It sounds like the answer to the prayers of the Spanish government. A multi-billion-dollar gambling complex led by an American tycoon who promises to bring the glamour of California to Spain and kick-start the country’s struggling economy by creating a quarter of a million jobs. But EuroVegas, as it’s known, is also a scheme that has sparked fears about spiralling crime, prostitution and environmental violations and which has highlighted the age-old tensions between Spain’s two main cities. American casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, with an estimated $25-billion fortune, plans to build a European gambling hub that will include six casinos and 12 hotels. His Las Vegas Sands company says … [Read more...] about A slice of Vegas in Spain stirs controversy
prostitution
Sex for money… but don’t advertise it
“Bulgarian girl, 21 years old, available at homes and hotels from 12am to 9pm.” “Alina, all services €30, no limits.” “We are a couple of friends willing to give you pleasure and relaxation with utmost discretion.” For decades adverts for sexual services - ranging from the tactful to the graphically explicit - have filled the classified ads pages of Spanish newspapers. In a country where prostitution is neither legal nor illegal the personal ads sections of local tabloids, national dailies and magazines have long been the preferred medium for prostitutes and brothels to publicize their services. But under new proposals recently unveiled by the government, such adverts could soon be … [Read more...] about Sex for money… but don’t advertise it
Sex and the Spanish single lady
Madrid is full of women who are beautiful, intelligent, financially independent, over 30 and…single. It seems particularly hard for these single ladies to find their partner for life. With a ratio of 1.07 men to women and a deeply entrenched Catholic culture that promotes traditional family values, what’s behind this trend, if it’s not the numbers? Society and culture tell us we should all dream of finding a soul mate to spend our lives with and create a family, but the rules of the game have changed. Women no longer have to put up with things they don’t want. They don’t have to depend financially on a man. Their place in society does not depend any more on being someone’s wife. Yet many … [Read more...] about Sex and the Spanish single lady
What I learned in a Spanish brothel
“My mother brought me my first client when I was 14. Since then, I’ve had an average of three to five men per night. I’m 25 now. I think I am probably the biggest whore in this club”, says Diana (her “professional” name), one of the 120 prostitutes who work at Vive, one of the best-known brothels in Madrid. Vive is located in the Bravo Murillo district, next to Estrecho metro station. Every night it opens its doors to clients who, as Manuel, a regular for the past three years, puts it, are “just looking for some drinks and some fun if the night really warms up.” He adds: “I don’t sleep with the girls every night I come, only when I really feel like it. Most of the time, I just come for … [Read more...] about What I learned in a Spanish brothel
The industrialisation of prostitution
For the first time, the Spanish police have released figures on the number of women reportedly forced into prostitution by traffickers and pimps. Last year, the authorities say police rescued or were approached by around 1,300 women working in the sex industry against their will, most of them from Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Africa. The real figure is undoubtedly much, much, higher: over the last three years, the police have smashed more than 40 prostitution networks alone. Official estimates put the number of female prostitutes in Spain at around 100,000. Other sources put it as high as 400,000. More than 80 percent are foreigners, and most were brought here by international … [Read more...] about The industrialisation of prostitution