Prostitution in Asia

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Legal status of prostitution across Asia.
  Decriminalization – no criminal penalties for prostitution
  Legalization – prostitution legal and regulated
  Abolitionism – prostitution is legal, but organized activities such as brothels and pimping are illegal; prostitution is not regulated
  Neo-abolitionism illegal to buy sex and for 3rd party involvement, legal to sell sex
  Prohibitionism – prostitution illegal
  Legality varies with local laws

The legality of prostitution in Asia varies by country. There is often a significant difference in Asia between prostitution laws and the practice of prostitution. In 2011, the Asian Commission on AIDS estimated there were 10 million sex workers in Asia and 75 million male customers.[1]

Child prostitution is a serious problem in this region. Past surveys indicate that 30 to 35 percent of all prostitutes in the Mekong sub-region of Southeast Asia are between 12 and 17 years of age.[2]

The World Health Organization has called for the decriminalisation of sex work as a means of combating HIV/AIDS. The Asian region has the lowest incidence (5.2%).[3]

This page uses the UN system of subregions.

Central Asia

Kazakhstan

 Kazakhstan
Prostitution legal
Buying sex legal
Brothels illegal
Procuring illegal
Solicitation illegal

In Kazakhstan prostitution itself is legal, but acts facilitating prostitution, such as operating a brothel or prostitution ring, are illegal. Forced prostitution and prostitution connected to organized crime are prohibited. Prostitution is a serious problem. NGOs reported that criminal prostitution rings often included local law enforcement officials.[4]

Estimates of the number of prostitutes in Kazakhstan vary from 4,000[5] and 25,000,[6] including a number from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.[5]

Sex workers often face harassment, extortion, arbitrary arrest, rape and violence from the police.[7]

Kyrgyzstan

 Kyrgyzstan
Prostitution legal
Buying sex legal
Brothels illegal
Procuring illegal
Solicitation illegal

Prostitution in Kyrgyzstan has been legal since 1998,[8] but the operation of brothels, pimping, and recruiting persons into prostitution are illegal, with penalties of up to five years[9][10] There are estimated to be 7,100 sex workers in the country.[11] Prostitution occurs on the streets, in bars, hotels and brothels.[12]

Prostitution has been blamed for a rise in HIV/AIDS.[13] The HIV prevalence amongst sex workers is 2%.[14]

Sex trafficking is a problem in the country.[15]

Tajikistan

 Tajikistan
Prostitution legal
Buying sex legal
Brothels illegal
Procuring illegal
Solicitation illegal

Prostitution in

Government official figures for 2015 were 1,777 prostitutes and 194 brothels.[17] Prostitution occurs on the streets and in bars, restaurants, nightclubs and saunas,[16] and HIV prevalence is 3.5% amongst sex workers.[14]

Previously, as soliciting is an administrative offence,[17] arrested prostitutes are given a nominal fine and released,[18][19] while those procuring are prosecuted,[18] potentially being punished by up to eight years in jail.[20] In 2015 a new law was passed that doubled the fine for solicitation and added 15 days of home arrest to the punishment.[17][21]

Turkmenistan

 Turkmenistan
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution in Turkmenistan is illegal but common.[19][22] Prostitution has increased within the country since the collapse of the Soviet Union.[23] Poverty is one of the reasons women have turned to prostitution,[22] sometimes under pressure from family members.[23][24]

Prostitutes frequent bars, casinos and nightclubs;[25] some are addicted to heroin.[24][26] In Daşoguz, a major truck stop, many 'night butterflies' service the truck drivers in the overnight truck parks.[23]

Uzbekistan

 Uzbekistan
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution in Uzbekistan is illegal but common,[19] especially in Samarkand,[27] Fergana,[28] and the capital, Tashkent.[29] Prostitution has increased within the country since the collapse of the Soviet Union.[30] UNAIDS estimate there are 22,000 sex workers in the country.[11] Many of the women have turned to prostitution in Uzbekistan because of poverty.[27][28]

Law enforcement is inconsistent.[19] Some police officers will harass prostitutes and extort "protection money" from them.[19][28] Sometimes prostitutes work with police as informants to avoid being arrested.[28]

East Asia

China

 China
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Officially, prostitution is illegal in mainland China, but in practice is widespread.[31]

Shortly after taking power in 1949, the

better source needed
]

Hong Kong

 Hong Kong
Prostitution legal
Buying sex legal
Brothels illegal
Procuring illegal
Solicitation illegal

Prostitution in Hong Kong is itself legal, but organised prostitution is illegal, as there are laws against keeping a vice establishment, causing or procuring another to be a prostitute, living on the prostitution of others, or public solicitation.[33]

The most visible public venues for sex workers in Hong Kong, especially for tourists, are massage parlours and the so-called "Japanese style night clubs". However, most of the commercial sex worker industry consists of women working in small, usually one-room apartments, usually referred to as "one-woman brothels", the equivalent of the "walk-up brothel" in the United Kingdom. They advertise for clients through the Internet and local classifieds. Most popular mainstream newspapers will carry such classifieds with brothel guides as an insert within racing form guides. Yellow neon advertising boxes were used to advertise sexual services to such an extent that "yellow" (黃) became synonymous with prostitution.

Macau

 Macau
Prostitution legal
Buying sex legal
Brothels illegal
Procuring illegal

Prostitution is legal in Macau[34] unlike in mainland China, because the city is a special administrative region of the country. However, operating a brothel and procuring are both illegal in Macau, with the latter punishable by a maximum jail sentence of 8 years.[35] The city has a large sex trade despite there being no official red-light district.[36] The trade is said to be controlled by Chinese organized crime groups, which has occasionally led to violent clashes.[37] Street prostitution takes place in Macau and prostitutes also work in low-rent buildings, massage parlours and illegal brothels, and the casinos, nightclubs, saunas and some of the larger hotels.[38] Most hotels, however, have suspected prostitutes removed from the premises.[39] Many of the city's sidewalks and underpasses are littered with prostitutes' calling cards.[34]

Japan

 Japan
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution is illegal in Japan; however, as the definition of prostitution is "intercourse with an unspecified person in exchange for payment", the sale of other sexual services is legal and widespread.[7]

Prostitution has existed throughout the country's

yen ($24 billion) a year.[40]

In Japan, the "sex industry" (fūzoku, 風俗, literally "public morals") is not synonymous with prostitution. Since

Japanese law defines prostitution as "intercourse with an unspecified person in exchange for payment," most fūzoku offer only non-coital services, such as conversation, dancing, or bathing, to remain legal.[41] Nevertheless, polls by MiW and the National Women's Education Center of Japan have found that between 20% and 40% of Japanese men have paid for sex.[42]

Mongolia

 Mongolia
Prostitution illegal

Prostitution is illegal in Mongolia[7] but widespread in some areas.[19][43] The Global Fund for Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria estimated there were about 19,000 sex workers in the country in 2006.[44] Many women in Mongolia turn to prostitution through poverty.[43]

Sex trafficking[45] and child prostitution, including child sex tourism,[46] are problems in the country.

North Korea

 North Korea
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Prostitution is illegal in

Kim Il-sung, there was no organized prostitution, but some prostitution was still practiced discreetly near railroad stations and restaurants.[49] While defectors currently report widespread prostitution, this is not experienced by visitors to the country.[50] Allegedly, kippumjo provides sexual entertainment to high-ranking officials.[51][52][53]

South Korea

 South Korea
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Prostitution is illegal in South Korea,[54] but according to the Korea Women's Development Institute, the sex trade in Korea was estimated to amount to 14 trillion South Korean won ($13 billion) in 2007, roughly 1.6% of the nation's gross domestic product.[55]

According to a survey conducted by the Department of Urology at the Korea University College of Medicine in 2015, 23.1% of males and 2.6% of females, aged 18–69, had sexual experience with a

prostitute.[56] Despite legal sanctions and police crackdowns, prostitution continues to flourish in South Korea, while sex workers continue to actively resist the state's activities.[57]

Taiwan

 Taiwan
Prostitution illegal except in designated zones

Legislation was introduced in 2011 to allow local governments in Taiwan to set up "special zones" where prostitution is permitted. Outside these zones prostitution is illegal. As of 2017 no "special zones" had been opened.[58]

North Asia

Russia

 Russia
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution is an administrative, but not criminal, offence in Russia (such as, for example, drinking beer in a public place or walking nude on the street). The maximum punishment is a fine up to 2000 rubles (~$30); however, organising prostitution or engaging somebody into prostitution is punishable by a prison term.

South Asia

Afghanistan

 Afghanistan
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution is illegal in

Mazar-e-Sharif area in the north of the country.[61][62]

Small number of women from Iran, Tajikistan, China, and possibly

Afghan Interior Ministry's department of sexual crimes, about 2 to 3 prostitution arrests were made each week in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2008.[62]

Bangladesh

 Bangladesh
Prostitution legal and regulated
Buying sex legal
Brothels licensed
Solicitation illegal

Prostitution is legal and regulated in Bangladesh,[65] but it is not considered a respectable profession by Bangladeshi society.[66] Prostitutes must register and swear an affidavit stating she is unable to find any other work.[7] Local NGOs estimate the total number of female prostitutes to be as many as 100,000.[67]

There are 20 brothel-villages in the country. The largest is Daulatdia which has about 1,300 sex workers, it is one of the largest brothels in the world.[68][69][70]

Unwed mothers, orphans, and others outside the normal family support system are the most vulnerable to human trafficking. Government corruption greatly facilitates the process of trafficking. Police and local government officials often ignore trafficking in women and children for commercial sexual exploitation and are easily bribed by brothel owners and pimps.[67]

Bhutan

 Bhutan
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Prostitution is illegal in Bhutan but in many of Bhutan's border towns there are people openly practicing in the sex trade.[71][72] Prostitution mainly occurs in bars, clubs & hotels.[73][74] Some of the sex workers are employed by bar and hotel owners to attract customers.[73] Prostitution also occurs in the capital, Thimphu.[75] There are thought to be 400 - 500 sex workers in the country, many from poor backgrounds who enter prostitution for financial reasons.[76]

In 2017, the

NGO Lhak-Sam proposed that sex work was legalised by the government, but the proposal was turned down.[75]

India

 India
Prostitution legal
Buying sex legal
Brothels illegal
Procuring illegal
Solicitation illegal

In

private residence of a prostitute or others.[77] A number of related activities are crimes,[78][7] including soliciting in a public place, kerb crawling, owning or managing a brothel, prostitution in a hotel,[79] child prostitution, pimping and pandering.[80] But many brothels illegally operate in many Indian cities including Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.[81]

There were an estimated two million female sex workers in the country in 1997.[82] In 2007, the Ministry of Women and Child Development reported the presence of over 3 million female sex workers in India, with 35.47 percent of them entering the trade before the age of 18 years.[83][84]

Maldives

 Maldives
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Prostitution in the

prostitutes on the islands.[85] Some women enter the country posing as tourists but then engage in sex work.[86]

Following complaints that sexual services were being offered in spas in hotels, and a protest in the capital, Malé, by the opposition Adhaalath Party, the government ordered the closure of the spas in 1,000 hotels in late December 2011.[86][87][88] Following pressure from the country's tourism industry, president Mohamed Nasheed lifted the ban a few days later.[87]

Nepal

   Nepal
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution is illegal in Nepal. The Human Trafficking and Transportation (Control) Act, 2064, Act Number 5 of the Year 2064 (2008), criminalises prostitution and living of the earnings of prostitution by including it in the definition of human trafficking.[7]

For many, entering into the sex industry is the only way in which they could survive economically in Nepal.[89] However, sex work is not officially recognized among the industrial or service sectors of labour. Sex trafficking happens on a large scale in Nepal, but voluntary sex work is common.

Pakistan

 Pakistan
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Prostitution is illegal in

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan
regions.

Sri Lanka

 Sri Lanka
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Prostitution is illegal in Sri Lanka, and related activities such as soliciting, procuring, and brothels are outlawed.[7] It is also illegal to traffic persons for prostitution, especially minors.[94] Prostitution is not as widespread in Sri Lanka as in some neighbouring countries.[95] It is estimated that there are 40,000 prostitutes (known as "Ganikawa")[96] in the country,[97] and nearly half of them operate in Colombo.[98]

Southeast Asia

Brunei

 Brunei
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Prostitution in Brunei is illegal[19] and can incur a punishment of imprisonment for 1 year and a fine of BN$5,000 for a first offence, or 3 years and BN$10,000 on a second or subsequent conviction.[99]

In 1993, in a diplomatic affair dubbed as the Brunei beauties, Senator

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah were among those linked to the scandal, in which Ruffa Gutierrez, Vivian Velez, Lea Orosa, Aurora Sevilla, Sheila Israel, Rachel Lobangco, Tetchie Agbayani, Maritoni Fernandez, Gretchen Barretto, and Cristina Gonzales were alleged to be amongst the victims.[100][102]

Cambodia

 Cambodia
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution in Cambodia is illegal, but prevalent. The 2008 Cambodian Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation[103] has proven controversial, with international concerns regarding human rights abuses resulting from it, such as outlined in the 2010 Human Rights Watch report.[104][105]

Violence against prostitutes, especially gang rape, called bauk in Cambodian,[106] is very common.[107] Perpetrators include customers and police officers. According to some sources, such assaults are not condemned by society, due to the extreme stigmatization of prostitutes.[108]

Indonesia

 Indonesia
No prostitution laws

Prostitution in Indonesia is legally considered a "crime against decency/morality", although it is widely practised, tolerated and even regulated in some areas.[7] Some women are financially motivated to become prostitutes, while others may be forced by friends, relatives or strangers. Traditionally, they have met with customers in entertainment venues or special prostitution complexes, or lokalisasi. However, recently internet forums and Facebook have been used to facilitate prostitute-client relations. In recent years, child sex tourism has become an issue at the resort islands of Batam and Bali.

Laos

 Laos
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Prostitution in Laos is regarded as a criminal activity and can be subject to severe prosecution.[7] It is much less common than in neighbouring Thailand.[109]: 135  Soliciting for prostitution instead takes place mainly in the city's bars and clubs,[110] although street prostitution also takes place. The visibility of prostitution in Laos belies the practice's illegality.[111] Most prostitutes in Laos are from poor rural Laotian families and the country's ethnic minorities. In addition to these, there are many prostitutes in Laos from China and Vietnam,[112] while some Laotian women go to Thailand to work as sex workers.[113]

Malaysia

 Malaysia
Prostitution legal
Buying sex legal
Brothels illegal
Procuring illegal
Solicitation illegal

Prostitution in

sex trade generated US$963 million.[117]

Myanmar

 Myanmar
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution in Myanmar (also known as Burma) is illegal.[119] Prostitution is a major social issue that particularly affects women and children.

Burma is a major source of prostitutes (an estimate of 25,000–30,000) in Thailand, with the majority of women trafficked taken to

Mae Sai, at the eastern tip of Burma.[120][121] Burmese sex workers also operate in Yunnan, China, particularly the border town of Ruili.[122] The majority of Burmese prostitutes in Thailand are from ethnic minorities.[121] Sixty percent of Burmese prostitutes are under 18 years of age.[123] Burma is also a source country of sex workers and forced labourers in China, Bangladesh, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Korea, Macau, and Japan.[124] Internal trafficking of women for the purpose of prostitution occurs from rural villages to urban centres, military camps, border towns, and fishing villages.[124]

Philippines

 Philippines
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution in the

escort services.[126]

Singapore

 Singapore
Prostitution legal
Buying sex legal
Brothels illegal
Procuring illegal
Solicitation illegal

Prostitution in Singapore in itself is not illegal, but various prostitution-related activities are criminalised. This includes public solicitation, living on the earnings of a prostitute and maintaining a brothel. In practice, police unofficially tolerate and monitor a limited number of brothels. Prostitutes in such establishments are required to undergo periodic health checks and must carry a health card.[127]

Thailand

 Thailand
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal
Brothels illegal
Procuring illegal
Solicitation illegal

Prostitution in Thailand is technically illegal, but because of police corruption, prostitution remains common.[128][129] Prostitution operates clandestinely in many parts of the country.[130]

The precise number of prostitutes is difficult to assess. Estimates vary widely and are subject to national and international controversy.[131] Since the Vietnam War, Thailand has gained international notoriety among travellers from many countries as a sex tourism destination.[132]

Timor-Leste

 East Timor
Prostitution legal
Buying sex legal
Brothels illegal
Procuring illegal
Solicitation illegal

Prostitution in

Timor-Leste is legal,[19] but soliciting and third party involvement for profit or to facilitate prostitution is forbidden.[7] Prostitution has become a problem since the country gained independence from Indonesia,[133] especially in the capital, Dili.[134] There are estimated to be 1,688 sex workers in the country.[11]

Law enforcement is weak,[7] but there are occasional clampdowns.[134][135] Foreign sex workers are usually targeted, and are often deported.[7][136] Public order laws are also used against prostitutes.[7]

Many of the local prostitutes have entered the sex trade due to poverty and lack of other employment.[137] Foreign prostitutes, especially from Indonesia, China and the Philippines, enter the country on 90-day tourists visas.[137]

Vietnam

 Vietnam
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Prostitution in Vietnam is illegal and considered a serious crime.[7] The government has estimated that there were 33,000 prostitutes in the country in 2013, this was 9% higher than the previous year's estimate.[138] Other estimates puts the number at up to 200,000 individuals.[139]

Sex workers organisations report that law enforcement is abusive and corrupt.[7]

West Asia

Armenia

 Armenia
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

In Armenia, prostitution is illegal[140] under administrative law[141] (Article 179.1).[142] Related activities such as running a brothel and pimping are prohibited by the Criminal Code,[19][143] although there are known to be brothels in the capital, Yerevan, and in Gyumri.[144] According to UNESCO, since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, prostitution in the country has grown.[145] There are about 5,600 women involved in prostitution in Armenia,[11] roughly 1,500 of them are in Yerevan.[146] However, official police figures are far lower, for example 240 in 2012.[140] Police and other safety forces reportedly tolerate prostitution.[146] Many women turn to prostitution due to unemployment.[147]

Azerbaijan

 Azerbaijan
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution in Azerbaijan is illegal[148] but common.[149] Prostitution is an administrative offence and punishable by a fine.[148] Keeping a brothel is a criminal offence and punishable by up to 6 years imprisonment.[150] In 2017 a draft law proposing to add heavy fines to the punishment for keeping a brothel was before the National Assembly.[151] It has been estimated that there are 25 054 prostitutes in Azerbaijan,[11] some of which are aged 15 – 18.[152]

Bahrain

 Bahrain
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution in Bahrain is illegal but has gained a reputation in the Middle East as major destination for sex tourism.[153][154] The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights reported in 2007 that there were more than 13,500 prostitutes in the country and that the number was rising.[155]

Sex trafficking is a problem in the country.[156]

Cyprus

 Cyprus
Prostitution legal
Buying sex legal
Brothels illegal
Procuring illegal

The law does not prohibit prostitution itself, but operating

brothels, organizing prostitution rings, living off the profits of prostitution, encouraging prostitution or forcing a person to engage in prostitution are illegal activities.[157]

Cyprus has been criticised by the US State Department [158] for failing to control the flow of illegal immigrants and legal to be involved in forced prostitution. Cyprus has gained a reputation for being a major transit point for people smugglers to transport women for the purposes of prostitution. International observers have criticized the government for its lack of action to prevent forced prostitution. The law of Cyprus forbids forced (but not voluntary) prostitution. However, it is believed that many immigrants are hired as barmaids and coerced into prostitution by this method.[157]

Northern Cyprus

 Northern Cyprus
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

The

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is only recognised as a separate state by Turkey. Prostitution is illegal, however in nightclubs, "konsomatrices", who sit with, eat with or entertain customers for money are allowed. Konsomatrices are not allowed to have sex with customers, but this restriction is frequently flouted.[159] Enforcement is generally lax, but in July 2006 the Nicosia District Court ordered the first prostitution-related imprisonment. After pleading no contest to the charges, the manager of Mexico nightclub, Mesut Kilicarslan, was sentenced to 15 days in prison for encouraging and profiting from prostitution. By the year's end three more suspects were sentenced to imprisonment for encouraging and profiting from prostitution.[157]

Egypt

 Egypt
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution in Egypt is illegal.[160] Police department officially combats prostitution but, like almost all other countries, prostitution exists in Egypt. The prostitutes in Egypt are Egyptian, Russian, and of many other nationalities.[161][162][163][164]

Georgia

 Georgia (country)
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

In

US State Department.[165][166] Many women from Georgia are part of human trafficking
operations to or from countries. Women who are forced to be prostitutes are in Georgia are often from Asia and neighboring European countries.

In 2006 the country incorporated into its domestic law the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the UN Convention against

The punishment for human trafficking in Georgia is 15 years. There is also a special law to protect families of Georgian women who fear reprisals from gang masters of women who refuse to be forced into prostitution abroad.

Iran

 Iran
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Prostitution in

major cities. Many of them are runaways from poor and broken homes.[167][168] In 2002, the Iranian newspaper Entekhab estimated that there were close to 85,000 prostitutes in Tehran alone.[169] Prostitution is rampant in Tehran; "the streets are full of working girls ... part of the landscape, blending in with everything else."[170]

Iraq

 Iraq
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Prostitution in Iraq is illegal.[171] The Iraqi penal code outlaws prostitution, with the pimp, the prostitute and the client all being liable for criminal penalties.

Many women fleeing the

Gulf Arabs.[173] After the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, private contracting companies used foreign prostitutes smuggled into bases and the Green Zone to use as bribery for other contracts.[174][175]

Israel

 Israel
Prostitution legal
Buying sex illegal
Brothels illegal
Procuring illegal

Prostitution in Israel is legal, but the purchase of sex and organised

prostitutes came into force in May 2020.[177]

The main centre of prostitution in Israel is Tel Aviv. It has been estimated that 62% of the brothels and 48% of the massage parlors in the country are in Tel Aviv.[178] The traditional red-light district of the old bus station area was subjected to a number of raids and closures in 2017,[179] and the area is subject to gentrification.[179][180]

Jordan

 Jordan
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution in Jordan is illegal[114][7] but occurs. Authorities generally turn a blind eye.[181] Prostitution occurs mainly in the larger cities[181] and around refugee camps.[182] It occurs on brothels, restaurants,[114] night clubs and on the streets.[181] The prostitutes are mainly from Russia, Ukraine, the Philippines, Morocco, Tunisia, Syria, Iraq and Palestine as well as some Jordanians.[181]

In the capital,

Jubaiha (al-jubaiha:الجبيهة) neighbourhood.[183] One of the major streets in Jubeiha has been commonly called "Tallaini Street" meaning "the pick me up street". Local residents have tried to stop prostitution in the area.[184]

Kuwait

 Kuwait
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution in Kuwait is illegal,[19][185] but common.[186][187] Most of the prostitutes are foreign nationals.[186]

Law enforcement usually deports prostitutes or makes them sign a "good conduct pledge" before release. Those running prostitution rings normally receive jail sentences.[188] There are allegations that some police received bribes from brothels and warn them of upcoming raids.[187]

Lebanon

 Lebanon
Prostitution legal and regulated
Buying sex legal

Prostitution is nominally legal in

Sûreté Générale
—the border control agency.

Oman

 Oman
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Prostitution in

illegal sex, adultery, fornication
). It is women, and not their clients, who are legally penalised for sex work. Living on the proceeds of prostitution is a crime, punishable by a fine and up to three months imprisonment (criminal code article 221). Additionally, any foreigner who commits an act against "public order or good morals" or who does not have a legal source of income may be deported (law 16 of 1995, articles 31[1] and 31[5]).

Palestinian Territories

 Palestinian Territories
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution in the

Palestinian Authority law.[192][193][194][195] Ramallah is one of the few outlets for prostitution in the Palestinian territories as premarital sex is seen as taboo in the territories.[196]
A recent report by the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and SAWA-All the Women Together Today and Tomorrow, a Palestinian NGO, suggests that an increasing number of women are taking up prostitution in the face of poverty and violence.[197][198][199]

Qatar

 Qatar
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Prostitution in Qatar is illegal and carries severe punishment of several years in prison.[154] Prostitution normally takes place in bars, nightclubs and hotels. There are occasional clamp-downs and the prostitutes are arrested and deported.[200]

Saudi Arabia

 Saudi Arabia
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Prostitution in Saudi Arabia is illegal.[201] Prostitution is punishable by prison and flogging,[202] foreign nationals are also deported after punishment[203] If the parties are also charged with adultery, fornication and sodomy, which can apply to both the prostitute and the client since all sexual activity outside a lawful marriage is illegal, in which case the punishment can be death.[204]

Syria

 Syria
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal

Prostitution in Syria is technically illegal.[205] Beyond the practice of prostitution by an undisclosed number of Syrian women, many women fleeing the war in Iraq are practicing underworld prostitution for living.[206] Some sources claim up to 50 thousand Iraqi refugee women in Syria, many of them are recent widows or orphans with no professional qualification, started prostitution as the only source for earning a living.[207]

Turkey

 Turkey
Prostitution legal and regulated
Buying sex legal
Brothels legal and regulated
Condoms mandatory[208]

In Turkey, prostitution is legal and regulated. Prostitutes must register and acquire an ID card stating the dates of their health checks. Also it is mandatory for registered prostitutes to have regular health checks for sexually transmitted diseases. The police are allowed to check the authenticity of registered prostitutes to determine whether they have been examined properly and to ensure they see the health authorities if they don't. Men cannot register under this regulation. Most sex workers, however, are unregistered, as local governments have made it policy not to issue new registrations. As a result, most sex workers in Turkey are not registered sex workers, working in violation of the law.[209][210] Turkey is listed by the UNODC as a top destination for victims of human trafficking.[211]

United Arab Emirates

 United Arab Emirates
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex illegal but de facto tolerated and common

Prostitution in the United Arab Emirates is illegal, but attracts many foreign businessmen as the UAE is slowly gaining a reputation as one of the Middle East's sex tourism destinations.[212] Many of them arrive regularly from the post-Soviet states, Eastern Europe, Far East, Africa, South Asia, and other states of the Middle East.[213]

Yemen

 Yemen
Prostitution illegal
Buying sex legal

Prostitution in

sex tourists from other Gulf states indulge in what are known as "tourist marriages". Many of these women come from the city of Yaffai where prostitution is a way to put food on the table. The punishment for prostitution is three years imprisonment.[214][215][216]

A lot of prostitution takes place in hotels in the capital,

Sana'a. Some hotels have "house prostitutes" and it is possible to book a room and a woman to be ready on arrival.[217]

See also

References

  1. ^ Perera, Melani Manel (10 July 2011). "Sri Lanka in alarm: the number of Aids cases increases". Asia News. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Deena Guzder, "UNICEF: Protecting Children from Commercial Sexual Exploitation"". Pulitzercenter.typepad.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  3. ^ "La OMS defiende la despenalización de la prostitución para reducir los contagios de VIH". ABC.es (in Spanish). 12 December 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Kazakhstan". US Department of State. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  5. ^ a b Emrich-Bakenova, Saule (18 August 2016). "Kazakhstan: Sex Workers Call for Legalization of Prostitution". EurasiaNet. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  6. ^ Aliya (28 August 2007). "Prostitution in Kazakhstan: abuse and risk". SWAN. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Sex Work Law". Sexuality, Poverty and Law Programme. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  8. ^ "Joint Submission for the 60th Session of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)" (PDF). United Nations Human Rights. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  9. ^ "2008 Human Rights Report: Kyrgyz Republic". State.gov. 25 February 2009. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  10. ^ a b "100 Countries and Their Prostitution Policies". ProCon. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  11. ^ a b c d e f "Sex workers: Population size estimate - Number, 2016". www.aidsinfoonline.org. UNAIDS. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  12. ^ "Forced Health Checks for Sex Workers in Kyrgyzstan". 24.kg (in Russian). 17 February 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  13. ^ "KYRGYZSTAN: Rise in prostitution threatens to fuel jump in HIV/AIDS". IRIN. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  14. ^ a b "HIV prevalence amongst sex workers". www.aidsinfoonline.org. UNAIDS. 2016. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  15. ^ "Kyrgyz Republic 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  16. ^ a b "Tajikistan Moves to Curb Prostitution". Institute for War & Peace Reporting. Archived from the original on 24 May 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
  17. ^ a b c Yuldoshev, Avaz (15 October 2015). "Tajikistan raises fines for prostitution". Tajikistan News ASIA-Plus. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  18. ^
    state.gov
    . 25 February 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "The Legal Status of Prostitution by Country". ChartsBin. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  20. ^ Najibullah, Farangis (6 June 2014). "World's Oldest Profession Up For Discussion In Tajikistan". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  21. ^ Putz, Catherine (24 October 2015). "Sex Sells, Even in Tajikistan". The Diplomat. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  22. ^ a b "Review of Turkmenistan under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women" (PDF). OHCHR. September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  23. ^ a b c "TURKMENISTAN: Prostitution on the rise". IRIN. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  24. ^ a b "Turkmenistan: Poverty Drives Addiction and Prostitution". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. 21 February 2005. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  25. OSAC
    . Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  26. ^ "Heroin Seizes Turkmenistan, a Nation Ill Equipped to Cope". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  27. ^ a b "Uzbekistan: Sex Trade on the Rise". Institute for War & Peace Reporting. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  28. ^ a b c d "Uzbekistan: Police and Prostitutes in Unholy Alliance". Institute for War & Peace Reporting. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  29. ^ Anjum, Zafar (5 November 2013). "Excerpts: Lusty Indian men for "boom boom" in Uzbekistan". Kitaab. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  30. ^ "Central Asia: HIV Infections Mount In Uzbekistan As Prostitution Rises (Part 2)". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  31. ^ "2008 Human Rights Report: China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau)". United States Department of State. 25 February 2009. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2009. Section 5: Discrimination, Societal Abuse, and Trafficking in Persons.
  32. ^ "Chinese anti-corruption official sacked for Russian tryst Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine". Monsters and Critics, 12 April 2007. Retrieved 19 April 2009
  33. ^ United States Department of State, "2008 Human Rights Report: China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau)", Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 25 February 2009
  34. ^ a b Katie Hunt (18 June 2013). "The dark side of Asia's gambling Mecca". CNN. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  35. ^ Carvalho, Raquel (5 July 2015). "Macau's sex trade dealt a losing hand". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  36. ^ "Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery". GVnet. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  37. ^ "2008 Human Rights Report: China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau)". www.state.gov. U.S. Department of State. 25 February 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2015. Prostitution is legal and common; however, procurement and the operation of a brothel are illegal. Nevertheless, the SAR had a large sex trade, including brothels, most of which were believed to be controlled by Chinese organized crime groups, and many of those exploited by the trade were women.
  38. ^ "Macau Sex Ring Bust Shows China Expanding Crackdown on Graft". Bloomberg Business. Shanghai. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  39. ^ "Prostitution Solicitations OK At Lisboa Hotel Macau". Thewhistlernews.com. 22 October 2013. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  40. ^ Hoffman, Michael (25 April 2007). "Japan's love affairs with sex". The Japan Times Online. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  41. ^ "Law bends over backward to allow 'fuzoku'", Japan Times, 27 May 2008.
  42. ^ Thompson, Nevin (28 February 2016). "Is Japan Having Sex?". GlobalVoices. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  43. ^ a b "Mongolia mining success brings booming sex trade". Arabs Today (in European Spanish). 11 July 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  44. ^ "Analysis of the Situation of Children in Mongolia 2014" (PDF). UNICEF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  45. ^ "Mongolia 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  46. ^ "Executive summary Mongolia" (PDF). ECPAT. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  47. ^ "Korea DPR". Archived from the original on 8 March 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
  48. ^ Article 261 "The Criminal Law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" (PDF). Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  49. ^ Kim Il-song's North Korea by Helen-Louise Hunter.Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999, p 107
  50. ^ Hyams, James (4 February 2015). "Does North Korea have sex trade and drug problem?". The Korea Observer. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  51. ^ "Intervention Agenda Item 12: Elimination of Violence Against Women (archived copy)" at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in April 2004; speaker: Ji Sun JEONG for A Woman's Voice International
  52. ^ "United Nations NGO Committee in New York to suspend A Woman´s Voice International". Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  53. ^ "TESTIMONY OF BOB FU - APRIL 19, 2005 before the COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS of the UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES". Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  54. ^ "US State Department Human Rights Report 2009: Republic of Korea". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 13 March 2010.
  55. ^ Sex trade accounts for 1.6% of GDP Archived 13 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. KWDI: Korea Women's Development Institute
  56. ^ "[단독] 첫 성경험 연령 22.8세…남성 15%만 성매매 경험". 네이트뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  57. ^ "S Korean sex workers rally against police crackdown". Asian Correspondent. AP News. 17 May 2011. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  58. ^ "Legal Prostitution Coming Back To Taipei?". Red Brick Daily. 15 August 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  59. ^ "2008 Human Rights Report: Afghanistan". US Department of State. 2008. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  60. ^ Carlotta Gall (19 March 2007). "A New Sorrow for Afghanistan: AIDS Joins List (page 1)". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  61. ^ Tahir Qadiry (18 May 2008). "Under wraps, prostitution rife in north Afghanistan". Reuters. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  62. ^ a b Alisa Tang (14 June 2008). "Poverty pushes Afghan girls into sex trade". USA Today. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
  63. United States Embassy in Kabul. 2010. Archived from the original
    on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2010. Women and girls from Iran, Tajikistan, and possibly Uganda and China are forced into prostitution in Afghanistan. Some international security contractors may have been involved in the sex trafficking of these women. Brothels and prostitution rings are sometimes run by foreigners, sometimes with links to larger criminal networks. Tajik women are also believed to be trafficked through Afghanistan to other countries for prostitution. Trafficked Iranian women transit Afghanistan en route to Pakistan.
  64. ^ "Afghanistan hunts down Chinese prostitutes". The Associated Press. The Oklahoman. 15 June 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  65. ^ "Bangladesh says prostitution legal". BBC News. 14 March 2000. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  66. ^ Sigma Huda (29 January 1999). "Trafficking and Prostitution in Bangladesh – Contradictions in Law and Practice". The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. Archived from the original on 3 June 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  67. ^ a b "2008 Human Rights Report: Bangladesh". State.gov. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  68. ^ Claudia Hammond (9 January 2008). "'I'm just here for survival'". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  69. Sydney Morning Herald
    . Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  70. ^ Tania Rashid (4 February 2014). "Sex, Slavery, and Drugs in Bangladesh". Vice News. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  71. ^ "Unbridled flesh trade in the border town". Bhutan Times. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  72. ^ "Sex, sleaze and the city". Bhutan Observer. Archived from the original on 3 December 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  73. ^ a b "Unbridled flesh trade in the border town". Bhutan Times. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  74. ^ "Sex, sleaze and the city". Bhutan Observer. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  75. ^ a b Wangmo, Lucky (5 July 2017). "Govt shoots down proposal to legalize sex industry – Business Bhutan". Business Bhutan. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  76. ^ Pem, Damchoe (29 July 2017). "400 to 500 possible sex workers in Bhutan - The Bhutanese". The Bhutanese. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  77. ^ "The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956". wcd.nic.in. Archived from the original on 2 May 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  78. ^ "India court raises question of legalising prostitution".
  79. ^ "Section 7 in The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956". indiankanoon.org. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  80. ^ "2008 Human Rights Reports: India". U.S. Department of State. 25 February 2009. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  81. ^ Magdalena Rojas (12 June 2016). "In Kamathipura's lanes, legalisation of prostitution seems like a faraway debate". firstpost.com. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  82. ^ Casciani, Dominic (10 December 2009). "India's Supreme Court has asked the government to consider whether it might legalise prostitution if it is unable to curb it effectively". BBC News. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  83. UNODC
    , 8 May 2007
  84. ^ BBC report on number of female sex workers in India Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine BBC News.
  85. ^ Shaufa, Mariyam; Hazim, Hassan (19 January 2015). "Eight percent of female prostitutes in Maldives are underage". V News. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  86. ^ a b "Thai women being trafficked to the Maldives as sex workers | Coconuts Bangkok". Coconuts. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  87. ^ a b "Maldives overturns spa closures". BBC News. 4 January 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  88. ^ "Maldives tourism industry denies spas are brothels". Al Arabiya News. 2 January 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  89. ^ Hennink, Monique; Padam Simkhada (2004). "Sex Trafficking in Nepal: Context and Process" (PDF). Opportunities and Choices Writing Paper. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  90. ^ "Thousands of girls from Punjab forced into prostitution abroad". Punjab Newsline. 3 July 2010. Archived from the original on 31 October 2010.
  91. ^ Ajay Bharadwaj (22 February 2006). "From baby-sitting to prostitution in Punjab". DNA India.
  92. ^ "Sheed Society". Sheed Society. Archived from the original on 17 June 2010.
  93. ^ "Sex Work in Asia" (PDF). World Health Organization. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2008.
  94. ^ "Chapter 19 Penal Code" (PDF). University of Minnesota Human Rights Library. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  95. ^ "Sun-Surf-Sex Tourism". South Asian Magazine for Action and Reflection. 2012. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  96. ^ Ariyawansha, Niranjala (17 June 2017). "Prostitution". Sunday Leader. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  97. ^ Thilakarathna, Kusumanjalee; Adittiya, Shailendree W (25 July 2015). "I am a Sex Worker". Nation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  98. ^ "notorious Activity under the Maradanas Bridge" (PDF). Sunday Leader. 8 January 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  99. ^ "Laws of Brunei - Penal Code" (PDF). Attorney Generals Chambers. 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  100. ^ a b Salanga, Elyas Isabelo (2 June 2009). "Looking Back: Showbiz scandals that raised public outcry". PEP. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  101. ^ "Palace washes hands off Brunei beauties". Manila Standard. 30 September 1993. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  102. ^ Balingit, Ed (22 September 1993). "Bombshell on Brunei Beauties". Philippine Times Journal. pp. 1 & 6. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  103. ^ "Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation". Scribd. 15 February 2008.
  104. ^ "Cambodia: Sex Workers Face Unlawful Arrests and Detention". Human Rights Watch. 21 July 2010. Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  105. ^ Off the Streets: Arbitrary Detention and Other Abuses against Sex Workers in Cambodia (PDF). Human Rights Watch (Report). July 2010.
  106. ^ Wood, Richard; Sam, Rith (30 July 2004). "Study looks at 'bauk' - gang-rape of prostitutes". Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  107. ^ Aglionby, John (26 July 2003). "Sex workers helpless as young men 'bond' in gang rape outings". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  108. S2CID 144716733
    .
  109. .
  110. ^ "Vientiane, Laos 2015 – City Nightlife, Clubs, Sex and Lao Family Life". www.retire-asia.com. Retire Asia. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  111. PMID 23164407
    .
  112. .
  113. ^ Jeffrey Hays (2008). "Sex in Laos". Facts and Details. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  114. ^ a b c d "The Legal Status of Prostitution by Country". ChartsBin. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  115. ^ Sheith Khidhir Bin Abu Bakar (22 July 2017). "Prostitution a big problem in Malaysia, says ex-hotel security head". FMT News. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  116. ^ Worley, Will (13 July 2017). "Malaysian state introduces public canings for those who break Sharia law". The Independent. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  117. ^ "Prostitution In Malaysia: A Taboo Subject That Is Surprisingly Big Business". Malaysian Digest. 10 October 2014. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  118. ^ a b c Hunter, Murray (28 July 2015). "Why Kuala Lumpur could be on its way to becoming the sex capital of Asia". Asian Correspondent. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  119. ^ 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
  120. .
  121. ^ a b "WOMEN". Burma: Country in Crisis. Soros. October 2005. Archived from the original on 19 March 2007. Retrieved 11 January 2007.
  122. ^ Kyaw Zwa Moe (January 2005). "Yunnan's Sin City". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 2 July 2008.
  123. ^ Hughes, Donna M. "Burma/Myanmar". Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation. University of Rhode Island. Archived from the original on 1 January 2007. Retrieved 11 January 2007.
  124. ^ a b "V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G". Trafficking in Persons Report. Retrieved 11 January 2007.
  125. ^ "Republic Act No. 9208 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003)". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. 26 May 2003. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  126. ^ McEvoy, Mary. "Gender Issues in the Informal Sector: A Philippine Case Study". www.trocaire.org. Trocaire. Archived from the original on 6 January 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  127. ^ "2008 Human Rights Report: Singapore". U.S. Department of State. 25 February 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  128. ^ Atiya Achakulwisut (16 January 2018). "Corruption is embedded in the sex trade". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  129. ^ Francoeur, Robert T., ed. (1997). The International Encyclopedia of Sexuality: Thailand. New York: The Continuum Publishing Company. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  130. ^ "2008 Human Rights Report: Thailand; Women". US Department of State. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  131. ^ Iverson, Kelly (9 February 2017). "A Guide to Bangkok's Red Light Districts". Culture Trip. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  132. ^ "UN under fire for turning a blind eye to peacekeepers' misconduct". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
  133. ^ a b Cruz, Joana da (24 January 2017). "Taibesi Market Prostitution Operation Uncovered". Jornal Independente - English Portal News (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  134. ^ "Foreigners arrested in E Timor prostitution swoop". ABC News. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
  135. ^ "Timor-Leste 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  136. ^ a b "Prostitution in Dili, East Timor". East Timor Law and Justice Bulletin. 11 July 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  137. ^ "Number of Prostitutes in Vietnam". Havocscope. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  138. ^ Luong, Dien (13 April 2016). "Will Vietnam Legalize Prostitution?". The Diplomat. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  139. ^ a b "Prostitution statistics in Armenia". Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  140. .
  141. ^ "Republic of Armenia Law Enforcement Anti-Trafficking Training Needs Assessment". Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. December 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  142. ^ "Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia" (PDF). National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. 18 April 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  143. .
  144. ^ "Proposed to legalize prostitution in Armenia". Report News Agency. 14 June 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  145. ^ a b "Armenia 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices". U.S. Department of State. 11 March 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  146. ^ "Armenia: Women Driven into Prostitution". Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  147. ^ a b "The Code of the Azerbaijan Republic On administrative violations" (PDF). National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  148. ^ "Sex-tourism in Azerbaijan: an Arabian summer". JAM News. 12 September 2017. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  149. ^ "Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic" (PDF). National Assembly of the Azerbaijan Republic. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  150. ^ "Azerbaijan to impose heavy fines for prostitution and gambling". APA Information Agency. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  151. ^ "Prostitution gets younger in Azerbaijan". News AM. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  152. Wall Street Journal
    . Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  153. ^ . Retrieved 21 March 2017 – via Google Books.
  154. .
  155. ^ "Bahrain 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  156. ^ a b c "Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Cyprus". State.gov. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
  157. ^ "Cyprus's Struggle with the Sex Trade". YouTube. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
  158. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.691.6938
    .
  159. ^ "Legislation of Interpol member states on sexual offences against children - Egypt" (PDF). Interpol. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2007. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  160. ^ "A Diwan of contemporary life" Archived 26 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine Al Ahram, 7–13 June 2001
  161. ^ "Egypt deports 'east European prostitutes'" BBC News, 27 June 2002
  162. ^ Devil in the detail" Archived 25 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine by Shaden Shehab, Al Ahram, 22–28 February 2007
  163. ^ "The Virgin Prostitute!" Archived 2 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine by Marwa Rakha, American Chronicle, 29 May 2007
  164. ^ a b "Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Georgia". State.gov. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
  165. ^ "Legislation of Interpol member states on sexual offences against children - Georgia". Interpol. Archived from the original on 17 February 2004. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  166. ^ "Shorn of dignity and equality". The Economist. 16 October 2003. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  167. ^ "Drugs and prostitution 'soar' in Iran". BBC. 6 July 2000. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  168. ^ Lapidos, Juliet (23 April 2008). "How to Spot a Persian Prostitute". Slate. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  169. ^ Larry Getlan (30 August 2014). "Inside modern Iran, where porn and prostitution are rampant". New York Post.
  170. ^ 2008 Human Rights Report. State.gov. Retrieved on 4 June 2011.
  171. ^ '50,000 Iraqi refugees' forced into prostitution Archived 8 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine. News.independent.co.uk (24 June 2007). Retrieved on 2011-06-04.
  172. ^ Iraqi refugees forced into prostitution Archived 1 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Radionetherlands.nl. Retrieved on 4 June 2011.
  173. ^ Schwellenbach, Nick; Sebert, Lagan (30 August 2010). "Military Subcontractors Bribing U.S. Personnel With Prostitutes? The Shady World of War Contracting in Afghanistan and Iraq". AlterNet. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  174. ^ "US military contractors in Iraq 'employed prostitutes, smuggled booze'". Alaraby. 4 May 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  175. ^ Berg, Raffi (6 November 2007). "Israel's fight against sex trafficking". Jerusalem: BBC News. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
  176. ^ Israel, David (31 December 2018). "Knesset Passes Bills Punishing Prostitution Clients, Compelling Security Cameras in Old Age Homes". JewishPress. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  177. ^ "City in Focus: Tel Aviv, Israel - Exodus Cry". Exodus Cry. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  178. ^ a b "Tel Aviv sex workers resist gentrification and raids". Global Network of Sex Work Projects. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  179. ^ Lee, Vered (2 October 2017). "Empty Streets and Locked Doors: Prostitution Is Disappearing From Tel Aviv's Underbelly". Haaretz. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  180. ^ a b c d Shuqum, Raied T. (7 August 2015). "Jordan deals with different faces of human trafficking". Arab Weekly. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  181. ^ "Desperate, some fleeing Syria turn to prostitution in Jordan". Ahram Online. 9 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  182. ^ McManus, Luke (18 November 2013). "The Traveller's Survival Guide: Jordan". Sabotage Times. Archived from the original on 18 March 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  183. ^ "موقع خبرني : حملة شعبية لتطهير شارع "طلّعني" من بائعات الهوى" [A popular campaign to clear the street of prostitutes]. موقع خبرني [Khaberni] (in Arabic). 3 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  184. ^ "Women's Anti-Discrimination Committee Hears Replies to Experts' Questions From Bhutan, Kuwait". United Nations. 22 January 2004. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  185. ^ a b Ekeh, Chidi Emmanuel (21 June 2012). "Prostitution trade thrives in Kuwait". Africa Sustainable Energy & Environment Platform. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  186. ^ a b "HIV-infected citizen warns of 'imported prostitutes' - Kuwait has over 1,000 AIDS cases". Kuwait Times. 18 October 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  187. .
  188. ^ "Prostitution – The business of sex". Executive Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  189. ^ "Sex for Sale in Beirut Lebanon's "super nightclubs" straddle the line between brothel and strip club". Foreign Policy. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  190. ^ "The Legal Status of Prostitution by Country". ChartsBin. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  191. ^ "Flourishing Palestinian sex trade exposed in new report". Haaretz. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  192. ^ "Report lifts veil on trafficking, prostitution of Palestinian women". CNN. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  193. UNHCR
    . Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  194. ^ "Dark secrets of the White City". Haaretz. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  195. ^ Gutman, Matt, "Sex and the Single Palestinian" ABC News 12 July 2007.
  196. Jerusalem Post
    . Retrieved 27 December 2009.
  197. ^ "Trafficking and Forced Prostitution of Palestinian Women and Girls : Forms of Modern Day Slavery" (PDF). Sawa.ps. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  198. PMID 25420532
    .
  199. ^ "Life in Qatar". Qatar Visitor. 23 April 2007. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  200. ^ Syed Saleem Shahzad (9 December 2003). "Brothels and Bombs in Saudi Arabia". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  201. ^ "Saudi Police Seize 80 For Prostitution, Pimping," Middle East Times, 22 June 2007
  202. ^ Zaharie, Cristian Giuseppe. "The Legal Regime of Prostitution on the Muslim Countries" (PDF). REPEC. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  203. .
  204. ^ 2008 Human Rights Report: Syria, US Department of State, 25 February 2009
  205. ^ Iraqi sex slaves recount ordeals Archived 27 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine,
  206. ^ '50,000 Iraqi refugees' forced into prostitution Archived 8 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine, The Independent, 24 June 2007
  207. ^ Özaşçılar, Mine; Ziyalar, Neylan (2015). "Framing Prostitution in Turkey: News Media Coverage of Prostitution" (PDF). International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences (IJCJS). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  208. ^ "Turkey: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices". US Department of State. 31 March 2003. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  209. ^ "Turkey's sex trade entraps Slavic women - Europe - International Herald Tribune". 16 February 2007. Archived from the original on 16 February 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  210. ^ "Special Reports | UN highlights human trafficking". BBC News. 26 March 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
  211. ^ "Sex tourism: A billion dollar industry (Part 1) - Weekly BLiTZ". 8 October 2016. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  212. ^ United Arab Emirates, US Department of State: Diplomacy in Action
  213. U.S Department of State
    . Retrieved 8 March 2008.
  214. ^ "YEMEN: Sex trade fuelled by poverty, study finds". IRIN. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
  215. ^ Ulf Laessing (10 February 2010). "Desperate Somalis turn to prostitution in Yemen". Reuters. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  216. ^ Al-Arashi, Fakhri (2013). "Prostitution Spreads over Hotels in Sana'a". National Yemen. Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.