Prostitutes who work from home are at greater risk than those in licensed brothels because of a lack of regulation, according to the national human trafficking advisor.

A bill currently before the Senate would exempt home-based prostitutes from needing to apply for a permit, making it harder to investigate alleged abuses, Corinne Dettmeijer told NPO Radio 1.

She said the law was failing to keep up with the trend in prostitution away from street brothels and into people’s bedrooms. ‘Everything is being sold online these days, and that counts just as well for sexual services.’

The lack of regulation by civil authorities means the authorities can only intervene if they suspect criminal activity, Dettmeijer said. ‘If someone advertises unsafe sex, sex with a young person or the advertisement is in the third person, you can say that’s a bit odd. That’s potentially human trafficking and can be viewed as a criminal matter.’ But police have no powers to investigate regular adverts placed on contact websites.