Prostitution in Croatia is illegal but common. Forcible prostitution, any kind of

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

s, or procuring are treated as a

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

, while voluntary

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

is considered to be infraction against public order (for prostitutes only; clients are not in violation of law). Like in many other

Southeast Europe Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe (SEE) is a geographical subregion of Europe, consisting primarily of the Balkans. Sovereign states and territories that are included in the region are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia (al ...

an countries, the problem of

human trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...

for the purposes of sex is big in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. Many women from

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

, especially from

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, work as prostitutes in Croatia. Some prostitutes commute to the island of

Hvar Hvar (; Chakavian: ''Hvor'' or ''For'', el, Φάρος, Pharos, la, Pharia, it, Lesina) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast, lying between the islands of Brač, Vis and Korčula. Approximately long, wi ...

, which is a popular tourist destination.

History

At the turn of the 20th century, prostitution was legal. In

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

it was advertised as a tourist attraction and contributed to the city's economy.

Tkalčićeva Street Tkalčićeva Street ( hr, Tkalčićeva ulica, formally: Ivan Tkalčić Street, ) is a street in the Zagreb, Croatia city center. Extending from the vicinity of the central Ban Jelačić Square to its northern end at the Little Street ( hr, Mala uli ...

was the main centre for brothels. At one stage every other building was a bordello. To open a brothel, the owner had to register at the town hall and received a licence. The licence required the brothel to be well run and provide a quality service. The women working in the brothels had to have a twice weekly medical examination. Brothels were not allowed to advertise their presence, but a discrete, uncommonly coloured lantern was allowed to be placed outside. The best known brothels in Zagreb were the ''Kod Zelene Lampe'' (Green Lantern's), which was the most expensive, the ''Pick'', and the ''Klub'' which had cabaret until 5 a.m. The ''Bijela Lađa'' ("White Vessel") was known for its mandolin music and fine wine. The Zagreb brothels continued to operate until

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Following the creation of

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

after WWII, prostitution was made illegal. In the 1970s, Zagreb became known as the centre of prostitution in Yugoslavia, with the highest number of prostitutes. Women from other areas of Yugoslavia, such as

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

, came to the city because of the higher rates for prostitutes compared to their own areas. The economic crisis, post-communist turmoil and subsequent arrival of international military personnel, demand for prostitution rose. The opening of borders allowed foreign prostitutes to come to the country.

Legal situation

Two acts of law criminalise prostitution and related activities. the "Act on the Misdemeanours against Public Peace and Order" criminalises the selling of sex and some third-party involvement. The Criminal Code also makes third-party involvement illegal.

Act on the Misdemeanours against Public Peace and Order

This act was added to Croatian legislation in the year 2000. Article 7 forbids using premises for prostitution and enabling or helping another person to engage in prostitution. The punishment is a fine or up to 60 days' imprisonment. Article 12 forbids 'falling into' prostitution. This is interpreted as repeatedly selling sex. The punishment is a fine or up to 30 days' imprisonment. Additionally, offenders may be made to undergo STI and HIV testing and treatment if infected. They can also be expelled from the area the offence took place in for a period of 30 days to 6 months.

Criminal Code

Since the 1997 Croatian criminal law reform, certain activities related to prostitution were included in the Criminal Code. Trafficking in human beings was added to the code in 2003. Within the code, Article 175, "Offences against Sexual Freedom", criminalises organising, inciting a person to, or abetting prostitution. The punishment is 6 months' to 5 years' imprisonment, or 1 to 10 years if there is any compulsion (force, threat, deceit, abuse of power) involved. Article 162, "Section of Offences of Sexual Abuse of Children", increases punishment to 1 to 10 years' imprisonment if children are involved, or to 3 to 15 years if there is also any compulsion.

Clients

Apart from Article 175 of the Criminal Code criminalising purchasing sexual services from underage, coerced or trafficked prostitutes, clients commit no offence. In 2012, the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

proposed criminalising clients but this was never presented to the

Croatian Parliament The Croatian Parliament ( hr, Hrvatski sabor) or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sabor ...

. The Ministry also made similar proposals in May 2016.

Sex trafficking

Croatia is a destination, source, and transit country for women and children subjected to

sex trafficking Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It has been called a form of modern slavery because of the way victims are forced into sexual acts non-consensually, in a form of sexual slavery. Perpetrators of the ...

. Migrants in transit, particularly from

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, are forced into debt bondage by their smugglers to pay off smuggling fees. Croatian women and girls, some of whom respond to false job offers online, are exploited in sex trafficking within the country and elsewhere in Europe. In previous years, traffickers target Croatian girls in state institutions and subjected them to sex trafficking. Women and girls from the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

and

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...

are subjected to sex trafficking in Croatia. Articles 105 and 106 of the criminal code criminalise all forms of trafficking and prescribe penalties of one to 15 years' imprisonment. The government investigated seven trafficking cases, the same number investigated in 2015, involving 11 alleged perpetrators. The government prosecuted 11 defendants (five for child sex trafficking, two for sex trafficking, and four for forced labour), compared to four defendants in 2015. Courts convicted seven traffickers (eight in 2015), five of which were appealable verdicts and two were final verdicts with sentences of six years' imprisonment for a sex trafficking case. Police identified 17 sex trafficking victims in 2016, compared to 38 sex trafficking victims in 2015. The Ministry of Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy (MDFYSP) spent approximately 400,000 kunas (US$56,740) to support two shelters and provide monthly

stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...

s for victims, compared to 446,541 kunas (US$63,340) in 2015. The government provided shelter for one child, two females, and one male. The

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP) is an agency within the United States Department of State charged with investigating and creating programs to prevent human trafficking both within the United States and internation ...

ranks Croatia as a ' Tier 2' country.