ABSTRACT
The first observable measures pertaining to how to tackle prostitution date back to the mid-nineteenth century. In 1845, following a hygienic ideology focused on curbing the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), Spanish sex workers were obliged to undertake medical tests and pay taxes like any other worker. The major current national laws that regulate prostitution in Spain were developed during the period of democracy from 1977. While the first laws were created during the first Socialist period, more recent legal reforms were introduced by the conservative government of the Popular Party. Sex workers have emerged as an important political pressure group in Spain, by creating platforms and associations. Organizations working for the defense of sex workers rights in Spain are located in different cities across the peninsula, and their actions have made an impact at local, regional, and national levels.
