Striptease politics in UK and Europe

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In 2009, the U.K. passed the Policing and Crime Act in response to concerns about the growing number of live sexual entertainment venues in its territories. Every striptease club where shows are held more than 11 times a year must now apply for a license from its local authorities. There was a time when the Irish government had special categories of visas for 'entertainers, which allowed for the trafficking of women in strip clubs and prostitution.

In 2001, the former head of immigration to Cyprus was found guilty of accepting kickbacks for issuing work permits to foreign women (in this case from Ukraine), working as a stripper in clubs, some of them forced into prostitution. Across the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and the Netherlands, studies have demonstrated that Russian individuals and organized crime groups import women from Russia, Ukraine, the Baltics and Central Europe in the Russian sex industry to work in striptease, prostitution, peep and show club services, and massage and escort services, amongst others.

In March 2010, Iceland forbade stripping. Johanna Sigurðardottir, Icelandic Prime Minister, said: "The Nordic countries are paving the way for women's equality, recognising women as equal citizens rather than products for sale. The politician behind the draft law, Kolbrún Halldórsdóttir, said: "It is unacceptable that women or people in general are a commodity to be sold.