Amsterdam Wants Call Girls Licensed

Wednesday, February 13, 2008; 12:34 PM

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- Amsterdam, famed for its red light prostitution district, on Wednesday gave escort services six weeks to apply for official city licenses.

The order is part of a campaign to combat money laundering, human trafficking and abuse in the sex industry, which was legalized in the Netherlands in 2000.

To obtain a license, escort agencies must have a fixed address and telephone number, and must guarantee that prostitutes are healthy and work in safe conditions, the city said.

Escort agencies have six weeks to comply - or face being shut down.  

n the past 18 months, the city has purchased and shut down around a third of the windows in its famed Red Light District, where scantily clad women have beckoned customers for hundreds of years.

Many were reopened last month as shops for young fashion designers.

The city also closed its most famous high-end brothel, Yab Yum, and ordered the closure of several sex theaters.

By some estimates, nearly a third of tourists who visit Amsterdam visit the Red Light District - most just for a peep.

Council spokesman Edwin Oppedijk said the city estimates that 120 escort agencies, which until now have escaped monitoring, will be affected by the licensing order.

Around 1,200 prostitutes who operate solo won't be affected.

Differentiating between legitimate escort services and pimps who are exploiting women can be difficult, Oppedijk said.

"The intention is not to shut them down, but if they are involved in illegal practices, that can be the result," he said.

So far only a handful of the estimated 60 escort services have requested a license. It was unclear how the new ordinance would be enforced.