Report on prostitution makes gloomy reading

A report by the Red Cross reveals that 48 percent of prostitutes who work in Palma do not use condoms, and that clients often pay double if prostitutes refrain from using them. The study, led by the Red Cross Director, Marta Soler, shows that 63 percent of prostitutes do not have medical care.
A result is that 86 percent of those interviewed between November 2004 and May 2005, have suffered a sexually transmitted disease.
Many companies give them free condoms, but they do not use them, at the demand of their clients.
The Red Cross said that there is “little general knowledge in Palma on the female condom” which is expensive and not easily available.
The report also said that 86 percent of prostitutes, who work in brothel clubs in the city centre, are middle class and many of them have a university degree. Around 50 percent of the prostitutes come from Eastern European countries, and the main reason for them choosing this trade “is to earn more money in a quicker timeframe”.