Edited sentence: "In New Zealand, prostitutes can fend for themselves" while in nations like the United States, brothel-owners have more power.A government report reckoned "only about 1% of women in the business were under the legal age of 18".In 2003 New Zealand decriminalised the sex trade, and the bold experiment seems to be succeeding.The Economist magazine cited the New Zealand system as the world's "fairest", which allows sex workers to ply their trade more or less freely at home or in brothels or on the street.The new system protects prostitutes from violence while preventing abuse from brothel owners.The report noted New Zealand had particular advantages – "the country’s isolation and robust legal system make it relatively free from the problem of trafficking"