Prostitution in Turkmenistan

Prostitution in Turkmenistan is illegal but common.[1][2] Prostitution has increased within the country since the collapse of the Soviet Union.[3] Poverty is one of the reasons women have turned to prostitution,[2] sometimes under pressure from family members.[3][4]

Prostitutes frequent bars, casinos and nightclubs,[5] some are addicted to heroin.[4][6] In Daşoguz, a major truck stop, many 'night butterflies' service the truck drivers in the overnight truck parks.[3] STDs among the sex workers are also prevalent although reports show that the problem is less severe than in the neighboring countries.[7]

Law enforcement is corrupt. Police target foreigners who are with prostitutes, telling them it is illegal for two unmarried people of opposite sexes to be in the same hotel room, and then asking for a "fine".[5] During police crack-downs, any single woman in a nightclub when raided is likely to be arrested as a prostitute.[8]

Sex trafficking is a problem in Turkmenistan.[9]

  1. ^ "The Legal Status of Prostitution by Country". ChartsBin. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ohchr2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c "TURKMENISTAN: Prostitution on the rise". IRIN. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  4. ^ a b "Turkmenistan: Poverty Drives Addiction and Prostitution". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. 21 February 2005. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Turkmenistan 2011 Crime and Safety Report". OSAC. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2012. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  6. ^ Chivers, C. J. (11 July 2007). "Heroin Seizes Turkmenistan, a Nation Ill Equipped to Cope". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  7. ^ "Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan". IMDB. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Turkmen women in discos 'risk arrest'". BBC News. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference state17 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).