ABSTRACT
In the first quarter of the twentieth century, a Regulative System of prostitution was introduced in Greece, imposing registration, medical control, and confinement of women in public "houses of tolerance" organized by the police. The recent legislative reform has not solved the problem. The debate on the criminalization of the client, which has occurred in Nordic countries and France, has not yet emerged in Greece. This may be due to the fact that the regulation of prostitution involves a multitude of ethical issues, and public opinion is deeply divided in Greece. In Greece, there are different administrative jurisdictions and various agents involved in prostitution policy: local authorities; police and criminal courts; public health services; and NGOs and other civil society organizations. In Greece, the best-known sex worker organization is the Association of Persons Providing Commercial Sex (SEPE), which was established in the 1980s. Sex workers demand a legal reform which would recognize their full membership in society.
