Prostitution in the Dutch Caribbean, Aruba
Prostitution in Aruba started to expand when oil refineries were opened on the island in the 1920s. In 1928, the Government set up a regulated area of prostitution (red-light district) in the oil refining town of Sint Nicolaas. Regulations started during the 1950s allowed women to work for up to 3 months as "nightclub hostesses" in the bars and clubs of Sint Nicolaas' red-light district.
Women from Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Panama and the Dominican Republic came to the island to work in the clubs and bars. Because prostitution is legal, it is regulated by the government's department of public health. This means that all the girls are required by law to be tested periodically for STDs.