Law banning prostitution ads reaches Congress

The government on Friday asked lawmakers to ban prostitution advertising from all newspapers in Spain, including in online editions.

In its attempt to reform the Law of Advertising, the government said that it wants to keep such advertising away from minors and prevent sexual exploitation. Exceptions to the ban will be web pages or internet publications geared for adult entertainment.

The Socialist government said that it met with representatives of all the parties to win their support, and will now hold meetings with newspaper publishers to try to convince them. But publishers have said that printing these ads is legal and that they are protected by the constitutional right to freedom of the press. They also state they have a self-regulatory code to eliminate photos and explicit texts from classified ads that could offend readers.

The Council of State — advisory board of legal experts, former ministers and high-ranking civil servants — the government and feminist organizations have all called for the ban, arguing that prostitution degrades women. In March, the council issued a report in which the need for prohibition was emphasized due to the ineffectiveness of the self-regulatory code.

In Spain, the prostitution business thrives because of a legal loophole that neither prohibits nor regulates it.