Street prostitution

There is almost no street prostitution in Amsterdam. The Dutch interest group for sex workers, Proud, wonders if this is a positive development.

Street prostitution is often illegal, even in jurisdictions that allow other forms of

Street prostitution is legal in

In 2004, a study in the UK showed that up to 95% of women in street prostitution were problematic drug users, including around 78% heroin users and rising numbers of

There is almost no street prostitution in Amsterdam, reports the mayor of Amsterdam. The interest group for sex workers – Proud – wonders if this is a positive development. “The most vulnerable ones easily move out of sight.” In 2014, 17 applications were filed with the police in Amsterdam for so-called tipple permits. “tippelen” is the Dutch term for doing street prostitution and translates loosely into hustling. In 2015 applications dropped to just nine and for 2016 (until October) the count stood at six. The mayor sent this information via open letter to the city council. These numbers stand in stark contrast to Amsterdam’s past. From the 1950’s till the 90’s street prostitution was highly prevalent.

Veldwerk (field work) Amsterdam, an organisation that searches and cares for people with psychiatric problems, states in the Mayor’s letter that the cases of street prostitution that were known to the authorities were all drug-related. The location of the cases coincided with drug dealer areas. “When the dealer areas move because of police actions, these women also move,” writes the mayor. “Another option is diverting to another city,” says Proud. “But many other places in the Netherlands have been closing down their hustling zones too, and in Utrecht, where one can still be found, there is a waiting period of sometimes four years for people from outside of the city. In addition, we’re dealing with a group of people for whom even a train ticket to Utrecht can be too expensive.”

Without a permanent home, street prostitution mostly stayed local, with Leith Links becoming a popular spot for many. But residents here soon grew unhappy, its parkland roads described as “like Blackpool promenade” in the mid-2000s with “cars bumper to bumper at night”. Local women complained about being propositioned while standing at bus stops.