Prostitution is illegal in the majority of African countries. For these reasons, some African countries have also become destinations for sex tourism. Long-distance truck drivers have been identified as a group with the high-risk behaviour of sleeping with prostitutes and a tendency to spread the infection along trade routes in the region.
Legality of prostitution in the Americas varies by country. Most countries only legalized prostitution, with the act of exchanging money for sexual services legal. The level of enforcement varies by country. In Asia , the main characteristic of the region is the very big discrepancy between the laws which exist on the books and what occurs in practice. For example, in Thailand prostitution is illegal, [4] but in practice it is tolerated and partly regulated, and the country is a destination for sex tourism.
Such situations are common in many Asian countries. In Japan , prostitution is legal [5] with the exception of heterosexual, vaginal intercourse. Advertisements that detail what each individual prostitute will do oral sex, anal sex, etc.
In India , prostitution is legal only if carried out in the private residence of a prostitute or others. Compared to other continents, Europe has very diverse laws when it comes to prostitution. The most common legal system in the European Union is that which allows prostitution itself the exchange of sex for money but prohibits associated activities brothels, pimping, etc. Prostitution remains illegal in most of the ex-communist countries of Eastern Europe. In Belgium , sex work has been decriminalized since 1 June In Sweden , [8] Northern Ireland , [9] Norway , [10] Iceland , [11] and France [12] it is illegal to pay for sex the client commits a crime, but not the prostitute.
In the United Kingdom , it is illegal to pay for sex with a prostitute who has been "subjected to force" and this is a strict liability offense clients can be prosecuted even if they did not know the prostitute was forced , but prostitution itself is legal. In Germany prostitution is legal, as are brothels. In Finland , Norway and Switzerland the right to sell sex is restricted based on citizenship. Aliens caught selling sex in Finland or Norway may be deported and of foreign citizens only EU citizens can get a Swiss prostitution license.
