Prostitution in Azerbaijan is illegal but common.

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 an administrative offence and punishable by a fine. Keeping a

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 ...

is a criminal offence and punishable by up to 6 years' imprisonment. In 2017 a draft law proposing to add heavy fines to the punishment for keeping a brothel was before the National Assembly. It has been estimated that there are 25,054 prostitutes in Azerbaijan, some of which are aged 15 to 18. During the Soviet era prostitution was uncommon except for those under the control of the KGB, many of whom were informants. In the

Badamdar Badamdar is a municipality in Baku, Azerbaijan. It has a population of 11,871. The name Badamdar () is from Persian ''Badam'' (), ‘almonds’ and ''dar'' (), ‘tree’. It is located in Sabail district, to the south of Baku Baku (, ; az, ...

district of the capital,

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

, there are many cafes where prostitutes solicit clients. In 2011, over 300 local residents held a protest against the situation. Prostitutes can also be found in cafes in Nizami Street (known locally as "Torgovaya" – ''Trade Street'') in downtown Baku. The country is a

sex tourism Sex tourism refers to the practice of traveling to foreign countries, often on a different continent, with the intention of engaging in sexual activity or relationships in exchange for money or lifestyle support. This practice predominantly oper ...

destination, particularly with men from Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

Sex trafficking

Human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Azerbaijan, and traffickers exploit victims from Azerbaijan abroad. Women and children from Azerbaijan are subjected to sex trafficking within the country and in Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, and the UAE. Azerbaijan is a destination country for sex trafficking victims from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, Russia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. In previous years, Azerbaijan has been used as a transit country for victims of sex trafficking from Central Asia to Iran, Turkey, and the UAE. The 2005 Law on the Fight against Trafficking in Persons and article 144 of the criminal code prohibit sex and lobar trafficking and prescribe penalties of five to ten years' imprisonment. The government investigated twenty-six cases of sexual exploitation in 2018, and convicted 21 sex traffickers, compared to 25 sex traffickers in 2017. In 2019, the United States Department of State

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 ...

downgraded Azerbaijan to a ' Tier 2 watch list' country.

References

{{Europe in topic, Prostitution in Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Women's rights in Azerbaijan Human rights in Azerbaijan Social issues in Azerbaijan

Sex trafficking

See also

References