New research into the sex trade on the Balearic Islands estimates that
around 100,000 men use prostitutes there every year. There are thought to be around
2,350 prostituted women on the Mediterranean islands of Ibiza, Majorca, Minorca
and Formentera, although the study indicates that this figure is likely to be
an underestimate.
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| A police operation targetting prostituted women in Magaluf |
A new investigation into the prostitution industry has been carried out by the GEBIP, a coalition of prostitution
researchers from several organisations working on the Balearic islands. The report is the first of its kind to focus on male buyers on the Spanish islands,
including permanent residents, seasonal workers and tourists.
The study found that around 4,900 men were ‘heavy’ consumers who used
prostituted women 5 times or more a month. 15,000 men paid for sex acts 3 or 4
times a month, while around 25,000 paid once a month. In addition to these
groups of residents, tourists and seasonal workers bring the figure up to roughly
100,000 male users a year. During the tourist season the consumption of
prostitution increases dramatically on the Spanish islands, where the sex trade
is estimated to be worth at least 50 million euros a year.
This demand is attended to by around 2,350 prostituted women, of whom
600 are paid to perform sex acts by at least 20 men a week, while 750 attend to
10 men a week. According to interviews conducted as part of the study, most of
these women have been trafficked and trapped in debt bondage by their pimps, forcing
them to attend to more men. There is also a growing trend in ‘part-time’
prostitution, with around 1000 women who attend to 3 or 4 men a week, mainly during
the tourist season. Most of the women also have low-paid jobs outside of the
sex industry.
The report also highlights the many damaging effects of the islands’ economic
crisis on women and children in prostitution. Hardship and tough competition is
driving down prices, meaning prostituted women are being forced to perform more
high-risk sexual acts demanded by male buyers, including penetration without a
condom. The number of women aged 40 or over in prostitution is also on the
increase, many of whom use the money to support their families. The sexual
exploitation of minors, who are usually homeless or from very poor families, is
also on the rise according to the study.
The investigation found that women and girls are increasingly being pimped
in small apartments where they are less visible and more vulnerable to
violence. The policy of fining prostituted women by the local authorities has
been condemned by Medicos del Mundo, an NGO which forms part of the GEBIP, and
works with victims of the sex trade. Alberto Gundin, a spokesman for the
organisation, condemns the criminalisation of the women, stating that “they aren’t
‘delinquents’ or antisocial people who need punishment. They are victims of sex
trafficking”. Gundin also points out that the vast majority of fines are given
to women who have been trafficked from African countries and not usually women
of other nationalities, leading to accusations of institutional racism. The
report concludes that penalising prostituted women increases their stigmatisation
and subjection to sexual violence, and that the pressure needs to be transferred
to the male buyers.
Translation and adaption by Ben Riddick
Spanish source text here