15 Countries Where Prostitution Is Legal, And You Should Not Be Surprised

Prostitution, a word that has been disregarded and looked down upon, for years now. But the harsh truth is, prostitution has always made its place in a country, regardless of its legal status due to abject poverty and unpredictable situations some people go through. Some countries prefer to completely prohibit it while others tend to provide social security benefits to sex workers and treat them on an equal pedestal just like other workers.

Here we have collected a list of such countries that have chosen to make prostitution legal!

1. Belgium

Belgium is leaving no stones unturned when it comes to doing away with the aggression and fear in regard to prostitution by making it legal and also undertaking appropriate state of the art brothels with fingerprint technology and key cards.

2. New Zealand

New Zealand has always preferred prostitution as legal work since the year 2003. In New Zealand there exists licensed brothels functioning under the control of public health and employment laws, which implies that prostitutes get similar benefits as the employees working get.

3. Australia

In Oz it actually depends on the place, that is, in some places, it is legal and in others, they are not. A similar theory applies to brothel ownership.

4. Austria

It is all legal in Austria. The workers are needed to just register and go through periodic health checkup, to be of at least 19 years old or older, and lastly to pay taxes. Even when all these things exist, still there are many cases of forced prostitution and smuggling.

5. Bangladesh

Apart from male prostitutes, everyone else is permitted. Brothel ownership is also allowed. But this country is deeply ingrained in child smuggling crime which exists due to corruption.

6. Ecuador

Prostitution is completely legal in this country. You can be a prostitute, own a brothel or a pimp. Forced prostitution, again still exists here.

7. Brazil

Although Prostitution is allowed here, it’s problematic if you are channelling your inner Snoop Dogg and pimping away to glory.

8. Canada

You are permitted to prostitute yourself, but buying sex is strictly prohibited here. This dangerous loophole in law places sex workers in quite a dangerous and risky position.

9. Colombia

Working as prostitutes is completely allowed here, although pimping is prohibited. Prostitution is a much common profession in places like Cartagena and Barranquilla.

10. Denmark

Sex work is allowed here. The additional, government even provides assistance to disabled people to get laid by bearing the extra costs some of them have to pay.

11. Netherlands

This is one place that has allowed all range of sex works, so clearly, prostitution is allowed here. They are clearly shattering the taboos that exist worldwide.

12. France

Sex work is legal here, but soliciting in public is prohibited along with owning a pimp and brothels. This was prohibited in the year 1946.

13. Germany

Working as a prostitute was permitted in the year 1927 and there even exists proper state-run brothels and pimps. The prostitutes are given health insurance, have to pay taxes and even get benefited from social benefits such as a pension.

14. Greece

Greece, just like Germany, has regarded prostitution as a legal job. The workers receive equal rights and have to go for health checkups quite a number of times.

15. Indonesia

Giving due weightage to the fact that prostitution in itself does not exist in their law in simple terms, it’s valid to say that the sex trade is legal. This implies a hazardous environment for forced workers and minors.

What about India?

In India prostitution is legal, but public prostitution and soliciting are against the law. Running a brothel is also illegal, but, there are places like Sonagachi, GB Road, Kamathipura etc., which prove these laws are hardly implemented.