Criminal Law, Criminal Justice and Security Aspects of Prostitution in the Republic of Serbia

Abstract

At the beginning of the new millennium Serbia is recovering from the war in the area at the end of the XX century, as well as refugee exodus and changes in its social, demographic and economic structure. Lacking the strength and means to resist globalization, it enters the transition machinery which grinds and mercilessly crushes the small, the incapable and the un adapted. In such a complex milieu, burdened with social and economic difficulties, indicators of anomie in the Serbian society are expansion, specific spatial distribution, new forms of organizing and new patterns of different sociopathological phenomena, particularly prostitution.

This paper examines official statistics related to prostitution in Serbia from 2001-2005. The analysis reports:

• the number of prostitution charges filed
• distribution of charges by years
• spatial distribution
• categorization of perpetrators by age and sex
• professional qualifications - education and profession of perpetrators.

The analysis also includes data about victims of these criminal offences.

The analysis of these indicators has lead to the conclusion that prostitution cannot be viewed as an „offence without a victim“ to which society will respond with tolerance, regimentation (legalizing) or ambivalence, but as a phenomenon which has to be prevented.