The BBC on The bleak reality behind the red light district:

Behind Amsterdam’s red light district hides a secret world of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. What is viewed by many as little more than an edgy tourist attraction is in fact an area rife with crime.

“Edgy” here refers to men renting women. Right up there with a canal ride or a visit to the Rijksmuseum.

With the advent of mass tourism, the situation has become even more out of hand. Throngs of tourists flood the narrow streets and alleys. In a bid to combat the problems, and create better working conditions for the sex workers, the mayor of Amsterdam has proposed a plan to close the windows and to set up an erotic centre elsewhere in the city.

An erotic centre forsooth. I think we’ve attained peak euphemism. The point of this documentary is clearly that the famous legalized prostitution of Amsterdam is actually legalized rape, yet we still get “erotic centre” as opposed to knocking shop.

Meanwhile, vulnerable women continue to be subjected to harassment, violence and exploitation. Former sex workers and other people who know what really goes on in the world of window prostitution share stories of extreme tourist nuisance, violence against sex workers, and forced prostitution. Will the Dutch capital ever regain control over what once was one of its most beautiful historic neighbourhoods?

What are we talking about here? Brutalized exploited women, or beautiful historic neighborhoods? Make up your damn mind.