In Sweden it is illegal to pay for sexual services, but not criminal to sell them. In Holland, prostitution is considered a job that entitles one to Social Security. In Denmark, prostitutes pay taxes; however, they are not entitled to sickness benefits or unemployment allowance.

In Spain prostitution is not really allowed, but not really forbidden either. Sex workers here live in a limbo under a term called alegalidad. It is a grey zone between legal and illegal. The authorities don’t like the sex trade but don’t really know what to do about it. They are mainly concerned about the “preservation of public order”, and that’s about it.

The street workers in my photo are more concerned about the implications of La Crisis than about the strong arm of law and order.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: January 29th, 2009. The time was 14:54:39.