In the Netherlands, Amsterdam's famous De Wallen red-light district may be relocated to a new site further from the city center and become operational from 2031.
Amsterdam has found a potential location to relocate the De Wallen red-light district: Europaboulevard in the south of the capital. Europaboulevard is one of three areas being considered for the construction of a new "adult center," which would house around 100 rooms for prostitutes. Its advantages include being outside residential areas and having convenient transportation links by both public and private vehicles.
Femke Halsema, the city's mayor, said Europaboulevard was the perfect location for the new red-light district. Since taking office in 2018, Halsema has been working to relocate the red-light district to a new location. The new red-light district will include spaces for the LGBTQ+ community in Amsterdam, along with areas dedicated to provocative and feminist cultural events.
A view of the De Wallen district. Photo: Amsterdam
The relocation of the red-light district has sparked mixed reactions. Sex workers are protesting due to safety concerns and a lack of customers, while residents in the new location are also not pleased with the appearance of the red-light district. The relocation plan will be discussed by the city council next month. If approved, the new red-light district could be operational from 2031.
De Wallen has approximately 250 licensed "customer reception windows," with 100 expected to be relocated once the city issues an official decision. One of the reasons for relocating these establishments is to help sex workers avoid the constant ridicule and harassment from tourists .
Mayor Halsema wanted to protect De Wallen from the prying eyes of tourists. In 2019, she proposed several changes, such as closing brothels with glass windows, reducing the number of licenses issued to brothels, requiring customers to pay just to enter the street, and simultaneously planning to relocate the street further from the city center.
In 2021, when the Amsterdam city council voted to relocate De Wallen to the suburbs or a nearby town, Red Light United, an alliance representing hundreds of legal sex workers employed in brothels in De Wallen, objected. They believed it would be costly for the city and would not help secure livelihoods for legal workers. The new location, further from the city center, also raised concerns that the street would see fewer customers.
Hoai Anh (According to) Time Out
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