sábado, 27 de marzo de 2010
Gooners Whoring In Barcelona?
More Legal Brothels In Barcelona
Maybe the Adjuntamiento de Barcelona (the town council) have been reading this blog!
They've just granted 45 more licenses for whorehouses in Barcelona. And they actually quoted the reason as being an attempt to reduce the exploitation of women.
Arrested In Barcelona
A previously convicted sex offender was arrested in Barcelona on suspicion of being the armed robber and rapist of at least 3 prostitutes in Barcelona and Madrid.
Well actually the Spanish police and press seem to say he IS rather than the police and press in other countries who would say he was arrested on suspicion of having committed the crime since he hasn't been found guilty yet. A minor academic point given that he was caught with false police ID, handcuffs and a gun on his way to meet a prostitute that had been lined up the same way as the other known victims.
According to LaVanguardia he was meeting the women who worked privately from their homes via the internet, (Im guessing loquo.com as its the number 1 for this type of listing but there are many more) then when he turned up he would identify himself as a policeman, search them and take any money and valuables they had. Maybe the girls involved thought this was normal police "taxation". However he then proceeded to rape them.
I'm sure we all have our own ideas about what should happen to rapists although I think since the times of the inquisition Spanish judges haven't had access to rusty scissors.
This tragic case may be isolated or it could be one of the few that these girls are willing to report to police to allow them to investigate. It is tragic and these things shouldn't happen. Sadly it's proof again of how if prostitution is forced underground then crimes like this can occure more easily - women working outside of the law have to think hard before going to the police. Also something like this is virtually impossible within the confines of a registered club where the girls are always in company and where the police can be called without fear.
Lets hope this guy get what he deserves.
viernes, 26 de febrero de 2010
Chinese Brothel at Aragon 429 In Armed Robbery
For a few years theres been a Chinese brothel at Aragon 429 in Barcelona. Everybody who watches or participates in the brothel scene in Barcelona knows about it with dozens o adverts in Loquo, LaVanguardia, El Pais etc, forum entries and so on, just google for the address Arago 429 (Català) or Aragon 429 (Spanish).
We say Chinese but in their adverts they often say oriental, it sounds a bit more exotic from a marketing perspective, similar to being served under cooked fish in a sea food restaurant and upon complaining being told its Sushi.
Anyway, despite having been raided at least once by the police and immigration officials(along with Consell de Cent 477, Gran Via 665, Paral·lel 169, Muntaner 10, Sepúlveda 36, València 305, Campo Florido 19, avenida Gaudí 66, Nàpols 206 and Rocafort 124.) this place, typical of so many similar "oriental" brothels in Barcelona stays open, it stays operating yet stays in that gray area of legality. Its not licensed, its not regulated and apart from the odd police raid theres nothing Ive seen or read to suggest that the girls in there are happily working with all of their papers in order.
Anyone could guess at the odds of the owners declaring VAT or IVA on their income, we can only imagine if the operators pay taxes and if it turned out that the girls were'nt properly contracted then obviously social security wouldnt come into it. Far be it from me to suggest without documentary proof that the girls are working non too happily for some Chinese gangster but lets face it, they wouldnt be wanting to invite the local bobby on the beat in for cup of tea either.
So when a gang of Romanian armed robbers need places to rob where theres stacks of cash and little chance of the police being called in a hurry why not head for the illegal brothels? You cant get caught if theyre not looking for you and they cant look for you if its not reported. Its simply a consequence of these places being off the legal radar.
The whole affair is quite tragic, the reports dont mention injuries inside the whorehouse (could be theyre not wanting to speak to the police or they all disappeared before more police arrived) but two police were shot. The reporter at LaVanguardia suggests that this is one of many robberies which only came to light due to the neighbours calling the police.
So assuming your an illegal brothel owner wouldnt it be worth investing in a gun to defend yourself and hey, lets just shoot it out if anyone turns up? Crime breads crime.
Lets look at the legal places or a moment to see the point I'm making here. If you're a legal and licensed club you would (in Barcelona at least) have a panic button/silent alarm to the police which would be common knowledge, making it a lot riskier to try and rob. Plus the (unconfirmed) issue of police visiting for their off duty inspections.
My point again on this blog is simple, legalise brothels, not to promote prostitution but to protect the girls and to take a few billion a year out of the black economy which encourages auxiliary crime and trafficking. Get the punters paying the cash in legal places where the girls are legal and hit the traffickers in the pocket.
martes, 8 de septiembre de 2009
Clampdown on Street Walkers on the Ramblas (Barcelona)
About a week ago there were various reports from the local Adjuntamiento (town hall) in Barcelona about the political hot potato of prostitution on the Ramblas and how it should be handled. Obviously someone had made a bit of noise and now some poor overworked politician would have to drag his heels and be seen to do something.
Being the mega tourist destination that it is, Barcelona is worried that falling tourist numbers will soon hit the economy, whilst the whole game plan of Barcelona Tourism is switching to higher end tourism, looking to bury the drunken hen nights, the boisterous stag weekends and the sex tourism in the past.
So a few days ago there was a clamp down in certain high profile areas of the Ramblas in front of lots of cameras to show that they (local police and Adjuntamiento) are clamping down on the hookers. Well some of them. In a few places. Whilst the others around the corner carry on unhindered. And maybe tomorrow they continue in front of the police station as usual when the cameras have gone. Initially they appear to have moved to Glorias , Rambla de Catalunya and Diputacion for the moment so nothing has really been acheived and things just become harder to monitor.
Well anyway, they got some airtime and lots of column inches in the local press to show their dedication to cleaning up the Ramblas. I have no doubt there will be any reduction in street level prostitution around the Ramblas and yet again the powers that be fail to address the real issues and cash their chips in for a photo opportunity.
Speaking of photo opportunities, a few punters have recently gained their 15 minutes of fame. See any faces (or body parts) that you recognize?