Madrid, Spain, Oct 19, 2021 / 15:01 pm
Spain’s prime minister has vowed to end the practice of prostitution in the country, saying it enslaves women.
Pedro Sánchez, of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, made the pledge at the end of a party congress in Valencia. Sánchez, a self-described atheist who took office in January 2020, has yet to draft legislation on the matter.
Spain is estimated to be one of the largest markets for prostitution in Europe. According to a 2009 survey by a Spanish state agency, one in three men in the historically Catholic country has paid for sex.
While prostitution has been decriminalized and unregulated in Spain since 1995, sexual exploitation and pimping are illegal. Brothels in the country shut down in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.