Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez vows to abolish prostitution .

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, on Sunday, pledged to outlaw prostitution- an act that one in every three Spanish men admitted to paying for.

While sexual exploitation and pimping are illegal in Spain, prostitution was decriminalised in 1995 and is unregulated.

Prostitution was decriminalised in Spain in 1995 and in 2016 the UN estimated the country's sex industry was worth €3.7bn (£3.1bn, $4.2bn).

A 2009 survey found that up to one in three Spanish men had paid for sex. 

However, another report published in 2009 suggested that the figure may be as high as 39% and a 2011 UN study cited Spain as the third biggest centre for prostitution in the world, behind Thailand and Puerto Rico.

Prostitution is currently unregulated in Spain, and there is no punishment for those who offer paid sexual services of their own will, as long as it does not take place in public spaces. However, pimping or acting as a proxy between a sex worker and a potential client is illegal .

Prostitution is legal in many European countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Greece. Supporters of decriminalization say it brings huge benefits to the women working in the trade and makes life safer for them. But  critics say countries that have legalized or decriminalized commercial sex often experience a surge in human trafficking, pimping and other related crimes.

The industry has boomed since its decriminalisation and it is commonly estimated that around 300,000 women work as prostitutes in Spain. 

In the 1980s, most sex workers in Spain were of Spanish origin. But by the early 2000s, the majority were migrants  from poor European countries, Latin America and Africa, making them vulnerable to exploitation. The issue has become a thorny political topic, partly because it is tied to concerns about illegal migration.

Prostitution is largely unregulated in Spain, and there is no punishment for those who offer paid sexual services of their own will as long as it does not take place in public spaces. But pimping or acting as a proxy between a sex worker and a potential client is illegal. That has created a legal loophole where businesses are able to obtain a license to establish clubs that may function as brothels but can’t hire sex workers directly; the sex workers are made to “rent” the rooms they work in — a situation that means they don’t have the legal benefits and protections of other workers.