Asociación Nacional de Empresarios de Locales de Alterne
A Spanish trade association representing owners of prostitution venues and advocating regulated legalization of prostitution.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
The Asociación Nacional de Empresarios de Locales de Alterne, commonly known as ANELA, is a Spanish trade association for business owners operating venues where prostitution takes place. Based in Valencia, the organization emerged around 2000, during a period when prostitution in Spain had been decriminalized and the legal status of commercial sex businesses remained permissive but unsettled. Its constitution was formalized in 2001. ANELA became one of the most visible organized representatives of the Spanish prostitution-venue sector and acted as a pressure group in debates over criminal law, labor status, municipal regulation, trafficking policy, advertising, and public-health approaches to prostitution. The association presents member clubs as businesses in which sex workers operate independently rather than as employees or victims of exploitation. Under the model promoted by the association, workers are said to pay venues for rooms and drinks, while the venue does not directly employ them as prostitutes. Courts, law-enforcement investigations, and testimony from sex workers have challenged whether this model accurately describes conditions in all establishments. In particular, a ruling by the High Court of Justice of Andalusia referred to evidence from the Mossos d'Esquadra and numerous sex workers indicating that some clubs exercised forms of control inconsistent with the association's preferred description. ANELA advocates a legal framework for prostitution, arguing that regulation could provide greater economic and legal security for sex workers and establish clearer rules for businesses. It states that member establishments should exclude minors and illegal drugs and that sexual activity should be based on the free will of the worker, client, and venue operator. The association has also criticized street prostitution, often emphasizing hygiene, public-order, and safety concerns. Critics argue that this position is inseparable from ANELA's commercial interest: prostitution conducted in clubs generates room, beverage, and related business revenue, whereas street-based prostitution does not. Academic and civil-society commentary has therefore questioned whether the organization's claims to defend sex workers are primarily motivated by the interests of venue owners. The organization has been involved in public controversies and legal-policy disputes throughout its history. It reported a suspected trafficking case in 2001 and later faced scrutiny after the 2008 Operation Illusionist investigation exposed an exploitation network connected to clubs in Coslada, Madrid. ANELA said it had not known that such practices existed, while operators associated with the Riviera and Saratoga clubs were imprisoned and two police officers were also detained. In 2015, reports that some clubs employed minors prompted the association to attribute the problem to falsified identity documents and deception by applicants, while also complaining that Spain lacked a consistent nationwide regulatory framework. ANELA has also sought institutional recognition. In 2002 it applied to join the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations, and in 2003 it offered funding to the municipal governments of Valencia and Madrid for a pilot program intended to provide hotels for street-based sex workers. It opposed changes to Spain's Criminal Code that strengthened the offense of profiting from another person's prostitution and criticized national anti-trafficking policy for what it considered legal and operational ambiguity. The organization has been associated in public reporting with Spain's far-right political milieu, particularly España 2000. Its former secretary José Luis Roberto resigned in 2011, reportedly because his far-right activities could damage the reputation of businesses represented by the association. ANELA also protested when the Generalitat Valenciana removed its advertising from public buses, alleging discriminatory treatment. The available reference material does not establish ANELA's current leadership, membership, financial position, website, or present operating status. Its historical importance lies less in consumer branding than in its role as an organized industry voice in Spain's continuing dispute between regulation, legalization, abolition, labor rights, and anti-trafficking enforcement.
History
ANELA was created around 2000 and formally constituted in 2001, when prostitution in Spain occupied an unusually ambiguous position: the activity had been decriminalized, but the legal status of venues, intermediaries, workers, and commercial arrangements remained contested. The association was founded by José Luis Navarro Roberto and Alejandro Jordan Sánchez Minguillán and established itself in Valencia. Its central purpose was to organize owners of alterne clubs and similar prostitution venues into a collective business and political voice. The association's public position combines commercial representation with support for regulation. It argues that prostitution should be legally recognized and governed through a framework that gives economic and legal security to sex workers while defining the responsibilities of venue owners. ANELA describes its preferred club model as one in which workers act independently, paying for rooms and drinks rather than being employed by the venue as prostitutes. It also states that members should exclude minors and illegal drugs and should base activity on the consent of the worker, customer, and entrepreneur. Critics, researchers, law-enforcement bodies, and courts have disputed whether this arrangement reflects actual conditions across the sector. A High Court of Justice of Andalusia ruling referred to police evidence and testimony from sex workers that contradicted the idea that all clubs operated on a genuinely independent-rental basis. During its early years ANELA attempted to gain institutional legitimacy. In 2001 it reported a trafficking case involving Romanian and Lithuanian victims. In 2002 it applied to join the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations. In 2003 it offered Valencia and Madrid financial support for a pilot arrangement that would provide hotels to street-based sex workers. The proposal illustrated the organization's preference for moving prostitution into controlled commercial settings, while also exposing a recurring criticism: policies that condemn or marginalize street prostitution may benefit club operators because venue-based activity produces direct income for them. ANELA became involved in legal arguments after changes to Article 188.1 of Spain's Criminal Code made exploiting another person's prostitution a criminal offense. In January 2004 it criticized the reform and objected to the implications of a judicial ruling requiring club owners to register prostitutes for Social Security. The broader dispute concerned whether venue operators were landlords, employers, facilitators, or exploiters, and whether sex workers could be treated as independent economic actors. By 2006, approximately 400 clubs were reported to be members, suggesting that the association had become a significant sector organization. The organization's public profile was affected by investigations into exploitation. Operation Illusionist, conducted in Coslada, Madrid, in 2008, uncovered a network involving the exploitation of women in prostitution venues. Operators connected with the Riviera and Saratoga clubs were imprisoned, as were two police officers. ANELA stated that it had not known that such practices existed in businesses linked to the sector. The episode intensified scrutiny of the distinction between the association's stated independent-worker model and allegations of coercion or control inside clubs. ANELA also contested public campaigns and national policy. In 2008 it criticized a Seville municipal campaign encouraging men not to use prostitution services. In 2009 it attacked Spain's Comprehensive Plan to Combat Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation and pointed to contradictory judicial approaches. One Galician ruling treated prostitution as an individual's own economic activity, while a Catalan ruling treated the relevant activity as belonging to someone else, illustrating the uncertainty that ANELA said made national regulation necessary. Political associations further complicated the organization's reputation. José Luis Roberto, described as a former secretary and one of its founders, resigned in 2011 because his far-right activities were considered capable of damaging the image of businesses represented by ANELA. The association also protested after the Generalitat Valenciana removed its advertising from public buses, alleging discriminatory treatment. Public reporting has linked ANELA to Spain's far-right, particularly España 2000, although the organization primarily presents itself as a trade body for prostitution-venue entrepreneurs. In 2015, reports that some clubs had underage employees generated another controversy. ANELA said that the clubs had been deceived by falsified documentation. It simultaneously complained that Spain lacked a coherent national regulatory framework, with Catalonia presented as an exceptional case. Across these episodes, ANELA's history reflects the central conflict surrounding commercial sex in Spain: whether regulation can protect workers and exclude trafficking, minors, and coercion, or whether formal recognition of venues risks legitimizing systems that courts, police, and sex workers have sometimes described as exploitative. Current leadership, membership, finances, website, and operational status are not established by the supplied reference material.
- 2015
Controversy over underage workers
[1]Reports concerning underage employees at some clubs prompted ANELA to cite falsified documents and call for clearer regulation.
- 2011
Former secretary resigns
[1]José Luis Roberto resigned from his association role amid concerns about the reputational effect of his far-right activities.
- 2008
Operation Illusionist exposes exploitation network
[1]A police investigation in Coslada uncovered an exploitation network linked to prostitution clubs and led to arrests of club operators and police officers.
- 2006
Reported membership of approximately 400 clubs
[1]Reference material reported that roughly 400 clubs belonged to ANELA.
- 2003
Hotel pilot proposal
[1]The association offered Valencia and Madrid funding for a pilot program involving hotels for street-based sex workers.
- 2002
Application to join CEOE
[1]ANELA applied to join the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations.
- 2001
Constitution formalized
[1]The association formalized its constitution and publicly reported a trafficking case involving Romanian and Lithuanian victims.
- 2000
Association founded
[1]ANELA was founded to represent owners of prostitution venues in Spain.
Products and positioning
An industry advocacy organization presenting itself as a representative of prostitution-venue entrepreneurs and a pro-regulation voice, while facing criticism that its policy positions primarily protect the commercial interests of club owners.
Product categories. Trade representation for owners of prostitution venues · Public-policy advocacy concerning prostitution regulation · Industry communications and media representation · Proposals concerning venue licensing, labor status, and public-order rules
Controversies
2015
Reports of underage employees in clubs
Some clubs were reported to have underage employees. ANELA attributed the cases to falsified documentation, while critics viewed the reports as evidence of regulatory and safeguarding failures.
2008
Operation Illusionist and exploitation allegations
An investigation uncovered an exploitation network in Coslada, Madrid. Operators associated with two clubs and two police officers were imprisoned or detained. ANELA said it had been unaware of the practices.
Marketing campaigns
- 2011Advertising dispute with the Generalitat Valenciana
Valencia
ANELA challenged the removal of its advertising from Valencia public buses and characterized the decision as discriminatory.
Outcome. The supplied material does not state whether the advertising was restored.
- 2008Response to Seville abstinence campaign
Seville
The association criticized a Seville city campaign encouraging men to abstain from using prostitution services.
Outcome. No outcome is specified in the supplied material.
- 2003Pilot hotel scheme for street-based sex workers
Valencia · Madrid
ANELA offered municipal authorities funding for a trial program intended to make hotels available to street-based sex workers.
Outcome. The supplied material does not establish whether the pilot was implemented or its results.
Brand decisions
2009
Criticism of the national anti-trafficking planStrategyBackground
The national plan addressed trafficking for sexual exploitation amid differing court interpretations of prostitution as an individual's activity or another person's economic activity.
Action taken
ANELA criticized the plan and highlighted the perceived ambiguity between judicial approaches in Galicia and Catalonia.
Aftermath
The association continued advocating for a clearer national regulatory framework.
2004
Opposition to Criminal Code reformOtherBackground
A reform of Article 188.1 made exploiting another person's prostitution a criminal offense and followed judicial debate over the legal status of club operators and sex workers.
Action taken
ANELA publicly criticized the reform and its implications for prostitution venues.
Aftermath
The dispute remained part of a wider unresolved debate over employment, independent activity, venue rental, and criminal liability.
Recent events
- 2011
José Luis Roberto resigns from ANELA leadership[1]
Leadership change
The former secretary left the organization after concerns that his far-right political activities could harm the reputation of businesses represented by ANELA.
- 2011
ANELA protests removal of its advertising from Valencia buses[1]
Campaign
The association accused the Generalitat Valenciana of discrimination after its advertising was removed from public buses.
- 2009
ANELA challenges Spain's comprehensive anti-trafficking plan[1]
Regulation
The association criticized the Comprehensive Plan to Combat Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation and highlighted conflicting interpretations from courts in Galicia and Catalonia concerning prostitution as an individual's versus another person's economic activity.
- 2008
ANELA criticizes Seville campaign urging men not to use prostitution services[1]
Campaign
The association objected to a campaign organized by Seville's city council that encouraged men to abstain from purchasing sexual services.
- 2006
ANELA membership reportedly reaches about 400 clubs[1]
Other
Reference material reported that approximately 400 clubs belonged to the association, indicating substantial representation within Spain's prostitution-venue sector.
- 2004
ANELA opposes the 2004 Criminal Code reform on profiting from prostitution[1]
Regulation
The association criticized changes to Article 188.1 that made exploiting another person's prostitution a criminal offense, following a judicial dispute over whether club operators should register sex workers for Social Security.
- 2003
ANELA proposes a pilot hotel program for street-based sex workers[1]
Campaign
ANELA offered Valencia and Madrid funding for a pilot scheme that would make hotels available to street-based sex workers during a trial period.
- 2002
ANELA seeks affiliation with the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations[1]
Other
The association applied to join the CEOE as it sought recognition as a legitimate business-sector representative.
- 2001
ANELA reports a suspected trafficking case involving Romanian and Lithuanian victims[1]
Other
The association publicly denounced a case in which a Romanian woman and a Lithuanian woman were identified as victims of human trafficking.
Sources1 sources
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