Amsterdam prostitutes struggling with debts: report

An increasing number of prostitutes working in Amsterdam's Red Light District are struggling with debts, that can range from 10 thousand euros to 30 thousand euros, newspaper Trouw reports based on its own research.

No total overview is available, but the debt problem is large, three Christian organizations that support prostitutes in the Red Light District - the Salvation Army, Scharlaken Koord and Bright Fame - confirmed to the newspaper.

According to the organizations, sex workers have more trouble paying their bills because the number of customers is on the decline. They attribute this to an increase in online prostitution and the large number of tourists in the Red Light District. Tourists rarely engage a sex worker, but do take a lot of photos. In addition, the large number of people scare actual customers away.

Depending on the popularity of the place, renting a room for the evening costs a sex worker between 120 and 200 euros, according to the newspaper. Most sex workers work six night a week, bringing their monthly room rental costs to between 2,880 and 4,800 euros. In addition to room rental, sex workers also pay VAT and income tax.

According to the aid workers, many prostitutes complain that they now only get one, two or three customers per night. Which means they don't earn enough to cover their costs and make a living.