COMMENT The legal status of prostitution varies from country to country. It is an offence punishable by death in some Muslim countries, whereas in Holland it is not only legal but officially regulated and licensed by the authorities, with tax payable on earnings. In the UK the act of prostitution is not officially illegal, but soliciting, kerb-crawling, benefiting from the prostitution of others (pimping) and owning or running a brothel are all outlawed.