Prostitution Laws In Latvia

Information about prostitution laws in Latvia

"A Swedish documentary on Latvian sex workers snowballed into a major controversy in Riga this week, drawing harsh remarks from top government officials and ministries, which are considering lawsuits against the director. 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." Feb. 19, 2001, Ieva RaubiÅ¡ko, "Sex Industry Sparks Controversy," Central Europe Review

The population of Latvia is 2231503