Prostitution Policies of the Nations

Population:

July 2009 Estimate

1.Afghanistan [Islamic]

Population: 33,609,937

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Sex outside marriage remains illegal in post-Taliban Afghanistan, and the prisons are full of women who have been convicted of ‘fornication,’ a charge that carries a penalty of from five to 15 years in jail.

2. Albania

Population: 3,639,453

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The country was a source country for trafficking of women and children for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor, although there has been a slow but steady decline in the number of persons trafficked each year. Greece is the main country of destination for trafficked women. Italy, Macedonia, and Kosovo were also destinations, with many victims trafficked onward to Western Europe. Traffickers largely used overland routes or falsified documents to transport their victims by airplane or ferry. Police and shelter representatives continued to report a trend of traffickers moving females from villages and smaller towns to larger cities for forced prostitution in hotels and private homes.

3.Angola

Population 12,799,293

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Child prostitution is illegal; however, local NGOs expressed concern over child prostitution in the country, especially in Luanda and Cunene provinces.

Population: 85,632

Sexual Offences Act, 1995

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

There are no laws that specifically address trafficking in persons, and there were occasional reports of trafficking in women to the country. There were a number of brothels, which were staffed mostly by women from various Caribbean countries who traveled to the country as ‘entertainers’ or ‘dancers.’ In some cases brothel owners reportedly retained their documents to exert influence over the victims. However, authorities usually deported the women immediately, before information on possible trafficking could be obtained.

There were two known cases during the year in which persons were trafficked to the country to work in local brothels. Authorities deported one victim and the other voluntarily returned to her home country with the support of the Bureau of Gender Affairs. In neither case were charges brought against the brothel owners.

5.Argentina

Population: 40,913,584

Código Penal de la Nación Argentina – Título III: Delitos Contra La Integridad Sexual

Article 19 of the Constitution states, “The private actions of people that do not offend in any way the public order and morality, nor damage a third person, are only reserved to God, and are exempt from the authority of the magistrates.”

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

It is illegal to solicit, to aid or abet a prostitute, or live off their earnings.

1,700 Argentine prostitutes are now registered as members of Ammar, whose leaders say government recognition would give the organisation the legal standing to fight for the decriminalisation of prostitution. Technically, prostitution is not illegal in Argentina but most provinces have laws allowing the arrest of prostitutes for causing ‘scandal in the public thoroughfare’…

Pimping is illegal but brothel owners are rarely sent to jail. Instead, they form shady business alliances with the police, who collect regular rake-offs.

6. Armenia

Population: 2,967,004

Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The country is a source and transit point for women and girls trafficked primarily for sexual and, to a lesser extent, labor exploitation to the United Arab Emirates and Turkey…

Traffickers, using developed networks in source and destination countries, typically recruited victims who were already engaged in prostitution. The majority, but not all, of the identified victims were aware that they would end up in the sex industry in other countries; however, they were unaware of the traffickers’ intent or the exploitative circumstances they would face abroad…

Women engaged in prostitution, orphans who had outgrown their institutions, homeless or divorced women, and women in difficult financial situations were at greatest risk of being trafficked. There were some reported incidents of physical violence against trafficking victims.

Population: 21,262,641

Queensland Prostitution Licensing Authority (PLA) Summary of Laws

Prostitution: Limited Legality
The law varies depending on the state from decriminalized to legally regulated to criminal. Click on the PLA Summary on the left to see a description of each state.

Brothel Ownership: Limited Legality 4 states permit brothels, 1 allows as part of a containment policy, and 3 prohibit.

Pimping: Limited Legality

Queensland currently has 23 legal brothels operating in city and regional areas. Police figures show the number of prostitution offences reported in Queensland increased from 362 to 600 in 2005-06.

Population: 8,210,281

Prostitution: Legal
Legal since Jan. 1, 1975. Laws regulating prostitution require prostitutes to register, undergo periodic health examinations, be 19 years old or older, and pay taxes.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

A former Olympic figure skating gold medalist was sentenced to 18 months in prison Friday after being convicted of involvement in a gang that smuggled women from Eastern Europe to Austria for forced prostitution.

Wolfgang Schwarz, who won the gold for men’s figure skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics, was arrested in Vienna last March. Police charged him with procuring visas for seven young women who were smuggled into the country to work in brothels…

Judge Anton Baumgartner sentenced him to 18 months in prison, but Schwarz’s attorney has three days to consider whether to file a formal objection to the sentence before it will take effect, the Austria Press Agency reported. ‘Signals must be sent that slave trade is forbidden, Baumgartner said in his ruling.

Investigators said the gang was involved in recruiting women from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania and other eastern countries to Austria by promising them lucrative jobs. Upon their arrival, they were brought to brothels in the Austrian cities of Vienna, Graz and Salzburg, and their passports were confiscated.

Population: 309,156

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

On November 26, parliament passed legislation specifically addressing trafficking in persons for the first time. The law also prohibits prostitution and the procurement of persons for purposes of prostitution either in or outside the country by force, threats, intimidation, or the administering of drugs. The maximum penalty for trafficking in persons is life imprisonment.

Population: 156,050,883

Female prostitution with minimum age 18 is legal. Male prostitution is illegal.

Brothel Ownership: Legal

Pimping: Legal

Government corruption greatly facilitated the process of trafficking. Police and local government officials often ignored trafficking in women and children for commercial sexual exploitation and were easily bribed by brothel owners and pimps.

Population: 284,589

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The constitution and laws do not specifically prohibit trafficking in persons, although laws against slavery, forced labor, or other crimes could be applied. A law prohibiting the procurement of persons for sex, which carries a 15-year sentence, could be used to prosecute that type of trafficking cases. There were limited reports that persons were trafficked to the country, both to work as prostitutes and as domestic workers or in the construction and garment industries.

Population: 10,414,336

Brothel Ownership: Legal

Pimping: Illegal

Villa Tinto, House of Pleasure, is a pioneering example of a widening European drive to legalize prostitution, while combating the crime and violence it fosters — including the explosion in human trafficking in recent years. The brothel opened in January, with the help of the Antwerp city council, the police and the prostitutes themselves as part of a ‘tolerance zone,’ begun in 2001. The Belgian government views the three-block area as a test case as it considers national legalization — a move to wrest prostitution from the control of organized criminals and bring in some lost tax revenue.

Population: 307,899

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

There were no reliable estimates of the extent of trafficking. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, working with the Ministry of Human Development, indicated 70 victims of trafficking in persons were identified through year’s end. Sixty-five of the victims comprised one trafficking case. There were reports that women were trafficked to the country from neighboring countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, primarily for prostitution and nude dancing. NGOs reported that persons in the commercial sex trade appeared to be in the country (and in their current occupation) by choice, usually at the suggestion of a friend or family member who was also engaged in commercial sex work. Victims generally lived in squalid conditions in the bars where they worked. Some bar owners reportedly confiscated victims’ passports.

Population: 9,775,246

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

It comes in response to attacks in the city of El Alto last week in which citizens burned brothels and beat sex workers in protest against legal prostitution… The rampage began after citizens demanded that brothels and bars be located at least 3,200 feet away from schools. Within 48 hours, angry mobs had taken matters into their own hands, burning more than 30 establishments…

The municipal government responded by closing all brothels within 1,600 feet of schools, but took no action against those who had attacked the prostitutes… The latest violence against Bolivia’s sex workers is not surprising. Although the Supreme Court in 2001 legalized prostitution, which is widely practiced nationwide, the oldest profession has not gained the relative social acceptance it enjoys in some European countries. Instead, women and men in the sex industry have become scapegoats for everything from broken homes to the rising HIV-infection rate.

Population: 198,739,269

Labor and Employment Ministry Primer on Sex Professional

Prostitution: Legal
There are no regulations for adult prostitution.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The prostitution controversy is not only overblown, but is also an example of the many misconceptions about U.S. policy. ‘On the ground, this isn’t an issue,’… ‘Part of a compassionate response involves meeting people where they are and working with them.’ He added, ‘Each country has a sovereign right to make decisions for themselves, and we respect that.’ But to receive American aid, he said, ‘it does require an acknowledgment that prostitution is not a good thing and to be opposed to it.

Penal Code of Bulgaria

Prostitution is not specifically addressed in the law.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Opponents of legal prostitution argue that illegal operations flourish in environments where paying for sex is permitted, and that human trafficking follows the demand. The goal of prohibiting sex-for-money is to reduce the demand, and thus curtail trafficking if not stamp it out entirely…

While the front-burner issue in Bulgaria is the export of women into forced prostitution abroad, Ms. [Antoaneta]Vassileva of the antitrafficking commission said that 45 percent of trafficking takes place within the country, often from poor rural villages to the big cities and resorts along the Black Sea coast. The country’s chief prosecutor, Boris Velchev, who was at the forum, described what he called a double standard’ in the treatment of those forced into prostitution abroad and attitudes toward those domestically, who he said receive less attention and are more likely to be blamed than treated as victims.”

Population: 14,494,293

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Population: 35,540,400
(as of July 1, 2014)

Canadian House Bill C-36

Prostitution: Limited Legality
Selling sex is legal, but buying sex became illegal on Dec. 6, 2014. Buyers face a minimum $500 fine and up to five years imprisonment.

Brothel Ownership: Legal

Pimping: Illegal

The federal government introduced the bill after the Supreme Court of Canada struck down in a unanimous decision the previous law as unconstitutional, giving the Conservatives one year to rewrite legislation…

A group advocating for the rights of sex workers said the law comes into force despite efforts to convince the government of the link between the criminalization of prostitution and violence against sex workers.

The deeply flawed and misleadingly named Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act not only reintroduces laws deemed unconstitutional in a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court only one year ago — it actually makes them worse.

Population: 16,601,707

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Though the prostitution ring was broken up in the autumn of 2007, the uproar over possible police misconduct began just weeks ago with the airing of a television documentary about the operation run by pimp Carlos Parra Ruis, known as ‘Charly.’…

The documentary said that several police detectives were regular customers at the two brothels run by Charly: the Hotel Louisiana and the Cabaret Pandemonium, both in Valparaiso.

Those detectives were allegedly protecting Charly’s operation, taking payment in the form of sessions with drugged girls.

Some of the girls also said they were taken to the police barracks to have sex with officers.

While the prostitution ring was eventually broken up by PDI officers from the Santiago division assigned to Valparaiso, Channel 13 said that neither police leadership nor prosecutors were willing to investigate the charges about cops’ collusion with Charly.”

Population: 1,338,612,968

Penal Code of China – Part Two, Chapter Six, Section Eight: Crimes of Organizing, Forcing, Luring, Sheltering, or Procuring other Persons to Engage in Prostitution (in Chinese)

Prostitution: Illegal
Defined as a social practice that abrogates the inherent rights of women to personhood.

(Taiwan, a disputed province of China, legalized prostitution on June 24, 2009.)

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

A reporter with the Beijing Daily says he received 32 on-line solicitations for the services of a prostitute in just a half an hour. Many messages purported to be from available young, female college students. Other messages directed people to blogs that contained nude pictures of women. In all the messages phone numbers were left where clients could make contact with a prostitute. Police say the youngest prostitute they arrested was just 15 years old and one of the gang members, surnamed Zhao, treated the prostitutes for venereal disease and provide [sic] them with condoms. The Beijing Daily reports that organized messaging for prostitution services remains rampant in online chat rooms.

Population: 45,644,023

Código Penal Colombiano -Parte 8, Capítulo IV: Del Proxenetismo

Brothel Ownership: Legal

Pimping: Illegal

Population: 4,253,877

Prostitution: Legal
Must be over 18 years old and carry a health card showing how recently they had a medical check-up.

Brothel Ownership: Legal

Pimping: Illegal

Population: 4,489,409

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The country is mainly a transit country for women and girls trafficked from countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans to other parts of Europe for prostitution and labor exploitation. The country was also a source and destination country for trafficked women. In December the government reported that seven trafficking victims were identified during the year; three victims were Croatians, three were Bosnians, and one was Serbian. Four of the victims were men trafficked for purposes of labor exploitation, one was a woman also trafficked for purposes of labor exploitation, while three of the victims were women trafficked for sexual exploitation.

Population: 11,451,652

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The comment underlined both Castro’s pride in his government’s widely praised education system, and his concern for the re-emergence of a prostitution problem he thought his socialist system had eradicated decades ago. Once known as ‘the brothel of the Caribbean’ due to its reputation as a haven for rich Americans looking for sex, gambling and a swinging nightlife, Cuba drastically cleaned up society after Castro’s 1959 revolution. But the problem came back at the start of the 1990s against a backdrop of increased economic hardship for locals, and an opening to tourism which brought foreigners flooding back.”

“Castro Comments on Cuban Prostitution,” Reuters, May 1, 2001

Population: 796,740

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

‘Cyprus is a destination country for victims of trafficking, especially for sexual exploitation,’ said Rita Superman, head of the anti-trafficking unit of the Cyprus police. ‘The countries of origin of the victims are traditionally countries of Eastern Europe, such as Moldova and Ukraine. The pattern though is changing lately, since a lot of victims come from developing countries such as the Philippines, Latin America, Morocco and Syria,’ Superman said…

This year alone, Cypriot police have identified 54 victims of sexual exploitation, including 11 on whom force was used to make them work.

For the third year in a row, Cyprus is included on a US state department list of countries where trafficking in women is a concern.”

Population: 10,211,904

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Jaromir Beranek, the director of Mag, said that when Germany and Britain, the two countries that send the most tourists to Prague, began to stagnate, sex tourism was affected too. Brothels have started laying off working girls while the shutters go up on the larger bordellos.

Near the border with Germany, many towns long blighted by a daily influx of sex tourists are pleased at the decline in business. A few years ago, the small Czech town of Dubi was so overrun by prostitution an orphanage was opened to provide refuge for dozens of unwanted babies of prostitutes and their German clients.

Sex could be bought for as little as £3.50 ($7.90). Now 40 brothels in town have shrunk to just four — the others have turned into golf shops or goulash restaurants.”

Allan Hall, “Flaccid Economies Lead to Lay-Offs in Europe’s Brothels,” The Age, Dec. 11, 2008

Population: 5,500,510

Danish Penal Code

Prostitution: Legal
The act of prostitution was legalized March 17, 1999.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

In Denmark, local authorities compensate disabled people for extra costs incurred because of their disability….In Denmark, prostitution and other forms of sex work are not illegal so long as it is not a woman’s sole means of income…. ‘It’s unfair to deny people with disabilities the right to a sex life,’ he [Hansen] added.

Kristen Brosboel, a Social Democrat member of the Danish Parliament, is among those who have argued against Mr Hansen. ‘We also spend tax money on trying to prevent prostitution, helping women out of prostitution – and we have a clear policy that this is a social problem that we want to solve…. So I think that’s very much in contradiction with spending tax money on requiring prostitutes.”

“Dane Fights For State-funded Sex,” BBC News, Oct. 5, 2005

Population: 72,660

Sexual Offences of 1998

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The DNCW [Dominica National Council of Women] and other activists believed that there may be some trafficking of women for prostitution, but acknowledged it was hard to prove as most of the women in the sex trade were afraid to come forward, fearing deportation. An NGO that interviewed commercial sex workers as part of an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign found that most appeared to have entered the country for economic reasons and began working in prostitution thereafter.”

Population: 9,650,054

Código Penal de La República Dominicana

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Population: 14,573,101

Brothel Onwership: Legal

Pimping: Illegal

Traffickers were organized criminal gangs specializing in movement of persons, proprietors of small businesses such as bars or brothels, or illicit employment brokers. Accounts indicated that traffickers’ recruitment modalities varied depending on the type of exploitation. In the case of sexual exploitation, victims were lured romantically or with promises of legitimate employment and then forced into prostitution. Recruiters for forced labor and begging included business owners in and outside the country.”

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: Ecuador,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

“It is important to point out that in Ecuador, prostitution is not prohibited, but pimping is.”

American Bar Association, “Trafficking in Persons: Ecuador,” americanbar.org, Sep-Dec. 2004

Population: 83,082,869

Prostitution: Illegal
It has been illegal since 1949. The man is considered a witness and is exempt of punishment for testifying against the prostitute. The penalty for prostitutes is 3-36 months in prison and/or a fine.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

“Minors Sold For Prostitution Under Guise of Marriage,” Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), Nov. 16, 2006

Population: 7,185,218

Código Penal Salvadoreño

Brothel Ownership: Legal

Pimping: Illegal

Trafficking in women and girls for purposes of sexual exploitation was a problem. The attorney general reported that it had investigated approximately 80 cases of sexual exploitation.”

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: El Salvador,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 1,299,371

Estonian Penal Code

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The general opinion in Estonia does not support the key ministers’ views. According to Helve Kase, Head of the Department of Women’s Studies for the Estonian Institute for Open Society Research, the prostitutes are generally not viewed as victims…. According to the most recent survey from 2003, almost a third of Estonians supported punishing the prostitutes’ clients. Nearly half of the women were in favour of penalizing the prostitutes. More than half of the respondents gave their support to the existing system, which forbids pimping.”

“Estonia Also Considering Criminalisation of Purchase of Sex,” Helsingin Sanomat, Sep. 1, 2006

Population: 85,237,338

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Damian Zane, “Ethiopian Girls Driven To Prostitution,” BBC News, May 27, 2003

Population: 5,250,275

The Penal Code of Finland

Selling and purchasing sex in public is illegal. Purchasing sex from a victim of trafficking is also illegal.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

In the early years of this decade there was intense debate in Finland on whether or not to make buying sex services a crime…

Currently the purchase of sex services in Finland is illegal only in public places. Buying sex is also banned if the trade involves procurement or human trafficking, or if the provider of the service is below the legal age.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) estimates that about 500 prostitutes ply their trade in Finland every day…

Nobody knows how many prostitutes there really are in Finland. However, there is general agreement, that about half of the sex workers who operate regularly in Finland are Finns, and that a majority work part time.

Many foreign prostitutes work with the support, or under the command of a pimp. The Finns usually operate independently…

As the street trade is banned, Finnish red light districts can be found in cyberspace – on sex pages on the Internet and in personals ads. Foreign sex workers also sell their services in night clubs and Thai massage parlours.”

Panu Räty, “Anna Kontula Speaks on Behalf of Sex Workers,” Helsingin Sanomat, Sep. 7, 2008

Population: 64,057,792

Criminal Law of France

Prostitution: Legal
Must pay taxes. Laws against soliciting in public places.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal
Regulation and legal “houses of tolerance” ended in 1946.

Pimping: Illegal
Any form of assistance given toward prostitution or living off the earnings of prostitution can be considered criminal.

Prostitutes say the law would prevent them from earning income and expose them to dangers from unscrupulous customers or pimps…. [French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy says] the law was necessary to ‘guarantee the security of the French people.’…

Prostitution is legal in France and at the moment the country’s estimated 18,000 prostitutes can only be fined if their activities disturb the peace. But under the proposed law, prostitutes could face six months in prison or a fine of up to $7,500 if convicted under the law.”

“French Prostitutes Rage Against Crime Bill,” BBC News, Nov. 5, 2002

Population: 82,329,758

Measures and Acts on equal opportunities since 1949

Legalized in 1927.

[Editor’s Note: The date of the legalization of prostitution in Germany is disputed. Some consider prostitution to have been legalized or decriminalized since the passage of the 1927 Law for Combating Venereal Diseases. However, others consider prostitution was legalized through the Prostitution Act of January 2002 that improved the social welfare and legal rights of prostitutes. Although prostitution is legal under the German Constitution, prior to the 2002 Prostitution Act, a series of regulatory laws and court rulings had restricted the legal and social welfare rights of prostitutes because prostitution was considered in violation of Germany’s moral code.]

Brothel Ownership: Legal

Pimping: Legal
Exploitative behavior considered criminal.

It was mainly to offer prostitutes protection from violence and exploitation that two years ago – against the opposition of conservative politicians – the German government legalized prostitution. Now, legal contracts between prostitutes and clients can be established. The government withholds a portion of their earnings to pay social benefits like pensions and health insurance and to guarantee a regular 40-hour-workweek. Sex workers can now even unionize. When it comes to taxation and regulation of the industry, legalization has been beneficial in some places, advocates say…

But when it comes to the goal of improving conditions for prostitutes and containing the sex trade, most experts agree that legalizing prostitution has not succeeded. ‘When it was set up there was much talk of securing proper contracts, proper health insurance, but a lot of this hasn’t materialized because of big holes in the legislation,’ says Marion Detlefs of the Hydra prostitute advice center in Berlin. Across the country, no more than a dozen contracts have been signed. Prostitutes, who often have to share their income with brothel owners and other parties, are reluctant to pay taxes…. [A]dvocates for prostitutes complain that – despite the national law – prostitution is still treated differently in each region, giving each city the right to ban prostitution in certain areas.”

Isabelle de Pommereau, “Rethinking a Legal Sex Trade,” Christian Science Monitor, May 11, 2005

Population: 10,737,428

Prostitution: Legal
Prostitutes must be at least 21, register, and have health checks every 2 weeks.

Brothel Ownership: Legal

Pimping: Illegal
Covered under Article 349 of the Greek Penal Code.

Athens has announced that its economy is 25% bigger than thought thanks, in part, to the round-the-clock duties of the country’s prostitutes, who were known as hetairai in ancient times. The Greek authorities are revising the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) after deciding that the black market should be included in the figures.”

Nicholas Watt, “Greek Economy Up 25% – With a Little Help From Prostitutes,” Guardian, Sep. 30, 2006

Population: 90,739

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The constitution and law do not prohibit trafficking in persons; however, there were no reports that persons were trafficked to, from, or within the country. In theory trafficking cases could be prosecuted under other laws, such as those prohibiting forced prostitution, pimping, sexual abuse, and abuse of a minor.”

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: Grenada,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 13,276,517

Brothel Ownership: Legal

Pimping: Illegal

“Guatemala City’s Prostitute Soccer Team,” National Public Radio (NPR), Jan. 12, 2005

Population: 772,298

Laws of Guyana Chapter 8:01 Criminal Offences Act

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Government and NGOs reported only a small number of cases involving trafficking in persons. There were some unconfirmed reports of girls from the interior (where there was little government oversight and law enforcement was lacking) being trafficked for commercial sex to countries in South America and the Caribbean. Most traffickers were believed to be individual business persons.

The trafficking case against two women charged in 2006 with forcing a 12-year-old girl into sexual slavery was dismissed in October for lack of evidence.”

Population: 9,035,536

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The law does not specifically prohibit trafficking in persons, although labor legislation and other laws, including those prohibiting and penalizing slavery, kidnapping, and violence against women, could be used to combat human trafficking. There were reports that persons were trafficked from, to, through, and within the country… Women from the Dominican Republic were trafficked into the country for sexual exploitation.”

Population: 7,792,854

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The country was principally a source and transit country for women and children trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Women and children were trafficked to Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and also internally, most often from rural to urban settings. Most foreign victims trafficked into Honduras came from neighboring countries. During the year the government returned dozens of trafficking victims from Mexico and Guatemala. In the Tegucigalpa metropolitan area, an estimated several hundred children were victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

Gangs, organized crime, and human smugglers were reportedly among the principal traffickers for purposes of commercial sexual exploitation. There were reports that families sold their daughters for purposes of trafficking. On February 9, Emilio Fiallos Pina and his wife Dora Rutilia Sauceda Fiallos were arrested for allegedly selling their nine-year-old daughter to attorney Conrado Zelava Castellon for sexual exploitation.”

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: Honduras,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 9,905,596

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The permits allow prostitutes to give receipts to customers and become part of the legal economy by paying taxes and making social security contributions, said Agnes Foldi, head of the Hungarian Prostitutes’ Interest Protection Association.

Hungary’s sex industry – including prostitution and the production of pornographic materials – generates an estimated $1 billion annually, said Agnes Bakonyi, the spokeswoman of Hungary’s tax authority APEH…

Prostitutes in Hungary, can work legally only within certain zones – distant from schools and churches – and must get regular medical checkups. Pimping and bordellos are banned.”

Pablo Gorondi, “Hungary Gives Permits to Prostitutes,” Washington Post, Sep. 24, 2007

Population: 306,694

Excerpts including Chapter XXII on Sexual Offences from the General Penal Code of Iceland

Selling sexual services is legal. Paying for sexual services is illegal.

In 2007, buying and selling sexual services was legalized as long as third parties did not profit from the earnings of prostitutes. In Apr. 2009 the Icelandic Parliament passed legislation to prohibit paying for prostitution.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Iceland is the third country to outlaw the purchase of prostitution. Sweden was the first country to ban the buying of sex in 1999 and Norway followed suit earlier this year. In Finland, a ban on purchasing sexual services from victims of human trafficking was introduced in 2007.

Before this change in legislation, selling and buying sexual services was legal in Iceland. Selling sex was illegal in the country until 2007, when a change in the general penal code decriminalized prostitutes and criminalized profiting on the prostitution of others.

Opinion polls have shown that up to 70% of the population supports banning the purchase of sexual services.”

Centre for Gender Equality, “A New Law Makes Purchasing Sex Illegal in Iceland,” http://www.jafnretti.is, Apr. 21, 2009

Population: 1,166,079,217

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

On the streets of Kamathipura, it’s no challenge for Aronson Frontline Producer to find sex workers to talk with. In a small gathering she asks them frankly about the core issues of their trade — economics and health. The women get the equivalent of US$1.50 for sex, $2 on a good night, less than a dollar on a bad night. To have sex without a condom, men will often pay more or, after a few visits, tell the women they love them. The women in the group laugh a bit about the men’s proclamations of love, but there’s a tragic fact behind their laughter: more than half of the sex workers here are HIV positive.

Raney Aronson, “India – The Sex Workers,” PBS’s Frontline, June 2004

Population: 240,271,522

Prostitution is not defined in the law.

Brothel Ownership: Legal

Pimping: Legal

The number of child prostitutes in the country was unclear, but the problem was widespread. Many teenage girls were forced into or found themselves caught in debt bondage. At times law enforcement officials treated child prostitutes as criminals rather than victims. Corrupt civil servants issued identity cards to underage girls, facilitating entry into the sex trade. There also were reports of sexual exploitation of boys. The country was a destination for child sex tourism. During the year NGOs reported that long active pedophile rings continued to operate in Bali. NGO observers said many girls were forced into prostitution after failed marriages entered into when they were 10 to 14 years of age. There was no obvious violation of the law because their paperwork identified them as adults due to the fact that they were once married.”

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: El Salvador,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 66,429,284

Prostitution: Illegal
Prostitutes may face prison, lashing, or execution by stoning. Customers also face criminal penalties.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal
Establishing or managing a place of immorality or prostitution is a criminal act, subject to imprisonment from 1-10 years.

Pimping: Illegal
Living off the income of prostitution is illegal.

The plan was defended by Ashraf Borujerdi, Deputy for Social Affairs at the Interior Ministry, who helped draw it up. ‘Some people believe that talking about such issues is taboo, but they are part of the reality of society, and turning a blind eye will not solve the problem,’ she said… Welfare officials say there are at least 300,000 prostitutes working in the country.

Under Iran’s Islamic system, it is possible to take out a temporary marriage licence – known as Sigheh – even for a few hours. The device is used to cover casual transactions which in many societies would be regarded simply as prostitution.”

“Iran ‘Brothel’ Plan Rejected,” BBC News, July 28, 2002

Population: 28,945,657

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Although reliable statistics did not exist, Iraq was a source and destination country for men and women trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude. Children are trafficked within the country and abroad for commercial sexual exploitation. Women are trafficked within the country, as well as to Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Iran for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.”

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: Iraq,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 4,203,200

Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994

Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 1993

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Mr Naughton said bogus schools, established by organised crime groups, were assisting students in obtaining visas by providing the necessary documents.

Members of the Oireachtas were informed during a cross-party briefing on Wednesday ‘that language schools in Dublin are breeding grounds for prostitution. We need urgent action to deal with the proliferation of sex trafficking into Ireland’s €80 million illegal sex industry,’ he said.”

Aoife Carr, “Language Schools Act as Fronts for Brothels – Naughten,” Irish Times, June 19, 2009

Population: 7,233,701

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal
Procurement and living on the earnings of a woman in prostitution is prohibited.

Justice Eliezer Rivlin wrote in his decision that the claimant would not be given funds that would be used to violate the law by encouraging prostitution. ‘The proper way of society to deal with prostitution has been subject for contention over many years,’ Rivlin wrote. ‘There are those who see prostitutes as slave laborers and others who claim there are those among them who make a calculated choice to make a living thusly. The difficult questions over prostitution shall not be resolved, here but we cannot ignore the fact that criminal law frowns upon it.'”

Yuval Yoaz, “Court Rescinds Ruling Funding Disabled Man’s Brothel Visits,” Haaretz, Oct. 16, 2006

Population: 58,126,212

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal
Procurement and living on the earnings of a woman in prostitution is prohibited.

The council says targeting clients is its only option, given that prostitution is legal in Italy – despite the ordinarily hard moral line from the Vatican. But the prostitutes have devised a way to counteract the penalties – by issuing pink coupons to their clients promising to refund the fine ‘in kind’. The council claims that prostitution has fallen 70 per cent since the new rules came in last week, but the prostitutes said they have merely moved to quieter areas.”

“Italian Prostitutes Protest at Clampdown,” Marie Claire, May 17, 2007

Population: 2,825,928

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The law does not specifically prohibit forced or compulsory labor, including by children, and there were reports of child prostitution and of children trafficked into domestic servitude and forced labor.”

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: Jamaica,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 127,078,679

Report on Implementation of Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

Prostitution: Limited Legality
Prostitution is defined as only coitus. Non-coital sex acts are not illegal.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The law says that it is prohibited to sell or buy sex, but it does not penalize those acts. Instead, it penalizes prostitutes for soliciting or waiting for customers in public places, such as on the street and in parks. It also penalizes anyone who forces somebody to engage in prostitution, exploits a prostitute or gives financial support to a business engaged in prostitution…

According to the National Police Agency, there were 908 fashion health massage parlors and 5,425 ‘outcall-style’ fashion health parlors that were publicly registered in 2000 under the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses, etc. What protects the operation of the fashion health parlors is simple — they only offer oral sex, anal sex and other sexual services that are not interpreted as sex in the prostitution law…

In 2000 1,225 people were arrested on suspicion of violating the prostitution law. But that it is believed to be just the tip of the iceberg. Research conducted by Bank of Yokohama on the state of the underground economy in Japan in fiscal 1998 estimated that unreported earnings from commercial and ‘amateur’ prostitution come to around 945 billion yen.”

Hiroshi Matsubara, “Prostitution Testing Bounds of Culture, Business,” Japan Times, Mar. 16, 2002

Population: 6,342,948

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: Jordan,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 39,002,772

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Mildred Ngesa, “Kenya: What the Law Says About the Oldest ‘Profession’,” Nairobi Nation, May 19, 2007

Population: 22,665,345

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Some North Korean women and girls who voluntarily crossed into China were picked up by trafficking rings and sold as brides to Chinese nationals or placed in forced labor. In other cases, North Korean women and girls were lured out of North Korea by the promise of food, jobs, and freedom, only to be forced into prostitution, marriage, or exploitive labor arrangements. A network of smugglers facilitated this trafficking. Many victims of trafficking, unable to speak Chinese, were held as virtual prisoners, and some were forced to work as prostitutes. Traffickers sometimes abused or physically scarred the victims to prevent them from escaping. Officials facilitated trafficking by accepting bribes to allow individuals to cross the border into China.”

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 48,508,972

Illegal since 1948.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal
Up to 10 years in prison.

Pimping: Illegal

The agency launched a nationwide crackdown on brothels on April 6 continuing until the end of May.

It apprehended a total of 1,477 people involved in prostitution during the first seven days, taking 14 of them into custody.

Among those were 15 building owners allowing pimps to conduct business there, 814 customers and 369 prostitutes.

More than half, or 820 of those detained were from Seoul and its surrounding areas, 340 from Gyeonggi Province, 268 from Seoul, and 212 from Incheon, the nation’s second largest port city located west of the capital.

The majority of those caught were at brothels disguised as ‘massage clubs,’ the agency said, but 159 were found to have paid for sex from women they met through online chat rooms.

Under the Anti-Prostitution Law, prostitutes and their customers can face up to one year in prison, or a three million won fine, while brokers face up to seven years in prison or 70 million won in fines. Those purchasing or brokering sex with minors face harsher punishment.”

Park Si-soo, “1,400 Nabbed for Prostitution in a Week,” Korea Times, Apr. 16, 2009

Population: 5,431,747

Prostitution: Legal
Prostitution is not a crime but the exact legal status is unclear.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Bishkek police claim that some 3,500 prostitutes work in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, while unofficial estimates put that number at 1.5 to 2 times higher. Officials claim that sex workers from neighboring countries account for the vast majority of the number, with Kyrgyzstani prostitutes making up a mere 2 to 3 percent of the total. In addition, the capital offers some 169 saunas, 177 hotels and more than 1,000 private apartments with sexual services, police say.

Prostitution is not a crime in Kyrgyzstan, and prostitutes say that popular attitudes toward their work are more understanding than in neighboring Uzbekistan. But that welcome has its limits. Violent crimes involving prostitutes such as murders or assaults are on the increase. With less than adequate control over migration streams into Kyrgyzstan, police fear that cycle of violence could only worsen.”

Abdan Shukeev, “Bishkek Battles Going Bawdy,” EurasiaNet, Jan. 10, 2005

Population: 2,231,503

Latvia Regulations

Prostitution: Legal
Requires monthly health check.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga called ‘Buy Bye Beauty’ by Pål Hollander ‘political propaganda’ that didn’t meet standards of objectivity. Hollander’s movie, recently shown at the Gothenburg Film Festival, depicted a gloomy picture of the sex industry in Latvia. Hollander interviewed a number of people involved with the Latvian pornography industry while making the film, many of them prostitutes. Based on his interviews, the filmmaker claimed there are about 18,000 prostitutes in Latvia. According to official statistics, there are 2500 to 3000 prostitutes in the country. Hollander also claimed that about 50 percent of Latvian women have had sex for money.”

Ieva RaubiÅ¡ko, “Sex Industry Sparks Controversy,” Central Europe Review, Feb. 19, 2001

Population: 3,441,790

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

M. Welemongia Ciapha, II, “Police Boss Vows To Fight Prostitution,” Liberian Observer, Apr. 13, 2006

Population: 3,555,179

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The law prohibits forced or compulsory labor, including by children; however, there were reports that women and children were trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation. Trafficked women and girls in forced prostitution worked on streets, in illegal brothels, or as call girls.”

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: Lithuania,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 491,775

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The country is a destination for women trafficked transnationally for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Source countries during the year primarily included Romania and Ukraine. During the year the government identified nine victims of trafficking. At year’s end authorities were prosecuting one perpetrator for trafficking, and had tried and convicted nine others for procuring prostitution and human trafficking.”

Population: 25,715,819

Prostitution is not a criminal offense, but soliciting prostitution is illegal.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

They were among the 12,070 prostitutes nabbed throughout the country in 2008. Out of that number, 8,949 were foreigners – China (4,496), Indonesia (1,389), Thailand (1049), Philippines (1,090) and Vietnam (512).

And from January to March 15, police arrested 2,878 prostitutes, out of which 2,144 were foreigners – China (1,030), Indonesia (387), Thailand (237), Vietnam (222) and the Philippines (188).

In most of the cases, victims were locked in a room after being brought into the country and forced into prostitution…

There is a new department to handle human trafficking cases known as the Anti-Trafficking In Person (ATIP) which was set up early last year.”

Population: 405,165

Criminal Code of Malta

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The country is a destination for women trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation. On July 6 authorities charged three men with forcing a Swedish woman into prostitution. According to police, two separate investigations in 2007 led to the arrest of seven persons for the trafficking of eight Russian and Ukrainian women for the purpose of sexual exploitation. There was also anecdotal evidence that women from Serbia, Romania, and other eastern European countries may have been trafficked to the country for forced prostitution.”

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: Malta,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 111,211,789

Prostitution: Legal
Prostitution is decriminalized and regulated at the state level. Where regulated they must be at least 18, registered, pay for and receive health checks, and carry their health card. It cannot be in public though many cities have a red light district or “zona roja.”

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

One measure of the magnitude of the problem health officials face is that more than 8,000 women and men who have registered as prostitutes since the system began have stopped coming to the city clinic, Dr. Mayor Noriega said. It is unclear how many left the business and how many simply decided not to pay for the tests any more.”

James C. McKinley Jr., “A New Law in Tijuana Regulates the Oldest Profession,” New York Times, Dec. 13, 2005

Population: 16,715,999

Dutch Policy on Prostitution

Prostitution: Legal
Officially legal since Oct. 2000. Prostitutes must be over 18 and clients must be over 16. Prostitutes must register and pay taxes.

Brothel Ownership: Legal
Subject to licensing and zoning requirements.

Pimping: Legal
Living off income from a prostitute is legal if it doesn’t involve coercion.

The Christian Democrat CDA and the ChristenUnie (CU) parties – both of which are expected to form part of the new governing coalition – want even tougher measures, including the prosecution of men who frequent prostitutes who are working against their will…

But others, such as Petra Timmermans from the International Committee on the rights of Sex Workers in Europe, said the Dutch were experiencing outside pressure from countries that did not understand their traditions. ‘The Netherlands has decided to do things differently so it is under tremendous pressure from neighbouring countries to re-evaluate its position,’ she said. ‘People look at the Netherlands and say it is a failed experiment because not every sex worker is a millionairess.'”

Nicola Smith, “Amsterdam Cleans Ip Its Act,” Expactica.com, Jan. 10, 2007

Population: 4,213,418

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – Prostitution Law Reform

International Approaches to Decriminalising or Legalising Prostitution

Prostitution: Legal
Since 2003 prostitution has been decriminalized. It is legal for citizens over 18 years old.

Brothel Ownership: Legal
Owners must be over 18 years old, a citizen of New Zealand or Australia, and have an Operator’s Certificate. Only applicants with serious criminal convictions will be denied.

Pimping: Legal
No laws against living off the avails of prostitution.

Labour MP Tim Barnett’s Prostitution Reform Bill will become law after nearly three years of scrutiny, 415 hours of debate by Parliament and its committees and 222 public submissions.

It decriminalises prostitution and establishes a legal framework around the sex industry, with licensed brothels operating under public health and employment laws.”

Population: 5,891,199

Brothel Ownership: Legal

Pimping: Legal

Child prostitution remained a problem. The law permits juveniles 14 years of age or older to engage in prostitution. The country was a destination for child sex tourism, primarily in Granada and Managua; however, there were no reported cases during the year.”

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: Nicaragua,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 4,660,539

Selling sexual services is legal. Purchasing sex is illegal.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Norwegian citizens caught paying for prostitutes at home or abroad could face a hefty fine or a six-month prison sentence, authorities say.

The prison sentence could be extended to three years in cases of child prostitution.

The Norwegian authorities say they want to stamp out sex tourism and street prostitution by targeting clients rather than prostitutes…

The tough new measures go further than similar ones introduced by other Nordic countries such as Sweden and Finland.

Norwegian police have been authorised to use wire-tapping devices to gather evidence.

There has already been a visible decrease in women working on the streets of central Oslo, local media report.

Prostitutes will be offered access to free education and health treatment for those with alcohol or drugs problems.”

BBC News, “New Norway Law Bans Buying of Sex,” http://www.news.bbc.co.uk, Jan. 1, 2009

Population: 3,360,474

Brothel Ownership: Legal

Pimping: Illegal

Although the law prohibits trafficking in persons for the purpose of sexual exploitation, persons were trafficked to, from, and within the country. The PNP Sex Crimes Unit reported that most victims trafficked into the country came from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Central America. The primary destinations for victims trafficked from the country were Jamaica and Europe. Most victims trafficked within the country were women and children trafficked into the sex trade. The PNP Sex Crimes Unit reported that the vast majority of trafficking victims were women older than 18 years.

The principal traffickers in the country were owners of houses of prostitution, and most transnational trafficking occurred using valid travel documents and was conducted through official ports of entry.”

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: Panama,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 6,995,655

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

In March a 15-year-old trafficking victim who escaped from a brothel in Buenos Aires fled to Ciudad del Este, where she filed a complaint with the SNNA. Based on her complaint, Argentine and Paraguayan authorities rescued 25 girls from the brothel. Charges remained pending. During the year prosecutors opened an investigation into a syndicate that trafficked dozens of adolescent girls to Chile.

Population: 29,546,963

Brothel Ownership: Legal

Pimping: Illegal

‘People have to understand that it’s not simply about a whore standing on a street corner, it’s a woman, a lady who’s working,’ said Angela Villon, president of the Civil Association of Sex Workers, at a news conference…

According to the health ministry, there are around 60,000 sex workers in Peru, 14,000 of them in the capital Lima, although Villon said she believed the true figures were higher.”

Gideon Long, “Sex Workers Urge Peru to Regulate Prostitution,” Reuters, May 18, 2007

Population: 97,976,603

“Bar girls” must register and have health checks.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Nursing and teaching, more traditional women’s work in the Philippines, pay a fraction of the sums these women can make. That is, if their pimps allow them to keep their money. A University of the Philippines study in the late 1990s estimated there were about a half-million prostitutes in the country.”

Mike Comerford, “A Look at Life in the Red-light District,” Daily Herald, Apr. 17, 2005

Population: 38,482,919

Trafficking in Human Beings in Poland Report by the Polish Ministry of Interior and Administration, 2008

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

While prostitution is not criminalized, pimping, recruiting, or luring persons into prostitution carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison… In 2007, according to the Ministry of Justice, 70 traffickers were convicted for forced prostitution and trafficking, compared to 16 convictions in 2006 strictly for trafficking.”

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: Poland,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 10,707,924

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

They sell their services for as little as €20 and many times must settle for less as the interested parties haggle and the harsh competition forces them to accept the cheaper price.

Their clientele is extremely varied; labourers, doctors, lawyers, tourists, students and even the elderly drive down the street at an idle speed to satisfy their urge, explained the psychologist who has been helping women protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases for the past seven years.

The AIDS Support Movement distributes condoms and information pamphlets teaching prostitutes how to put on a condom even if the client does not want to use one…

In 2007 there were 80 prostitutes working in Quarteira, 78 women and two transsexuals, 65% of them were foreign.”

“Quarteira Protesting Prostitution,” Portugal News, Aug. 30, 2008

Population: 22,215,421

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

“Romanian Authorities Consider Plan to Legalize Prostitution,” Associated Press (AP), Sep. 6, 2006

Population: 10,473,282

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

‘It (prostitution) cannot be classified anywhere in the country’s development indicators. It is a menace that ought to be stopped immediately because we have our own morals and cultural values that have to be preserved and protected,’ Kagame stressed.”

Robert Mukombozi, “Rwanda: Govt Toughens On Prostitution,” New Times, Mar. 9, 2007

Population: 40,131

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

In August parliament passed laws criminalizing trafficking in persons that include all elements of the offense, such as withholding identification or travel documents of a person and controlling and restricting the movement of a person. There were no confirmed reports that persons were trafficked to, from, or within the country.”

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: Saint Kitts and Nevis,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 160,267

Criminal Code 2003

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

There were reports that some women from Saint Lucia were trafficked to Saint Marten and Barbados, and that women from the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and some Eastern European countries were trafficked to Saint Lucia, where they worked at strip clubs and brothels. There were reports that police owned many of these clubs, particularly in Rodney Bay, and that women who fled the brothels were sometimes returned to them by police.”

Population: 104,574

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Population: 28,686,633

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Among the pimps arrested Thursday were an Egyptian and a Syrian, along with several Indonesian prostitutes caught in the act, the paper said. One girl, arrested earlier, told a newspaper that she had been ‘led astray, into error, by the devil to devote herself to vice, for 1,500 Saudi riyals about $400 a night.’

Prostitution is strictly banned in Saudi Arabia, which applies Sharia (Islamic law), and is punishable by prison and flogging.

Population: 13,711,597

Prostitution: Legal
Prostitution has been legal since 1969. Must be at least 21 years of age, register with the police, carry a valid sanitary card, and test negative for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Free condoms are provided beginning at the first visit to the clinic and are renewed monthly.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal
Soliciting or living off the earnings of prostitution is prohibited.

Nicholas Thompson, “The Network Effect,” Boston Globe, Jan. 5, 2003

Population: 4,657,542

Prostitution: Legal
Legal red-light districts, mandatory health checks, and must be 18 years or older.

Brothel Ownership: Legal

Pimping: Illegal

“Singapore may raise the minimum age for prostitutes from 16 to 18 [which it did] to bring its laws in line with international standards, a newspaper report said Tuesday, Oct 4. A government study into the penal code’s provisions on sexual offences is expected to be completed by the end of the year, the Straits Times newspaper reported. Local authorities, while declining to provide specific reasons behind the study, said it was part of a ‘holistic review’ of Singapore’s laws on sexual offences and may include criminalizing sex with minors overseas.

‘We constantly review our laws to keep abreast of changing times and norms,’ the Straits Times quoted a Ministry of Home Affairs spokesman as saying. Under current laws, having sex with girls under 16 is considered statutory rape, punishable by up to five years in jail and a fine of S$10,000 (US$5900)…

Prostitution is legal in Singapore but pimping and public solicitation are not. Licensed brothels operate in designated areas.”

Population: 5,463,046

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

“Prostitution is legal, but related activities, such as operating brothels, knowingly spreading sexually transmitted diseases, or trafficking in women for the purpose of sexual exploitation, are prohibited. There was no reliable data on the extent of prostitution…

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that between 150 and 200 persons were trafficked from or through the country during 2007, mainly for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. There were isolated reports that children were forced into prostitution…

In February 2007 police uncovered a trafficking ring organized by Slovak and Slovenian citizens that recruited young Slovak women to work legally in Croatia, and then forced them to work as prostitutes in Slovenia.”

Population: 2,005,692

Slovenian Penal Code

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

“Prostitution is illegal, but the government did not actively enforce this prohibition. Antitrafficking authorities and NGOs informally estimated that as many as 80 bars and clubs across the country could be engaged in facilitating or promoting prostitution…

The government apprehended, investigated, and prosecuted traffickers; police investigated nine instances of human trafficking and seven instances of forced prostitution.”

Population: 49,052,489

South Africa v. Jordan and others – Summary of Judgment

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Population: 40,525,002

Prostitution is not a crime but the exact legal status is unclear.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal in some regions

Pimping: Illegal

“Is prostitution a form of violence and exploitation of women, which should be banned, or a job like any other, which should be regulated? The question has divided Europe, with Sweden trying to eradicate prostitution by penalizing the clients, while others such as the Netherlands have legalized the trade. For Spanish legislators, however, prostitution proved too tough a nut to crack.

After nearly three years of debate, a parliamentary commission advising the government threw in the towel, rejecting both of the proposed approaches and simply leaving prostitution where it was: a shady zone where it is neither legal nor illegal…

Its incapacity to adopt a clear policy angered both the main camps: women’s rights activists regarding prostitution as a form of slavery, incompatible with democratic values, and prostitutes’ associations saying sex workers needed legal rights to protect themselves.

Spain has been dubbed the ‘brothel of Europe,’ with up to 500,000 women working as prostitutes. Every day, 1.5 million men buy sex in Spain, said Maribel Montano of the governing Socialist Party (PSOE). The trade, which is plied in places ranging from parks and flats to roadside brothels, turns over an estimated 40 billion euros (54 billion dollars) annually, almost the equivalent of Spain’s education budget.”

Sinikka Tarvainen, “Spain Divided Over Semi-Legal Prostitution,” German Press Agency, May 8, 2007

Population: 481,267

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: Suriname,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 9,059,651

Swedish Penal Code 

Since 1999 selling sex is not a crime but the buying of sex is. Buyers face fines and up to 6 months in prison.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal
Punishment includes up to 4 years in prison.

Pimping: Illegal

“In Sweden, prostitution is officially acknowledged as a form of male sexual violence against women and children. One of the cornerstones of Swedish policies against prostitution and trafficking in human beings is the focus on the root cause, the recognition that without men’s demand for and use of women and girls for sexual exploitation, the global prostitution industry would not be able flourish and expand.”

Population: 7,604,467

Prostitution: Legal
Prostitutes must register with city authorities and health authorities and get regular health checks.

Brothel Ownership: Legal
Legalized in 1992.

Pimping: Illegal

Prostitution is legal in Switzerland, and its residents have the world’s highest purchasing power, according to a study published in December by UBS AG. Prostitutes from the European Union don’t need a work permit for the first three months of residence and can offer their services as self-employed workers, provided they register with police and comply with tax laws.

The lack of restrictions, combined with the country’s wealth, has pushed the number of prostitutes per capita in Zurich to the highest among industrialized countries, a city employee heading a project for improvement of the Langstrasse area, Zurich’s red-light district, Rolf Vieli, said. Based on police figures, Zurich has about 11 prostitutes per 1,000 people, similar to the rate in Amsterdam, known for its sex trade.”

Antonio Ligi, “E.U. Treaty Spurs Influx of Prostitutes to Zurich,” Bloomberg News, Mar. 6, 2007

Population: 65,905,410

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Population: 1,229,953

Sexual Offences Act 1986

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

“Prostitution is illegal, and the authorities continued to monitor, investigate, and prosecute major operators believed to be engaged in soliciting for prostitution. On January 20, police arrested 42 women involved in a prostitution ring, many of whom had entered the country illegally. The authorities deported many of them…

The Sexual Offenses Act prohibits procurement of a person for the purpose of sexual intercourse with another person, and procuring a person to become an inmate of a brothel or to frequent a brothel.”

US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2008 Human Rights Report: Trinidad and Tobago,” http://www.state.gov, Feb. 25, 2009

Population: 76,805,524

Prostitution: Legal
Requires registering and attending clinics for regular examinations. Must carry identity card indicating the dates of his or her health checks. Health checks can be as often as twice a week. Sexworkers cannot be married and their children are barred from occupying high rank in the army or police, or marrying persons of such rank, although they can work in other areas of government service.

Brothel Ownership:Limited Legality
Official brothels in Turkey are state-run. The Turkish penal code states that it is illegal to shelter a person for prostitution.

Pimping:Illegal

“[A] special unit in the Prime Ministry’s Human Rights Department will begin a project aimed at giving prostitutes the opportunity to find alternative employment, the daily Aksam reported Sunday.

Sociologists and psychologists interviewed 3,000 registered prostitutes working at brothels to determine whether they have been forced into the job and whether they would prefer another line of employment.

There are 15,000 registered prostitutes in Turkey, 3,000 of whom work in 56 brothels. There are an estimated 100,000 unregistered prostitutes in the country.”

Population: 32,369,558

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

The Immigration Act also prohibits entry of a prostitute, or a person prior to entering Uganda was living on the earnings of prostitution and punishes any person who becomes employed in Uganda without entry permit. In this case many young girls and women who are trafficked into prostitution or forced to enter Uganda illegally are guilty of such offences. They are further punished by the law. They are at a risk of being imprisoned, fined, deported and re-trafficked if found guilty in the existing laws. There are also no legal provisions that entitle Victims of trafficking in humans to rehabilitation despite the grave physical assaults, sexual abuses, and psychological trauma they experience in the due process.

Population: 4,798,491

Prostitution: Illegal
The sharia courts sentence lashings followed by imprisonment.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

But Cyclone is hardly the only place in Dubai providing work for prostitutes. You can find them at almost every five-star hotel in the emirate, or even on the streets.

Population: 61,113,205

Sexual Offences Act 2003

Sexual Offences Act 1985 

Sexual Offences Act 1956 

Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982

Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 

Prostitution (Public Places) (Scotland) Act 2007 

Prostitution: Legal
“Persistent” solicitation in public places is illegal. Kerb crawling is illegal.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal
Pimping law defined as “controlling prostitution for gain.”

The government’s planned change to the law in England and Wales aims to protect women forced into the trade by traffickers and pimps. At present it is not illegal to pay for sex. Under the new legislation a man will face prosecution if he pays for sex with a woman who is being ‘controlled for gain’ by someone else…

The bill also includes tougher controls on kerb crawlers.

Population: 307,212,123

US federal, state, and Nevada county laws concerning prostitution

Prostitution: Limited Legality Illegal except for 11 rural counties in Nevada, where registration and health checks are required.

Indoor prostitution became legal in Rhode Island in 1980 due to an unintentional legal loophole created by legislators. The state enacted new legislation closing the loophole on Nov. 3, 2009.

Brothel Ownership: Illegal
Illegal except for 11 rural counties in Nevada.

Pimping: Illegal

Population: 3,494,382

Brothel Ownership: Illegal

Pimping: Illegal

Some minors engaged in prostitution and forced labor. INAU found that they often did so at the request of their families to increase income. The media reported three cases of minors engaged in prostitution with the consent of their parents in the provinces of Tacuarembo, Rocha, and Paysandu…

Most victims were women, girls, and some boys trafficked within the country to border and tourist areas for sexual exploitation. Through use of false job offers, some women were trafficked to Spain and Italy for commercial sexual exploitation.”

Population: 26,814,843

Brothel Ownership: Legal

Pimping: Illegal

The law prohibits inducing the prostitution and corruption of minors. Penalties range from three to 18 months in prison and up to four years in prison if the minor is younger than 12 years old. If the crime is committed repeatedly or for profit, it is punishable by three to six years’ imprisonment. Prison sentences for inducing a minor into prostitution are increased by up to five years if various aggravating circumstances occur. Penalties for several crimes relating to child prostitution do not apply if the perpetrator marries the victim. The production and sale of child pornography is prohibited, and the law establishes penalties of 16 to 20 years’ imprisonment for this crime.

The Criminal Code prohibits inducing the prostitution or corruption of minors… It is also a crime to induce, facilitate, or promote prostitution or corruption of another person to satisfy the passions of others… The code prohibits a husband or other relative from forcing a wife or female descendent to prostitute herself.

Legislation on prostitution in Venezuela aims to regulate rather than outlaw the commercial sex industry and the operation of these brothels is legal, providing that the women working in them are over the age of 18 and undergo regular health checks.