Besides these recent brazen cases of street sex that offend public decency, prostitutes in Spain, some 90 percent of whom are said to be illegal immigrants, are generally left to ply their trade. Brothels are outlawed but many 'clubs' operate as such with little interference, according to the travel website gospainabout.com.

The site also says that many prostitutes double as pickpockets, especially in busy areas like the Gran Via in Madrid and Las Ramblas in Barcelona.