Prostitution is Nowadays Carried Out in Residential Areas
Source: Siol.net – Spotkast
Introduction
In a video interview for Siol's Spotkast, the president of the Dobra Družba association, Žiga Sedevčič, speaks about the actual state of prostitution in Slovenia and shatters one of the key illusions of public debate: prostitution has not disappeared, but has moved to residential areas.
🔗 https://videospot.siol.net/predvajaj/ziga-sedevcic-prostitucija-se-danes-izvaja-v-spalnih-naseljih-jf5du1ZEO6
Big Market Without Clear Rules
On the question of the size of the market, Sedevčič points to a paradox: there are no exact numbers in Slovenia, but money flows clearly show that it is a large and active market. According to him, Slovenian buyers take about 70 million euros to Austria every year, which indicates strong cross-border demand and a flight of activity to more regulated environments.
According to estimates available to him, there are approximately 4,500 active people in prostitution in Slovenia on average, with about two-thirds being foreigners. This further confirms that this is a phenomenon that exceeds national frameworks and requires more serious treatment.
Moving to Residential Areas as a Consequence of Disorder
The central message of the interview is clear: because prostitution in Slovenia is not criminal, but not regulated, the activity is carried out where it is least appropriate – in apartments within residential areas. Such practice increases risks for sex workers (safety, isolation, lack of support), for neighbors and the local environment, and for municipalities that do not have clear management levers.
According to Sedevčič, this is not a consequence of deliberate provocation, but the absence of regulated alternatives.
Proposal: Local Regulation Instead of Prohibition
In Spotkast, he also reveals that they proposed opening a red light district in Ljubljana, but not as a sensationalist attraction, but as a tool for spatial and security management. The idea stems from the logic that municipalities already use for other activities: prohibition in inappropriate environments and permission in appropriate, controlled zones.
Such an approach would, in his opinion, reduce the performance of activities in residential neighborhoods, enable greater safety and control, and open space for dialogue instead of denying reality.
Between Reality and Political Silence
The interview does not advocate the romanticization of prostitution, but emphasizes that ignoring unregulated reality creates more problems than solutions. As long as the field remains in a gray area, activities will move to where they are least visible – and often least safe.
The video contribution therefore acts as a call for debate: not about morality, but about space, safety, economy, and responsibility.