for IOM
Legal status of prostitution
In Lithuania prostitution is illegal. Yet it is not a criminal but an
administrative offence subject to a fine (article 182(1) of the Code of
Violations of Administrative Law). Pandering is criminalized and punishable
by a deprivation of liberty from three to five years or fine (part 3 of
article 239 of the Lithuanian Criminal Code); forcing to engage into prostitution
of juveniles, materially dependant persons and persons dependant due to
held posts as well as involvement into prostitution by way of blackmail/deceit/use
of psychological or physical pressure is punishable by a deprivation of
liberty ranging from three to seven years. In recent years there have been
less than 20 pandering cases per year (the number of administrative cases
for prostitution varies greatly).
Prostitution as an administrative offence could be considered in case
a prostitute is older than 16 years and of sound mind. In fact, a
lot of underage girls are engaged into sex trade, however, till they are
younger as 16, no means of legal persecution are applied.
Direct ban of prostitution imposed by the Code of Violations of Administrative
Law of Lithuania is inexpedient because of two reasons:
it prompts the women to look for a job abroad; they usually come back
or are deported with improved experience of masking from state control,
which they take over from abroad working colleagues, and infected with STD.
Women loose any right for social and other protection from pimps’ and
clients’ aggression, which often occurs in their practices.
Trafficking is also illegal in Lithuania. Already in July 1998 the Criminal
Code was amended to cover trafficking, defined as the selling of a person
or any other alienation or acquisition of a person with the purpose to abuse
him/her sexually, to force to engage in prostitution or to receive any
material or personal gain, as well as trafficking in persons from/to Lithuania
for the purpose of prostitution (article 131, part 3). Under Lithuanian
law trafficking is punishable by deprivation of liberty from four up to
eight years. If trafficking is committed against a juvenile, as repeated
action, in conspiracy or by a recidivist it is subject to a more severe penalty,
a deprivation of liberty from six up to twelve years. Also the new
Criminal Code of Lithuania, which adopted in September 2000 and which will
entered into force in 2001, will cover trafficking and will, significantly,
not limit the crime to sexual exploitation or forcing to engage in prostitution.
It provides for a punishment between (only) three months and eight years.
In Lithuania there were three registered cases of trafficking in 1999 and
four in 2000 (handled by the police department). To date only one case of
trafficking has made it to court and is currently pending.
Lots of women are trafficked annually to the Western countries from
Lithuania since it is also a transit country for women from Russia. There
is no data on how many Lithuanians are involved into sex trade abroad.
In 1999 1928 people came back to Lithuania, in 2000 - almost twice as much
- 3498 persons. Trafficking is organised by criminal international groups
that are professionals in this field, promptly acting to any market changes.
In Lithuania the liability of legal persons for trafficking (either
criminally or administratively) is not provided for. There are both objective
and subjective reasons for that. Cases are tried for very long in a court
because the victims usually stay abroad and correspondence with foreign
legislative institutions last very long, so does interrogation of witnesses.
Lithuanian has concluded several agreements with its neighbours on legal
assistance and legal relations in criminal matters; there are also inter-institutional
agreements in certain fields. Though, Lithuania has not signed such the
agreements with all the countries (e.g., Germany).
In Lithuania liaison officers play an important role in international
police cooperation and exchange of information (Lithuania has appointed
liaison officer sin Belgium and in Belarus and intends to appoint more).
Lithuanian also has joint activities with Latvian Police officers. In Lithuania
there exists a unified computerised data system on e.g. missing persons but
no specific database to collect and maintain information relevant to trafficking.
However, it is to admit that, presently, collaboration with Western
organisations dealing with human trafficking prevention and rehabilitation
is rather poor, no mutual concept on work in this field exists, there is
also a lack of HIV projects targeted at sex workers - especially male.
Lithuanian authorities have recently begun to acknowledge the seriousness
of trafficking (although the attitude of blaming the victim still exists).
Thus far very limited public recourses have been available for the protection
of witnesses and victims. The Lithuanian police prepare crime prevention
programmes (focusing on teenage crime prevention) and the Centre for Crime
Prevention (public non-profit organisation) is also involved in developing
crime prevention in line with legal, social, economic and other reforms.
The new Programme for the Prevention and Control of Prostitution (2001-2005)
has the goal of preparing a programme on the fight against trafficking in
women, which reportedly foresees the implementation of legal, administrative
and preventive measures as well as social reintegration programmes (resources
for the Programme will come from Lithuania’s national budget and from foreign
technical assistance projects).
Prostitution
It is quite complicated to speak about scope and dynamics of trafficking
in women and prostitution, due to its largely clandestine character. Therefore
only indirect evaluation is possible about the numbers. Our data shows
that there may be about 3000 sex workers in Vilnius aged 14-45.
In general, trafficking in women is closely interrelated with the prostitution
business: the local sex industry and trading women abroad are two parts
of the one part “normal jobs”. According to some experts, street prostitution
forms up to 50% of the sex business, though many others think that its share
is much lower.
Street prostitutes serve at average 2-8 clients a day, their services
cost 2.5-10 USD.
Even though street prostitution is considered to be rather “free”, prostitutes
cannot choose another region/street since their work places are under the
control of criminal elements. In addition there is big competition between
prostitutes themselves, which does not allow newcomers to enter this market
freely. According to some prostitutes, the supply and demand is currently
more or less balanced, all places are distributed and all “decent” prostitutes
have enough work.
Street prostitutes include Lithuanian nationals, as well as immigrants
from neighbouring countries, mainly CIS.
Among the street prostitutes there are also minors. The number of minors
could be even higher if other prostitutes would not fight against them.
According to one sex worker:
“Those minors they spoil all of our business. Firstly, they knock down
the prices. Secondly, we do not want any trouble with the police. If the
police detain us, we usually pay them something and they let us go. But
if there is a minor, then all this uproar starts and the police have to take
action, etc. and we are normally not able to work for several days. Therefore,
if I see a minor, I go to her pimp and tell him to take the child away from
the street, otherwise, he himself will have problems”.
The biggest share of the prostitution business is well organised and
controlled by agencies. The profit from this business in 1997 was estimated
at 12 million USD.
Police experts were trying to make an evaluation of the scope based
on agency advertisements. According to them, on average, there are around
30-40 advertisements every day, 6-8 sex workers work in every agency. But
the agencies do cooperate among themselves and the prostitutes may be borrowed
and sold at any time - it depends on current demand.
Our data shows that there are more than 30 agencies and about 100 organisers
of the business. According to the information from the Ministry of Interior,
in Vilnius alone there are 15-20 well-established firms with more than 1.5
million USD income per year. Unofficial expert opinion indicates that the
yearly turnover of the prostitution business in Vilnius alone is no less
than 5 million USD. More than a half of all income is the profit of the
owners of agencies and pimps. The rest goes to prostitutes, call girls and
drivers. Approximately a half of Vilnius prostitutes work in agencies.
Since prostitution in Lithuania is illegal, official advertisements
sound like “flowers to your home”, “massage”, “soft Massage”, “escort services”,
etc. However, most agencies operate quite openly. In addition to the above
mentions agencies, there are so called “closed” or “private” agencies, which
do not advertise in public in any way, and provide sex services only
for clients with “recommendations”. That are so-called “elite sex workers”,
their services are expensive - 100-500 USD. We are not able to identify
event the proximate number of such the firms and prostitutes working there.
On the other hand there are prostitutes who work individually, those
who work from time to time. According to police evaluation, numbers of individually
working prostitutes, i.e. those who do not pay pimps, is increasing. In
addition there is also the so-called “higher category”, those who work in
hotels and bars, those who work with few permanent clients, etc. in general,
with regard to the scope of prostitution, different sources indicate that
numbers have stabilised since the market is saturated. Still there
are seasonal fluctuations, since this business responds to changing market
requirements. During summer period it increases and shifts from big cities
to resort areas.
Women from foreign countries are integral part of sex workers in Lithuania;
1) from Russia - 15,6%, Belarus - 20%, Ukraine - 4% - of all the trafficked.
Apart from push factors in their home country, which force women from Belarus,
Ukraine and Russia to seek their fortunes abroad, there are also pull factors
in the Lithuania entertainment business. “Russians” (usually all Russian
speakers are called this way) are in demand since they provide “any kind
of services”, “have less requirements”, “more delicate”. On the other hand,
in such a business, foreigners are needed just for change.
Most experts indicate that even though the number of foreigners is still
significant (expert evaluation vary of about 20-30%), it has decreased.
There are several reasons of that. First, the introduced visa regimen with
CIS countries and improved border control, as well as strict punishments for
smuggling and trafficking in human beings to a certain degree, discourage
traffickers. Secondly, locals frequently coming from small province towns
or villages push out foreign prostitutes. Whereas others use Lithuania just
as a transit country (frequently it is the traffickers’ choice) for only
a temporary stay and at the first opportunity move further to the West. In
general, according to Organized Crime Prevention expert, “a’’ prostitutes
want to move abroad but not all succeed”.
Because of their illegal status, the foreign sex workers are the most
vulnerable in regard to infection with HIV and other sexually transmitted
diseases. They do not speak Lithuanian, have no social insurance, are forced
to work under slavery conditions, they do not have passport and their moving
freedom is rather limited. The migrants stay in the flats rented
by the pimps, in most of cases they are blackmailed and pay fees. One hour
of sex services cost 15-30 USD, a sex workers get half of the total.
In accordance with a reason of involvement into prostitution,
we can attribute sex workers to one of the three following categories:
“volunteers”, who look for easy living and pleasure,
women and girls who trade sex because of economic reasons (earn
money for living, buy food for and dress their children, for drugs, etc.)
and because of personal reasons (complicated family relations, influence
of asocial friends, etc.),
victims of international human trade who are “imprisoned” abroad through
taking off their passports.
Trafficking of women from Lithuania to foreign countries is quite a
new phenomenon, quite a new problem for society and law enforcement institutions.
Therefore, quite little is known about its status and development. Although
there is no official statistical data on how many women were trafficked
for the purpose of prostitution, according to Lithuanian Interpol information,
there is no doubt that trafficking in women conducted by organized criminals
is on the increase. Experts from the Police Department and Border Guards
are of the same opinion.
If some years ago the main trafficking flows were directed to Israel,
Greece, United Arab Emirates and Turkey, then recently prostitution business
has turned to Germany, Holland, UK, France, Sweden and Spain. Some of these
countries, e.g. Germany, also serve as transit country, where victims from
Lithuania are resold to brothel owners from other, mainly southern, countries
- Italy, Spain, Turkey, etc.
The information provided by the Police Attaché from the German
Embassy in Lithuania indicates that among officially registers trafficking
victims all over Germany in 2000, Lithuanians form 14% and according absolute
numbers are in the fourth place after Russia, Ukraine and Poland. However,
proportionally, i.e. evaluating the number of the country’s total population
-Lithuania may be considered as an absolute leader.
According o the Vilnius Airport Border Guard service, experts now say
every second flight from Germany brings women who are suspected of being
engaged in prostitution. In general, most frequently, trafficking victims
are returned from Frankfurt, Berlin and Amsterdam. Vienna and Paris flights
sometimes also bring trafficking victims, whereas the return of victims
from Israel has decreased.
One additional problem - identification, since in the majority of cases,
victims are deprived of their own passports and either do not have any documents,
or are afforded with false passports. There were many cases, when deported
“Lithuanian” appeared to be Russians, Belarussians, Ukrainians, etc. holding
false Lithuanian passports.
Lithuanian passports are considered to be good since they open the border
to CIS citizens and allow them to legally” stay in the EU. In addition,
they are cheap (average cost vary from 100 to 700 USD), and can easily be
falsified. Lithuanian passports are not very familiar to local police, therefore
until they are detained for come illegal activity, holders of such passports
can easily live and travel all over the EU. However, when detained, such
foreigners are fixed as “Lithuanians”, and official figures increase.
According to experts, the main reasons of migration and prostitution
are economic reasons. Firstly - a high unemployment level in Lithuania.
47.6% of jobless people are women, women are paid at average 1.4 times a
lower salary than men. There are many single, divorced women who have nobody
to help them. Our survey of street sex workers in Vilnius shows that prostitution
is the only and the main source of living for 93.4% of the interviewed
women not only for them, for their families as well.
Secondly, the absence of any perspectives. Even employed people have
hardly enough means for a modest living. Wages are low and a young girl
without higher education has very little possibilities to earn money, for
example, to buy a flat. Therefore, she loses hope of having a future in her
country. Rumours are going around about how much one can earn abroad during
a summer, a year.
Another reason of women’s migration is searching for happiness. The
women leave their native country dreaming of finding a husband and to get
married abroad.
The main reason of trafficking is money, big money. As compared with
other countries of Central Europe, Lithuanian women are cheaper and do not
know their rights so well, they cannot defend themselves. Therefore, they
are in great demand. As mentioned above, practically nobody is punished for
trading in women. That is another reason of trafficking flourishing. According
to experts’ from the Ministry of Interior, evaluation, direct reasons why
women are engaged in prostitution are different: 15% are engaged in order
“to have a nice and joyful life”, 15% - because of curiosity, 13% - ac not
to work, 11% - to have additional earnings.
Health care and social services
So far, the assistance to sex workers including migrants and trafficked
women has been very limited and accessible only in Vilnius. It is
clearly insufficient.
Firstly, it is assistance by telephone. Several telephone help lines
for women operate in Lithuania where women can call should a problem arise.
Trafficking victims, as a rule, know little or nothing about such the telephone
lines.
Secondly, dissemination of relevant information. Most information is
not directly linked to trafficking problems. For example, the Women’s Information
Centre collected information about missing women and girls. This information
has been forwarded out to consular missions and embassies of different countries
and various women organisations in other countries. Unfortunately,
there are only very few cases when concrete assistance was provided.
Thirdly, practical assistance for trafficking victims. The Missing
People’s Families Support Centre within the framework of its financial resources
available, organises practical assistance to the women who managed to escape
from being forced to engage in prostitution abroad: a shelter and food. The
centre has published several brochures containing warning information (“You
might be one of them”) and encouraging to appeal for assistance. However,
according to the head of the Centre, the activities are limited by a shortage
of funds and humans resources.
Fourthly, assistance in the sphere of health. The Social Ailments
Consultation Centre at the Lithuanian AIDS Centre provides all kinds of
assistance for trafficking victims and sex workers working mainly on the
streets. Currently the programme aimed at reducing the harm done by sexually
transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS to risk groups is being carried out: condoms,
sterile syringes and needles, as well as consultations are provided.
Street sex workers do not have in majority of cases social insurance,
a place for living, prostitution is illegal in Lithuania, thus no medical
services are available for them.
We provide free testing on STI, HIV, hepatitis C/B. Treatment is also
free of charge. Consultation of gynaecologist, dermatovenerologist, psychologist
and social worker is also available. Tests are being performed in the laboratory
of the AIDS Centre.
On their first visit sex workers may be tested on HIV, syphilis, hepatitis
B/C, herpes simplex virus, urogenital smear and samples to identify C. trachomatis
and N. gonorrhoea are also provided.
The problems we do face mostly are: lack of resources - both financial
and human, insufficient experience, and poor relations with pimps. That
are the pimps who often prevent the sex workers from applying to our Centre.
Services are also not available for sex workers in the escort agencies and
brothels since we experience difficulties in getting there and spread our
information on availability of confidential services (sex workers do not
wish and are afraid to admit that are engaged in sex trade).
Fifthly, publications, educational activity. Since 1999 the NGO
“Steps of the past” has taken part in the project devoted to the problems
of prostitution. In 1999 the book “Trading in women” was published. A new
book summarising studies of prostitution in Lithuania was published in
2001. With an active help of this organisation the film “Girls” has been
shot. A campaign to visit all the counties of Lithuanian and hold discussions
and show the film at schools is on agenda.
Another form of activity is addressing these problems at scientific
conferences. For example, in November 2000, on the initiative of the Women’s
Union of Lithuania, with the support of Ebert Fund in Germany, the conference
“Threats of prostitution” was organised. In October 2001 Swedish International
Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the International Migration Organisation’s
(IOM) representation in Vilnius have organised an international conference
devoted mostly to the problems of women’s trafficking.
Sixthly, cooperation between NGOs and a network creation.
Thus far cooperation of NGOs has been inactive and the network creation
is making its first steps. We trust very much that cooperation with foreign
partners will open up wider possibilities. So far, it is the only
TAMPEP project and, in the nearest future - the project FENARETE (aimed
at peer education), in which Lithuanian AIDS Centre takes and will take
part.
Country analysis and evaluation
Currently discussions about legalising prostitution liven up in Lithuania.
The “pros” are that the legalisation of prostitution might solve the problem
of the health of sex workers’ and reduce incidence of sexually transmitted
infections, decrease the number of cases of rape in women, it is said that
this would allow to direct the profit of the illegal business of prostitution
to the state budget, legalisation would allow to control the business.
“Contras”: the legalisation of prostitution would not resolve problems or,
having resolved some of them, would give rise to others.
NGOs in Lithuania provide some support to women in accordance with the
nature of their activity. Certain assistance to women-trafficking victims
is provided, consultation and medical aid is offered, few research projects
have been carried out, etc. However, it is obvious that their activity is
insufficiently coordinated, their economic base is weak, and the possibilities
of support are faint.
Lithuanian society is poorly informed and is not really concerned about
either trafficking of women, the spread of prostitution or about the consequences
of the existing situation. In many cases these processes seem to be taking
place somewhere with somebody, it is not realized that they might affect
every family, and very soon can come close to each member of the society.
The formation of public opinion, intolerance to the people engaged in trafficking
of other individuals is urgently important without any doubts. It should
also be mentioned that, when speaking about prostitution, it’s other side,
that is the customer, is usually ignored on the whole.
Experts give a very controversial assessment of the role of the mass
media. On one side, it is condemned for the creation of the image of a “longed,
pretty, young” sex workers who is sure to meet a customer millionaire who
falls in love with her and with whom she has a happy family life. On the
other side, a very important role of the mass media is recognised in providing
information to the public about prostitution, trafficking in women and tragic
and crippled lives of the women who found themselves at the hands of traffickers.
Recently TV programme, radio broadcasts and the press teem with descriptions
of concrete cases, however, the analysis of the mass media shows that serious
analytical in-depth scientific studies investigating prostitution as a social
phenomenon and the problem of trafficking in women in detail are still lacking.
Prostitution in Lithuania is considered as a negative social appearance,
which often is related to crime, STI and drug use epidemics, discrimination
and exploitation of women. To gain a confidence of this group is rather
very difficult because of marginalization of the sex workers.
In Lithuania prostitution or are extradited with excellent experience
of hiding from the state control, most of them - return with any sexually
transmitted infection. Sex workers are deprived of
any right for social security and of protection from violence of pimps’
and customers’. Furthermore, while banned, the appearance dives into
underground, and state budget loses incomes available in a form of taxes,
which effectively might be allotted to control and prevention of
prostitution.
An alternative might be permissions for a work, which should be issued
by institution responsible for prostitution control in cooperation with
NGO involved into prevention of prostitution.
As the sex workers in majority of cases are socially vulnerable, the
legal protection should be available. They avoid to break off prostitution
and report trafficking because of fear to get assaulted by pimps and traffickers.
Taking into account that prostitution is a social appearance, it is
to be addressed with all social means: social programme for sex traders,
social support for those who raise children, educational means nor only
in schools but also in the general population, etc. Interventions in “bridge”
groups, e.g. customers are also of highest importance involving not only
governmental but also non-governmental organisations.
Activities in the frame of TAMPEP project
The Social Ailments Consultation Site “Demetra” at the Lithuanian AIDS
Centre in collaboration with migrant sex workers, has developed more effective
strategies for contacting the target group, as well as new materials. The
Site provides all kinds of assistance for trafficking victims as well as
female sex workers working mainly on the streets and, in certain cases,
in escort agencies. One of the services provided to the target group is facilitation
of direct contact between migrant sex workers and institutions active in
the social and medical fields, and, in case of a need, of contact with a lawyer.
Street sex workers often do not have permanent place of residence, they
do not only work on the street but they also live on the street. They are
deprived even of the most elementary conditions - they have no place where
they can wash or have a bath. A shower is installed in the Site. There
the sex workers are taught the basics of hygiene and safe sex. Their health
is also examined. About 92% of the sex workers who have visited “Demetra”
for the first time were infected with different sexually transmitted diseases.
After they were treated at site incidence within that area decreased by
40%. This fact clearly shows that problems of prostitution, forced prostitution,
in particular, and health are closely related and in the future a much
greater attention should be paid to health problems.
Currently work at “Demetra” organized in groups. The following
groups have been distinguished: drug addicts, sex workers drug users, also,
the fact of whether they work with a large number of partners and they often
change partners, was taken into consideration. There is also a preparatory
group are the Children’s Care Home. Since it is quite often that girls of
12-13 years of age begin to engage in sex trade, dangers of prostitution,
its harm to health and personality, etc. are discussed when working in this
group.
The Social Ailments Site “Demetra” at its own expense carries out social
studies of its contingent. Basic information is collected by filling in
a questionnaire containing 43 questions. The Site also distributes brochures
“Talking about condoms with a partner”, “If a condom slips off or gets torn”,
“Hepatitis B”, “Safer work” and others (in the native languages of
the target group: Lithuanian and Russian).
Interventions promoting safer sex practices alone are not sufficient.
Targeted information for sex workers, instructing them on its proper use,
and teaching negotiating skills, has been supplemented by direct fieldwork.
Every staff member spends 96 hours per year for outreach work.
The employees of “Demetra” communicate with the sex workers in a humane
and sympathetic way. Different events are organized, gifts at Christmas
and other occasions are given. Efforts are made to help women rather than
moralise them. The sex workers go there like it’s their own home, to find
what every human being needs. They trust the Site and are not afraid of
being reported to the police.
On the initiative of the staff, AIDA, the NGO Association of HIV/AIDS
Affected Women and Their Relatives has been established, whose objective
apart from other goals, is to help women feel that they are not completely
isolated and left alone with their problems.
The Social Ailments Consultation Site has become a kind of referral
organisation for a variety of issues related to sex work and migrant sex
workers. The new Programme for the Prevention and Control of Prostitution
(2001-2005) includes also a lot of information provided by the Site. Representatives
of mass media have been frequent visitors of the Site. Those interviews
help us to form public opinion on the problem and raise awareness.
The national seminar “Legal aspects of women marginalisation” to be
held on 20th February 2002. It will be organised in Lithuanian Parliament,
which proves the changes in attitudes of Lithuanian authorities toward
sex trade and women’ trafficking. Participants of the seminar are thought
to include parliamentarians, members of Government, Municipality, Ministry
of Health and Ministry of Social Security and Labour”, representatives
of NGOs.
Case study
Individual recruitment may be done on an accidental basis, or it may
by targeted, in both cases women may or may not be informed about the real
purpose of thetrip, though, officially offer sound like “working as au-pair”,
as a “house keeper, in the cleaning services”, etc.
In some cases recruitment is still organized using advertisements in
newspaper, where non-existent firms offer non-existent work abroad. However,
this type of recruitment is becoming less and less popular. Nowadays recruitment
becomes more delicate and more personalised. Traffickers either search for
women in desperate situations or young girls who may be cheated, especially
from asocial families. Another way, traffickers try to “become friends” and
only then offer a “good job abroad and only for you since they need a reliable
person”. In both cases the consequences are more or less similar.
Ingrida, 19 years old.
Once I was going with a minivan. The driver was Russian, he began to
talk tome. When he found out that I knew English, he told me hat his mate
could offer me a housemaid’s job abroad. I gave him my telephone number.
The next day some guy called me. We met near a shop, another gut came, too.
They explained to me how much I would earn. I was supposed to work for three
months and earn 1000 DEM per month. I agreed. After two weeks (during that
period of time a second girl was found). They took me from home. Some guys
arrived with a small bus with bed on the top. They took us to Warsaw in Poland,
one guy explained: “Stupid girl. What housemaids can you be. There are enough
local housekeepers. You will have to make love”. Then they gave us bus tickers
and put us on the Warsaw-Barcelona bus. They reminded us that they had paid
500 USD for each ticket. They also gave 100 USD to each of us.
Why did I not run away when I found out where was going and for
what kind of “job” well, I thought that I would trick them somehow and
I would earn some money. You won’t get any job in Lithuania. But afterwards
I ran away because they did not pay me, just like the other girls, they
just sold me. “Why do I have to work for them? I can work alone”, I thought.
Two Yugoslavians met us in Barcelona. They took us to their flat, which
was 500 kilometres away. They bought us some clothes. We lived in the same
club where we were working from 5 p.m. to 4 in the morning. There were
30 girls: 16 from Mexico, 8 from Russia and 4 from Lithuania. In January
2 Belarussians arrived. According to their story, they were trafficked to
Lithuania first, only then were they sent to Spain.
If the client was not satisfied the girls were beaten severely. Once
I was also beaten badly, but the next day had to go to “work” as usual.
When a girl did something wrong, she was taken to a special flat for “educating”.
One time the pimps took another girls and me. When my friend was locked in
the other room, I snatcheds a few things and jumped through the window. I
ran to the police department, which was not far from the flat. I began to
cry and told a policeman how I was tricked: I was promised housemaid’s job
but I had to work as a prostitute. I can speak English, I have also learned
Spanish a little bit so I could explain everything to them. T6hey felt pity
for me and drove me to Madrid in their own car. And from Madrid I came back
to Lithuania.
References:
Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Baltic States: Social and
Legal Aspects. IOM, Helsinki, 2001.
Svetlana Kulsis, Head, Social Ailments Consultation Site, Lithuanian
AIDS Centre
Rima Krupenkaite, Assistant to Director, Lithuanian AIDS Centre
Saulius Caplinskas, Direktor of AIDS Centre
Nugaletoju St. 14D, LT-2016 Vilnius, Lithuania
Tel. +3702 300125; Fax. +3702 300123; e-mail: aids@aids.lt
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