Netherlands: Minimum Age for Prostitutes | European Journal

Amsterdam is considering imposing a new law that all prostitutes there must be at least 23 years old. It's a way the municipal authorities are trying to crack down on forced prostitution.UNICEF estimates that some 6000 young people under 17 are trafficked into Western Europe from the east every year. Introducing a minimum age, the authorities hope, would help ensure that the only people plying their trade in the red light district would be doing so of their own free will. The prostitutes themselves also reject the underage commerce, but feel the initiative is another step to marginalize them.