ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the public debates, legislation and policies around sex work and trafficking in the past two decades to address the questions: what has helped neo-abolitionist discourses to gain traction in the Dutch context; and how are they shaping law and policy interventions aimed at the sex industry and with what implications. It addresses the contradictory currents that have historically shaped Dutch debate around sex work and trafficking and maps out the concerns and rationale that informed the lifting of the ban on brothels in 2000, which in part explain its contradictory effects. The chapter discusses current attempts to reform national legislation on sex work, introducing elements of neo-abolitionism. It focuses particularly on the ongoing debates to increase the legal age for sex work and the criminalisation of clients of non-registered sex workers. The chapter offers an overview of the main national and international agents promoting neo-abolitionism in the Netherlands.
