In July 2025, the Spanish police managed to free over 150 women who had become victims of forced prostitution. The operation was one of the largest in recent years, although this is only the tip of the iceberg in the fight against human trafficking.
"Locked, beaten, raped"
One of the women who was freed by the police told DW: "They lock, beat and rape". And the number of prostitutes in Spain increases especially during the summer months - often by up to 50 percent. Nina Paron from the humanitarian organization “Doctors of the World“ says: “The government doesn't want to hear about it, but Mallorca has become a center of sex tourism“.
The sex industry in Spain is making billions, and in the meantime, more and more groups from Asia are interfering in the market. In some places in the resorts, you can see a dozen Chinese massage parlors within no more than 500 meters.
The supply of sex services is huge
Golden beaches, blue sea and sun from morning to night - Mallorca is truly an island paradise, but it also has another - shady side, because many tourists come not only for the sun and beaches. And the supply of sex services is huge - from strip bars on the coastal boulevards to street prostitution in the side streets.
The Spanish government estimates that there are over 150,000 women in the country who work as prostitutes. This is one of the highest figures in Europe. In the Balearic Islands alone, which include Mallorca, there are around 8,000. It is there that there are the most sex workers in relation to the population. Moreover - according to data from local aid organizations - almost all of them are migrants who do not have a residence permit.
Jaume Pereillo from the aid organization “Casal Petit“ told DV: “The tourism model here is quite dubious - it is based on alcohol, drugs and unbridled pleasures. And prostitution fits perfectly into it“.
Most women are victims of forced prostitution
According to official data, 80% of prostitutes are victims of human trafficking. And criminal networks operate brutally. The threats they make are very real. They often threaten women that they will kill their loved ones in their home countries. These people are “invisible“, no one knows who they are or where they are, but their presence is constantly felt“, says Jaume Perejo.
A former victim of forced prostitution, who wishes to remain anonymous, told DW: “There is a lot of money involved in this business. And money attracts many. If you try to hide even a small amount from them, they beat you, lock you up, rape you – everything you can imagine“.
The woman also says that for some time now there have been changes: before there were precisely defined places for prostitution - brothels and specific parts of the streets, while now sex services are offered at every turn.
Asian groups are heading for the "business" with women
In online advertisements on the island of Mallorca, over 1,000 prostitutes can be found offering their services in private homes. Separately, there are Asian massage parlors, which are located throughout the island. They are especially numerous in the Son Armadams district of the capital Palma, which confuses the locals. “Officially they have licenses as beauty salons. "And it's hard to prove what's really going on behind closed doors," a woman from the neighborhood told DW.
With a hidden camera, the DW team managed to penetrate one of the salons – and indeed a young lady openly lists various sexual practices that are offered for a fee. The price of oral sex, for example, is 50 euros. The furnishings of the “salon“ are not at all like those for massages – it consists of small rooms with normal beds.
What do the police say about this? Inspector Juan Lemos Hofen says that the police regularly check suspicious places, check documents and try to talk to women secretly. “But usually there is not one who will admit that it is also about sexual services.“
The inspector explains that the law in Spain requires proof that someone is getting rich from the women's work – only then is prostitution punishable under local law. “People of Asian origin often connect with locals. This way they have good contacts all over the island and at the same time staff who take care of providing staff from Asian countries and transport for the victims.“
Efforts are not enough
Aid organisations praise the efforts made by the police, but do not believe that they are sufficient. “Local authorities here often focus on sanctions and their image in the eyes of the public. So one wonders if the most important thing for them is not to make prostitution less visible”, says Nina Paron.
The fight against human trafficking and forced prostitution is being waged by different means. Because almost everyone on the island has the same goal: that Mallorca should attract tourists with its beaches and its hospitality, and not with questionable sexual services.
Author: Jan-Philip Scholz