Amsterdam- Looking to draw the shades on part of its infamous red-light district, Amsterdam will pay $35 million to the city's "Emperor of Sex" for 18 of his brothels and convert them to housing and shops. That deal will eliminate 51 storefront windows where women conduct business — nearly one-third of the spaces used for prostitution, which is legal in the Netherlands and is a magnet for Amsterdam's tourists.
As part of the agreement, Charles "Fats" Geerts, Amsterdam's biggest brothel owner, agrees not to re-invest in prostitution or drugs. He's been investigated for money laundering and narcotics and had his license revoked, but never charged.
Mayor Job Cohen said the heavy concentration of the sex trade in the canal city's crowded center has degraded the quality of life, encouraged crime and exploited women.
"Our aim is to combat criminality. To make the district more manageable. To improve the quality of life by reducing the excessive concentration of prostitution, bad-quality cafés and restaurants, and marijuana coffee shops," he said, according to Radio Netherlands. "We want to create more opportunities for bona fide businesses."
The Dutch sex workers' union sees it differently.
"We believe that less windows means more exploitation of women," spokeswoman Metje Blaak told Agence France-Presse. "If the windows close down, women who are being exploited will be hidden somewhere else where union representatives and health workers can't make contact with them."
A window costs about 100 euros ($140) for part of the day, and several prostitutes usually share one throughout the day and night.
The BBC, London's Telegraph and Germany's Spiegel are among the outlets picking up this story (so to speak).
One other that caught our eye (and raised a brow): Product-Reviews.
