Amsterdam May Tighten Prostitution Laws

The nanny state reasserts itself

Amsterdam lawmakers say they are considering tightening the city's prostitution laws after the Netherlands failed to quickly enact reform on a national level.

New restrictions that the city council executive will discuss next week include raising the legal age to become a prostitute from 18 to 21 and introducing a language test, DutchNews.nl reported.

"A language test is important because it will not only enable the prostitute to speak to police and social workers but take care of herself in an emergency situation," a council spokesman told the Parool newspaper.

Prostitution was legalized in the Netherlands in 2000, but experts say this has not solved the many problems in the sex industry, including human trafficking.