Amsterdam closes a window on its red-light tourist trade

On the edge of a cobbled path that runs along a canal in the heart of Amsterdam, a pretty woman lit her cigarette, struck a pose and smiled at the tourists pouring past. Dressed in white lingerie, her bleached blonde hair bathed in red light, the prostitute beckoned men towards her and the unmade bed behind.

'They say we give Amsterdam a bad reputation,' she said, pushing her window open slightly. 'Rubbish. This is the only reputation we have.'

Last week, the city announced that it would be closing down a third of its famed brothels. Within a matter of months, 52 of the iconic window displays that line the streets of the busy red-light district will disappear.

	Amsterdam closes window on its red-light trade : Mail & Guardian Online	mg.co.za	Mon Sep 24	0
	Amsterdam to cut back on brothels	BBC News	Fri Sep 21	4
	Dimming the Red Light: Amsterdam Cuts Prostitute Displays	SPIEGEL ONLINE	Fri Sep 21	0
	One-third of Amsterdam's Red Lights Will be Unscrewed	Amsterdam Logue	Tue Sep 25	0