MURCIA, Spain, May 13 (UPI) -- Prostitutes helped clean up the streets of Murcia, Spain, in an effort to draw attention to new legislation that they say may hurt their business.
A number of prostitutes worked alongside nuns from the Oblatas convent and volunteers to clean up the area where they work, called Transport City, on Sunday, The Local.es reported.
The vice-president of the Sex Workers' Support Committee, whose name was not reported, said the proposed bylaw is aimed at curbing prostitution and sexual exploitation and would damage the livelihood of sex workers in Murcia.
"We understand that there are places where we can't carry out our business, especially in urban areas," she told the regional newspaper La Opinion de Murcia. "But that's not the case with us out here in Transport City where there are hardly any houses."
"We've spoken with neighbors and local business owners and the headmaster of the local school and they've told us that there's no problem as long as we follow some of the requests that they've made, such as sticking to a timetable and keeping the streets clean," she said, adding: "That's why we decided to hold a clean-up day. We wanted to show that we aren't a problem for society and that we want to get on well with everyone."
The bylaw was "not made to persecute the women who work in this profession," said Nuria Fuentes, who proposed the legislation.
