Saturday, March 27, 2010

Not gone, just moved on

When we first moved to Bigastro, there was a prostitute who would ply her trade on the junction between the CV-95 (Orihuela to Torrevieja) and the CV-945 that joins the CV-95 to the CV-905 (Crevillente to Torrevieja). She was the first one we had come across and it surprised us how open the young lady was about her business.

Then an English lady, who lives near Torremendo in the house that featured in Grand Designs Abroad, took exception to the young lady's presence. The neighbour was concerned about the impression her daughter would get as she took her to school so she plagued the young lady even resorting to throwing eggs at her. Eventually the young lady gave up and chose another site. The important point is that the problem wasn’t cured just moved on

That is exactly what has happened to the ladies who used to work the roads near Daya Vieja. On the roundabout off the CV-91 between Daya VIeja and Formentera there used to be up to ten prostitutes, mostly Romanians. Since the mayor declared war on them, the girls have moved up the road and only appear in the Daya Vieja area on Saturdays and Sundays.

To be fair, the local police in Daya Vieja have tried to help the girls by offering them help and advice to make a career change. They have also given them phone numbers of local social services but most say they have not been forced into prostitution. They say that they choose to do this to earn extra money, so they are not quitting.

Daya VIeja’s loss is everyone else's gain (or should that be the other way round). Unless all municipalities place a ban on prostitution in the streets, the girls will just move around to find somewhere more accommodating hopefully not too close to my house!

1 comment:

Pete said...

Ah, the old moving on problem. We've seen it in Britain for fifty years, and it's still going on in Liverpool.

Just like any other market, legal or otherwise, if there are people wanting to buy and people prepared to sell then trade WILL take place.

Any attempt to halt it will ultimately prove useless. It just moves and moves and moves.

The only way as I see it to manage prostitution is to licence it. If the street workers get off the streets and into a shop or discreet first floor area then people who want to buy will know where to go and the 'goods' won't have to be displayed on the streets for all to see.