Why are sex worker advocates protesting the government's actions?

Sex worker advocates are protesting because they believe the government's actions marginalize and criminalize sex workers, condemning many to street or club work, and ignore their voices.

What is the 'Only Yes Means Yes' legislation and how has it been amended?

The 'Only Yes Means Yes' legislation was originally intended to enshrine consent in Spanish law, but an amendment now criminalizes advertisements promoting prostitution or using gender stereotypes that perpetuate sexual violence.

How have sex workers responded to the closure of advertising platforms?

Sex workers have stated that these actions ruin them, make them lose autonomy, and send them into a clandestine existence, and they have attempted to contact officials without success.

Spanish Government's Crackdown on Sex Work Sparks Outcry

Q: What actions has the Spanish government taken against sex work?

The Spanish government has taken actions including the forced closure of websites that allowed sex worker advertisements and proposed legislation to abolish all forms of sex work.

Sex worker advocates in Spain protest government actions, including website closures and proposed legislation, arguing they criminalize and marginalize sex workers.

Sex worker advocates in Spain are denouncing the government’s actions against sex work, including adult performances and content. These actions include the forced closure of websites that allowed sex worker advertisements and proposed legislation to abolish all forms of sex work.

Government Actions and Protests

Sex workers marched in Barcelona to commemorate the international Day for the End of Violence Against Sex Workers. Sex worker organizations Otras and Afemtras, supported by the Platform of Those Affected by the Abolition of Prostitution, also marched to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to protest the forced closure of websites that allowed sex worker ads. The Objective news site reported that this government action "condemns the overwhelming majority of sex workers to street or club work."

These groups had previously organized protests in 2022 against the ruling Socialist party PSOE and its ally Unidas Podemos faction, citing their policies as marginalizing and criminalizing sex workers. The PSOE government cabinet recently moved against 14 classifieds platforms, including the top four platforms used by online sex workers. This closure was mandated by a recent amendment to Spain’s Only Yes Means Yes legislation. This amendment criminalizes "any advertisement that uses gender stereotypes that perpetuate or normalize sexual violence against women, children and teens, as well as those promoting prostitution."

Sex workers have stated that the original goal of the Only Yes Means Yes law was to enshrine the idea of consent in Spanish law. However, they note that its backers did not criminalize non-consensual deep fakes, instead deplatforming consensual sex workers. Full-service sex workers, who had previously used the words “puta” and “prostituta,” initially complied with the law by rebranding as “escorts.” In July, General Consumer Affairs Director Bibiana Medialdea announced a crackdown on escort ads and began compiling data. On October 18, Medialdea began proceedings to shut down pages she considered to be in violation of the Only Yes Means Yes amendment. Sex worker activists informed The Objective that they have attempted to contact Medialdea, who has not engaged in consultation with those directly affected by the new law. They stated, "They ignore the voice of sex workers. They ruin us, they make us lose autonomy and they send us into a clandestine world. How the hell is this helping reduce crime activity in our work life?"

Sex workers are also accusing the PSOE government of "institutional violence" and demand an end to "harassment and criminalization of our work." The PSOE is reportedly determined to pass a law that explicitly abolishes all sex work. However, some of the PSOE’s allies in the coalition government, particularly the Catalan regional parties, are in favor of legalization. Sex workers are attempting to lobby the right-wing Partido Popular, currently in the opposition, hoping to convince liberals and libertarians within it to preserve the legal status of sex work on personal freedom grounds.

Expert and Activist Perspectives

Inés Olaizola, a penal law academic at the Universidad Pública de Navarra, described the PSOE's approach to sex work as "taking agency out of the consent of the women who work as prostitutes." Olaizola explained that by classifying all prostitution as "exploitation," and thus erasing sex workers' ability to consent, the proposed legislation essentially treats women "like minors."

Barcelona-based director and producer Erika Lust warned in 2022 that the PSOE's proposals, which call for "the abolition of all forms of making a profit from the prostitution of others, including porn production," would not differentiate between exploited practices and independent, consensual labor following ethical production standards. Lust stated, "What is presented as an effort to stop exploitation and violence in defense of human rights, in particular women's rights, ends up being the main source of violence, precariousness and lack of protection for all sex workers — who are already vulnerable as it is."

Spain-based performer and sex worker activist Maria Riot told XBIZ that the Only Yes Means Yes law, promoted as a feminist law, is not only targeting full-service sex work. Riot noted that classified pages were also used to advertise video calls and sexting, indicating that "it’s all kinds of sex work that it ends up affecting." Riot also stated that the recent move in Spain to pass age verification laws for adult content online, similar to those in Utah, is part of "the same drive to totally criminalize all sex work." Reuters reported that the head of Spain's data protection agency is developing age verification technology to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content online such as pornography or gambling sites. Riot added that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez tweeted three years ago about abolishing prostitution, and that institutional feminists in his government's Ministry of Equality have expressed a desire to abolish all sex work, including porn. Riot concluded, "They keep changing the goalposts. The block on advertising pages is only the current move."

Laura Berja, the spokesperson for the PSOE's Equality Commission, stated, "We must abolish prostitution because it is incompatible with human rights." European director, performer, and sex work activist Paulita Pappel, originally from Spain, told XBIZ that Spain is experiencing a rise in conservative influence. Pappel noted, "This is leading to the suppression of voices and erosion of fundamental human rights. The pretext of protecting children online is being used to target sex workers, restricting their tools and subjecting them to discrimination. Laws requiring age verification and banning online advertising for sexual services are pushing sex workers into precarious situations. We need to oppose these measures and advocate for decriminalization. We must fight back."

Key Facts

Sex worker organizations Otras and Afemtras, supported by the Platform of Those Affected by the Abolition of Prostitution, protested the closure of sex worker ad websites.
The Spanish government's action against classifieds platforms was mandated by an amendment to the Only Yes Means Yes legislation.
General Consumer Affairs Director Bibiana Medialdea initiated proceedings to shut down pages deemed to violate the Only Yes Means Yes amendment.
The PSOE government is reportedly aiming to pass a law that explicitly abolishes all sex work.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has previously stated his intention to abolish prostitution.
The head of Spain's data protection agency is developing age verification technology for online content.