Barcelona police identified 83 people during an April operation against suspected sexual exploitation at three saunas in the city’s Eixample district. Among those identified, 13 were workers and seven clients were in an irregular administrative situation, according to the National Police.
The operation involved the National Police, the Civil Guard and Barcelona’s Guàrdia Urbana. It began after a complaint alleged that prostitution was taking place at the venues and that coercion might be involved, the National Police said in a press release on Friday.
The inspections were carried out as part of the National Police’s Plan against Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation, which aims to detect possible victims and check what activities are taking place at these locations.
The Guàrdia Urbana issued 12 administrative infraction reports across the three saunas inspected. Five were for serious infractions and seven were for minor ones.
The joint operation focused on male sauna-type establishments in Eixample. For more Catalonia-wide reporting, see our news coverage.
