Changes in Amsterdam’s red light district

Sex workers are protesting as Amsterdam officials work to shut down the city's red light district.

Transcript

00:00Sex workers in Amsterdam are protesting recent changes and future plans to rebrand the city's

00:06historic red light district.

00:07As of April 1st, city officials required sex work businesses to stop services at 3am rather

00:13than 6am.

00:14It was an effort to curb disruptive behavior and harassment by those visiting the sex tourism

00:18district.

00:19But new business hours have reduced income for sex workers, caused a rise in rent prices

00:23for window spaces, and limited the number of safe transit options for workers to get

00:28home and transport their earnings during early morning hours.

00:31This ruling came amidst a broader campaign by the city council to move sex workers from

00:35the red light district into a singular erotic center outside of the city center.

00:40In March, hundreds of masked sex workers took to the streets and confronted the mayor at

00:44city hall, saying the relocation plan was unsafe and would harm their livelihoods.

00:49Sex workers say reforms like these only increase stigma and believe they are being targeted

00:53and blamed for the city's larger issues with crime, intoxication, drug abuse, and

00:58mass tourism.