpocketing is a big crime here – and there are signs in the “hotspots” to warn you. But remember that these are instances where a slick thief takes your wallet out of your pocket without you realizing it (usually in crowed areas or when there is a fake ruckus in the street to distract you). These are not violent muggings at gun or knife-point (something that happens all too often in my neighborhood in the US). Rape and murder rates are considerably lower than in the US also.

Lots and lots and lots and lots of young men flock to Amsterdam because of it's laws on prostitution and soft drugs (to be covered later). When you say “AMSTERDAM” to someone that's the first thing that comes to mind! This is really sad because Amsterdam is so much more.....rich history, beautiful architecture, breath-taking sights, and an interesting mix of people. There are millions of things to do and see outside of the Red Light District. If you don't want to see the sex stuff, then you just don't go there. Jeff and I had to laugh when he was reading a discussion board where a man posted a question about visiting Amsterdam. He was going for a business trip and wanted to take his family along, but his boss and other colleagues told him that Amsterdam was no place for a family! How untrue!

And by the way, if you do ever happen to walk through the Red Light District and see some windows with blue lights in them instead of red ones, keep in mind that the women in the windows may look like women, but they're not......