Legalities and safety concerns of visiting prostitutes in Amsterdam
A friend of mine left his girlfriend after a long (~5 years) relationship. To cheer him up a little bit, we decided to go to Amsterdam, as they have liberal prostitution and drug consuming laws.
We're planning to get him laid every day while over there. But we're not really used to bargain with hookers and assessing the quality.
I have a set of important questions:
- What price level are we talking about?
- Is it considered rude to ask a hooker for references?
- Is there a chance to get into trouble? How can I avoid that?
- I also heard that there are a lot of illegal sex workers practicing in Amsterdam. How can I differentiate between the legal and the illegal hookers?
- I really care for my friend, and don't want him to get any STDs or STIs. How common are they in Amsterdam?
EDIT
I added a bounty to encourage everybody to share their wisdom about the prostitution business with me.
Best Answer
As always the Wikipedia articles has some useful information. Firstly I'd note that the prostitutes are not required by law to undergo regular health checks, so it goes without saying to use precautions and good judgement. Secondly, sadly, even in countries with legalized prostitution you still get woman who are the victims of human trafficking, they should be avoid for the obvious reason and also because there is a higher likelihood of 'unwanted outside attention' like being shaken down or scammed by a pimp.
As with anything in life if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Ask plenty of questions - the last thing you want is for your buddy to end up with something he didn't want...
Pictures about "Legalities and safety concerns of visiting prostitutes in Amsterdam"
Are prostitutes in Amsterdam checked?
"I'm very careful, I use condoms. But the tests are free, so I take advantage of them," says the young woman, dressed in a pink top and black leggings. If mores have changed since the arrival of AIDS, and the condom has been "democratised", the sexworkers insist they must remain vigilant to the risk of infection.Can you get STD in Red Light District?
It's very safe.\u201d Yet another pillar of the safety conversation is, of course, safe sex. There tends to be a misconception is that sex in the Red Light District is unprotected and that the sex workers must be riddled with STDs. Again, this couldn't be further from the truth.What can you not do in the Red Light District in Amsterdam?
10 rules in the Red Light District of Amsterdam- No photos or videos of the prostitutes. ...
- No alcohol on the streets. ...
- Think about the neighbors. ...
- Be respectful to the prostitutes. ...
- No refund from prostitutes. ...
- Don't stand in front of the windows. ...
- Don't buy drugs from the street dealers. ...
- Use the public urinals.
What it is Like to Rent Rooms at Amsterdam Red Light District
More answers regarding legalities and safety concerns of visiting prostitutes in Amsterdam
Answer 2
To answer the last question: the HIV rate alone is about 7%. Source: RIVM 2005 (RIVM is the Dutch Public Health authority). Other STD's are also prevalent. Amongst tested female Commercial Sex Workers, chlamydia occurs in 7% of cases, gonorrhoea in 2%, genital warts 1% RIVM 2009.
BTW for future reference: the STI rates under males and transgenders are even higher.
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Images: Ono Kosuki, Mikhail Nilov, Dmitriy Ganin, Ono Kosuki