Analysis of prostitution data in the Republic of Serbia for the period 2001-2005

Abstract

At the beginning of the new millennium, Serbia is recovering from the results of war occurrences in the area at the end of the XX century, refugee exodus and changes in the social, demographic and economic structure. Lacking the strength and possibility to resist clear indications of globalization, Serbia enters the transition machinery which grinds and mercilessly crushes the small, the incapable and the maladjusted. In such a complex milieu, burdened with social and economic difficulties, one of the indicators of anomie in the Serbian society is expansion, specific spatial distribution, new forms of organizing and new patterns of different sociopathological phenomena particularly prostitution. As social deviation, prostitution is interesting from a security point of view for its connection with other sociopathological types of behavior and different forms of criminal activities. However, in today's circumstances, its connection with organized human trafficking is certainly the most important, both at national and international level. This is one of the reasons why the work of authorities of state repression (police in the first place) is based upon its prevention and suppression. That is why it was necessary to make an analysis of the results of those police activities performed on the territory of the Republic of Serbia between 2001 and 2005. Police activity in prevention and suppression of prostitution is qualitatively defined on the basis of the following quantitative references - the number of misdemeanor charges for misdemeanor of engaging in prostitution and giving away premises with a view to prostitution - place and time of committing the misdemeanor - analysis of sex and age structure of both the perpetrators and the injured persons. In view of this, special emphasis is put on the territorial distribution of these indicators.

Kao društvena devijacija, prostitucija je bezbednosno interesantna zbog svoje povezanosti sa drugim sociopatološkim oblicima ponašanja i raznim vidovima kriminalnih aktivnosti. U današnjim uslovima svakako je najznačajnija njena veza sa organizovanom trgovinom ljudima, kako u okviru unutrašnjih granica tako i u međunarodnim dimenzijama. Na aktivnostima njenog sprečavanja i suzbijanja zasniva se i rad organa državne represije, pre svega policije. Policijska delatnost na sprečavanju i suzbijanju prostitucije kvalitativno je definisana na osnovu referenci: broja podnetih prekršajnih prijava za prekršaj odavanja prostituciji i ustupanja prostorija radi prostitucije mesta i vremena izvršenja prekršaja, analize polne i starosne strukture izvršilaca i oštećenih.