This site requires JavaScript. To ensure you can use all the features please enable it. We use cookies on this website. Prostitutes in Antwerp's red light district have held an open day in a campaign to keep the city's "shop window" houses. Authorities have looked into ways of closing them down in an effort to clean up the city.
These are red light districts where prostitutes sell their services from behind windows. On Saturday, they invited the public to take a look inside for free. They are angry about the Dutch authorities' attempts to close them down and argue the areas they work in are safe. One woman, who did not want to be identified, said the prostitutes want people to find out for themselves that prostitution does not necessarily attract criminal elements. The men and women who came to see the window-box rooms appeared to support the prostitutes' appeal although some were not convinced it was the best night spot for them to visit.
Local policeman Frans Verschuven broadly agreed with the prostitutes and defended the area against accusations that the sex industry makes it a magnet for crime. Antwerp's red light district has lived on for some years and many believe that closing it down will not put an end to prostitution but merely drive it underground. The question would then be how best to ensure the safety of prostitutes once hidden away behind closed doors, where it is more difficult to control.
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