Tunisia bans sex work, endangering sex workers
The end of licensed prostitution drives the trade underground
STATE-LICENSED prostitution in Tunisia dates back at least as far as the Ottoman conquest nearly half a millennium ago—and has persisted to the present day. In 2011 at least 300 sex workers were operating legally under the government’s auspices. Almost every big city had a licensed brothel, regulated by the interior ministry’s bureau of morals. Prostitutes could be registered as fonctionnaires—civil servants. The system, however, is being phased out—much to the detriment of the prostitutes.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Game over”
From the March 19th 2022 edition
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