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Spanish PM vows to ‘abolish’ prostitution

Spain's leftist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez vowed Sunday to "abolish" prostitution in the country, saying it "enslaves" women.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Prostitution is unregulated in Spain, although sexual exploitation and pimping are illegal. (Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP)

Speaking at the end of a three-day congress of his Socialist party, Sanchez highlighted policies introduced by his government which he said had helped Spain “advance” such as tougher domestic violence laws and minimum wage hikes.

“And out of this congress emerges a commitment I will implement. We will advance by abolishing prostitution, which enslaves women,” he told the gathering in the eastern city of Valencia without providing further details.

While sexual exploitation and pimping are illegal in Spain, prostitution is unregulated.

There is no punishment for those who offer paid sexual services of their own will as long as it’s not in public spaces, with the laws focused instead on combating human trafficking.

Although it is not recognised as regular employment, there is a large number of brothels throughout the country. Many operate as hotels or other lodging establishments.

One in three men in Spain has paid for sex at least once in their lives, according to a 2009 survey by the country’s state-owned Social Investigations Centre (CIS).

Campaigners argue the legal limbo around prostitution fuels demand for trafficked women.

Sanchez took office in January 2020 at the helm of a minority coalition government after his Socialist party came first in two inconclusive national elections in 2019.

The party published a woman-focused manifesto ahead of the general election held in April 2019 which proposed outlawing prostitution in what was seen as a move to attract female voters.

The manifesto called prostitution “one of the cruelest aspects of the feminisation of poverty and one of the worst forms of violence against women”.

  

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MIDDLE EAST CRISIS

Spain’s PM to set date for recognition of Palestinian state on Wednesday

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Friday he will on Wednesday announce the date on which Madrid will recognise a Palestinian state along with other nations.

Spain's PM to set date for recognition of Palestinian state on Wednesday

“We are in the process of coordinating with other countries,” he said during an interview with private Spanish television station La Sexta when asked if this step would be taken on Tuesday as announced by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Sanchez said in March that Spain and Ireland, along with Slovenia and Malta had agreed to take the first steps towards recognition of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, seeing a two-state solution as essential for lasting peace.

Borrell told Spanish public radio last week that Spain, Ireland and Slovenia planned to symbolically recognise a Palestinian state on May 21, saying he had been given this date by Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares.

Ireland’s Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said Tuesday that Dublin was certain to recognise Palestinian statehood by the end of the month but the “specific date is still fluid”.

So far, 137 of the 193 UN member states have recognised a Palestinian state, according to figures provided by the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.

Despite the growing number of EU countries in favour of such a move, neither France nor Germany support the idea. Western powers have long argued such recognition should only happen as part of a negotiated peace with Israel.

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