The Netherlands
Prostitution was legalised in the Netherlands in 2000 in order to regulate the sex industry and bring the associated criminal activity under control. However, over the last decade the sex industry in The Netherlands has expanded by 25% and now accounts for 5% of the economy. In November 2003 a Bill to combat smuggling and trafficking in human beings was introduced into legislation and later amended in January 2005.
It is now widely agreed that legalisation in the Netherlands has failed with organised crime, violence, trafficking and involvement of underage women on the rise.
