Latest news with #redlightdistrict
The Sun
9 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
Amsterdam MEGA brothel takes huge leap towards becoming reality: 5-floor red light romp-factory to house 100 sex workers
AMSTERDAM may soon have a mega Dutch brothel that will span over five floors and house hundreds of sex workers. Incredible plans have been revealed for Erotisch Centrum - a multi-million dollar building with multiple bars and erotic entertainment venues - including a strip club. 7 7 7 Amsterdam City Council has long been planning to build a massive brothel to relocate prostitutes away from the city's current red light district. And from this week, residents will be able to respond to the plans that are being backed by the city's mayor herself. According to Femke Halsema, the space will ensure safer working conditions, reduce criminality and tackle human trafficking. Concept designs revealed in 2020 showed two towers in red and black with spiral ramps. It comes as part of Dutch attempts to clear their capital's reputation and improve its image as a historical city. The city eventually plans to shut down the centuries-old red light district, which is popular for its neon-lit windows where sex workers stand and try to attract customers. But many residents - and prostitutes - have already voiced their concerns about the plans. World's largest brothel in Cologne Germany fully booked for Euros In December 2023, Mayor Halsema proposed that the building should be built in Zuid - an affluential district in the south of the city. The plans for a building solely dedicated to sex work were supposed to provide safe working conditions. But it has attracted a wealth of criticism claiming that it does the exact opposite. Some sex workers have decried being pushed out of the historic centre of prostitution, De Wallen, saying that other areas are prone to stigma and they could be at risk when travelling to and from work. During a public discussion on the planning, former sex worker Mariska Majoor, said: "A prostitution window on the street is very different from one in a closed erotic centre. "The location is dark at night. There will be more stigma and more danger. "I'm worried they will be waited for on the paths by people with nefarious plans." While another sex worker added: "Sex workers have moved from doorways to windows…and now into a segregated centre pushed to the edge of town, out of sight, out of mind. "Keep your laws off our bodies and no erotic prisons." Over 40 people spoke out against the plans during the public discussion - with some even going as far as to compare the brothel to a 16th century "spinning house" that marked "fallen women". The European Medicines Agency, who moved to the Zuid district in 2019, have said that they are "extremely concerned" by the plans. A spokesman for the agency said: 'EMA is very concerned that this will create safety, security and nuisance issues. 'The change of the location of the red light district is motivated by concerns of nuisance, drug-dealing, drunkenness and disorderly behaviour. 'Locating the Erotic Centre in close proximity to EMA's building is likely to bring the same negative impacts to the adjacent area. 7 7 7 '(We will be taking this to the) highest appropriate political and diplomatic level to ensure a safe working environment. 'EMA's work is essential for the protection of public health in the EU, and this should not be jeopardised by fears of staff and EU experts coming to EMA's building.' So far, only seven people have spoken out in favour of the plans - among them, a male sex worker called Richard Jones. Jones believes that the mega brothel could create more space for sex workers from minority groups. He said that these sex workers are currently working in homes, either their own or their clients, and that this poses a big safety risk. Jones went on to argue that if they had access to a large space, tailor-made for sex work, these minorities would be much safer. He also added: 'People who say they don't want it in their neighbourhood don't realise it is already happening…with their husbands, their friends, with them themselves. "At the moment, your houses are our workplaces.' Inside the rise of AI brothels By Sarah Bull, Senior Reporter IT'S a city famous for its landmarks and culture. But beneath Berlin's vibrant exterior is a disturbing underworld of cyber adult entertainment. The German capital is the first place in the world to open an AI brothel, which allows people to book an hour with artificially advanced "sex dolls" ready to grant their every wish - however depraved that may be. And shockingly, there are also numerous people who use the AI "women" solely to abuse - without any fear of the consequences - and then share the disturbing images of their actions on social media. Writer Laura Bates experienced Cybrothel first hand when she visited for her new book The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny. And in an interview on the Should I Delete That? podcast, Laura explained she made a custom request - for her robot doll to have her clothes slashed and torn - just to "see if they did it". She said they were happy to, with "no questions asked". You can even order a doll "covered in blood", Laura said. "I genuinely think it's the most f***ed up thing I've ever heard in my life," podcast host Em Clarkson said. But Cybrothel co-owner Matthias Smetana insisted of the sessions available there: "If you are here, the only person who can judge you is yourself." 'We have a lot of people who have never been in touch with sex work, who are really down to try it but are looking for a safe space," he told "If you face performance anxiety, this doesn't go in Cybrothel as you are dealing with sex toys, not humans." And it's not just in a cyber brothel in Berlin that people are able to "enjoy" the perks of an AI sex robot - advancing technology means you can have one in your pocket too.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Amsterdam's plan to get rid of its red light district - by creating a five-storey mega-brothel 'erotic prison' filled with prostitutes and dumping it on another suburb
Amsterdam is planning to get rid of its notorious red light district with a controversial plan to build a five-storey 'mega brothel' in the suburbs. Under proposals backed by the mayor, the city has touted the hub as a safer alternative for sex workers that also improves the image of the historic centre. From this week, residents will be able to respond to the plans as the City of Amsterdam looks to push through its initiative after a 'long process of consultation'. But residents and prostitutes have already come out against the plans, branding the concept an 'erotic prison' that will contribute to stigma and impact locals. At a council meeting at the city hall, the majority of more than 40 speakers said they opposed the building of the site in the affluent Zuid district. The plans would see a multi-million euro multiplex built with some 100 windows for sex workers, as well as entertainment and erotica available for guests. Preliminary designs shared in 2020 show two towers in red and black with spiral ramps for visitors to climb up, passing live shows on the way. According to the mayor, the space will ensure safer working conditions, reduce criminality and tackle human trafficking. The innovative solution followed noise complaints over misbehaving tourists visiting the red light district in De Wallen, central Amsterdam. A small faction of supporters have praised the initiative, including one male sex worker who said the site would create more space for minority sex workers. He said those sex workers were currently either working out of their own homes or would go and visit clients, putting their safety at risk. Another resident said the site would 'update' the city centre, which has seen the confluence of historic sites with sex tourism. Amsterdam City Council has been considering relocating legal prostitution away from its historic red light district for years and in February 2023 announced three possible locations for the centre. They hoped to agree a location by the end of 2024. The city eventually plans to shut down the centuries-old red light district, known for the neon-lit windows in which sex workers stand as they try to attract customers. This will depend on agreement from those affected. It could still take years to build the site. Realising the project still faces obstacles. Currently, the City is working on a 'project paper', inviting residents to read and respond between June 12 and July 23, 2025. The view is to make a decision by the end of the year before writing an 'investment paper'. By the end of 2026, they will make a decision as to whether or not construction of the centre can begin. Huge protests have already amassed in response to the proposals. In a meeting in the south of the city, hundreds of angry locals argued against the building of a 'mega brothel' on their doorstep, unexpectedly finding themselves on the side of sex workers bidding to stay in the city. Residents are wary of moving sex work to residential areas outside the city, while sex workers feel the moves constitute a 'witch hunt', hurting sex workers' livelihoods without tackling crime itself. The mayor said she was convinced that the erotic centre would not cause any danger and that sex workers would be more secure. Businesses, too, have voiced concern about moving the district to a sole building on the outskirts of the city. The European Medicines Agency HQ, based near the proposed sites, said it was 'concerned' about plans for the centre. 'The change of the location of the Red Light District is motivated by concerns of nuisance, drug-dealing, drunkenness and disorderly behaviour,' the EMA said in a statement. 'Locating the Erotic Centre in close proximity to EMA's building is likely to bring the same negative impacts to the adjacent area.' 'EMA is very concerned that this will create safety, security and nuisance issues' for its staff and for visiting delegates, who often have to leave late in the evening, the regulator said in a statement. 'The change of the location of the red light district is motivated by concerns of nuisance, drug-dealing, drunkenness and disorderly behaviour,' it added. Two of the three proposed locations for the huge new brothel are near the EMA's high-tech headquarters in a business district on the southern outskirts of Amsterdam. FILE PHOTO: The city eventually plans to shut down the centuries-old red light district, known for the neon-lit windows in which sex workers stand as they try to attract customers Sex workers, too, have expressed their reservations. Sabrina Sanchez, a sex worker, told AFP: 'We really don't agree with their solutions that they are offering, that they are imposing. They're not even negotiating with the sex workers' organisations.' Michelle, an Amsterdam sex worker, said: 'If you're already inside that's fine, but you also have to go out with your earnings.' She also argued that the 100 booths for sex workers in the erotic centre were far fewer than the 250 spots in the red-light district. But, with its spaces dedicated to rest, art, culture and 'erotic' entertainment, the planned centre could be beneficial for some, so long as the aim is not to shut down the red-light district altogether, she added. Huub Nelis, chairman of MBO College Zuid trade school, said concerns remained that the centre would bring new criminality to the area, too. 'Our students don't just walk around up to 5pm but also in the evening,' he said, as reported by Dutch News. 'There will be parents who will say, my child won't go there, and that's the only education [for their chosen career] in Amsterdam. 'For the erotic pleasure of the one, some children will not be able to get their education.' One former sex worker argued against the closure of the red-light district, but noted that 'there are also trans and gay' sex workers for whom there is 'no place, and this centre offers them an option.' An older study into experiences of the red light district concluded that the nature of the current spaces granted sex workers independence and standardisation in interaction and negotiation, which was largely shaped by tourist expectations. The regulation of sex work in Amsterdam ensures industry workers, including but not limited to sex workers, are safer and reliably paid, generating steady tax revenues for the city. Sex workers are also eligible for health insurance, unemployment and invalidity benefits, and can access STI checks. Regulation has made human trafficking much more rare and access to health support has made the experience safer for clients.
