Date Published: 21/08/2020
ARCHIVED - Minister of Equality asks for brothels to be closed in Spain due to Covid; Castilla La Mancha obliges
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
On Friday afternoon Catalonia also announced that it would be complying with the request.
A storm has blown up on Friday centred around the topic of Covid and prostitution in Spain
On Friday the Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, sparked a political storm after sending a request to the Governments of the autonomous regions of Spain to close brothels and hostess clubs as part of reinforcement measures to combat coronavirus.
The Minister justified her decision in an interview with radio nacional, saying that closing hostess clubs and stopping prostitution in brothels "will be fundamental" for the control of coronavirus outbreaks, since "tracking is more difficult" in prostituted women and it is necessary to "guarantee their rights."
"Closing these hostess clubs is going to be fundamental and it is one of the things that has to characterize us as a government," said Montero. She also criticized that "little is said about the pimp industry" which, she stressed, generates around five million euros a day in revenue.
Her request has drawn criticism from prominent feminists, who consider that the justification should not be the pandemic but the rights and dignity of women. Both members of the PSOE and well-known feminists have condemned the Podemos Unidos minister for approaching the measure from a health perspective.
Socialist deputy Andrea Fernández said, "Brothels are centers of slavery rather than sources of contagion," she commented on her social network.
In fact, she added that they should be closed "insofar as they are places for the exploitation of human beings", so "they must be eradicated forever, not closed because they pose a danger in terms of contagion."
PSOE deputy Ángeles Álvarez highlighted "the absurdity of closing nightclubs and keeping brothels open", so she is "happy" that "they are urged to close."
In her case, the criticism is focused on the fact that the decision has been left in the hands of the autonomous communities and has not been included in the order of the Ministry of Health agreed with the autonomous communities.
Castilla La Mancha government reacts rapidly and orders a ban on brothels, effective from Sunday
On Friday the Government of Castilla-La Mancha decreed the closure of the brothels in the region for 24 hours a day, effective from 00:00 hours on Sunday, August 23rd.
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