The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has prepared Latvia's eighth report on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women for the years 2020–2025. One of the unresolved issues mentioned in it is the draft law on the restriction of prostitution. It was presented to the government back in early 2020, but further consideration has been postponed. The reason for this is fundamental disagreements: whether to consider prostitution a social problem or a free choice of a person, a form of violence or the realization of personal rights, and how directly it is related to human trafficking. ### There Are Rules, but No Punishment Prostitution in Latvia is not a criminal offense; however, the state imposes restrictions on it. Criminal liability is provided, in particular, for pimping and human trafficking. At the same time, the report highlights a legal paradox. The existing rules of the Cabinet of Ministers remain mandatory, but after the Administrative Responsibility Law came into effect in 2020, **it is impossible to enforce compliance with them through administrative penalties**: there is no law under which an offender can be held accountable. The proposed new law was supposed to eliminate this gap, reduce the scale of prostitution, decrease the risks of human trafficking and violence, and prevent the involvement of children and youth in it. However, the document has not progressed for over six years. ### The Ombudsman Proposes Punishing Clients The Human Rights Commissioner believes that punishing a person engaged in prostitution is fundamentally wrong. In his opinion, this approach does not align with the principle of a socially responsible state and does not protect human dignity. The Ombudsman suggests changing the model: prohibiting the purchase of sexual services and placing responsibility on clients. The Centrs Marta organization also criticizes the prepared draft law, believing that it largely repeats the existing rules and does not address two main tasks — ending the punishment of those involved in prostitution and reducing demand. Another unresolved issue is assistance for those wishing to leave prostitution. The creation of a separate social rehabilitation program has been discussed since 2022, but the necessary funding has not yet been allocated by the state. ### What Else Latvia Acknowledged The report contains other indicative data. In 2025, 330 criminal cases were initiated under the article on cruel or violent treatment of relatives, compared to 219 the previous year — an increase of about 51%. At the same time, the number of family conflicts registered by the police decreased by 23% — to 7,838. The gender gap in poverty levels is particularly noticeable. In 2024, 24.6% of women and 19% of men were at risk of poverty. Among people over 75 years old, the difference is even more significant: 55.3% of women compared to 33% of men. The report also touches on the issue of early marriages. Although the general marriage age in Latvia is 18, the law allows for an exception at 16 with the necessary permission. In 2025, 22 marriages were registered in which one of the spouses had not reached the age of 18. From 2020 to 2025, such marriages accounted for an average of 0.19% of the total number. The UN report revealed an unusual legal situation: the state has maintained restrictions on prostitution for many years but has not created a full-fledged mechanism for their administrative enforcement. At the same time, the authorities cannot even agree on the basic principle of the future system — who the state should punish: the person providing sexual services or the one purchasing them.
