Population of women: 1,048,000/2,286,000 Life expectancy of women (at birth): 76.2 yrs School life expectancy for women: 15 yrs
Adult illiteracy for women: 0.2% Unemployment of women: 11.0% Adult economic activity rate: 51%
last updated November 13, 2003
The Advocates for Human Rights is in the process of updating this page. Revisions and additions are forthcoming. Please check back frequently for updates.
The Constitution of Latvia (Latvian) addresses the principles of equality and non-discrimination. Article 91 states: "All human beings in Latvia shall be equal before the law and courts. Human rights shall be secured without discrimination of any kind." In addition, the 2002 Labour Law [internal link] provides for equality between genders and prohibits both indirect and direct discrimination.
Although there are no official statistics available, domestic violence is a significant problem in Latvia. Though spousal abuse and marital rape are prohibited under other provisions of the code, most domestic abuse cases are not prosecuted in court. The legal system is generally reluctant to view domestic violence in a serious light. Combined with a general lack of understanding about domestic violence, there is a general failure to recognize and identify the problem. There are no laws specifically prohibiting domestic violence in Latvia's new Criminal Code of 1999. According to the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, the Latvian courts use other provisions of the Criminal Code dealing with homicide (Sections 116 to 124), intentional bodily injury (Sections 125 to 132) or sexual crimes (Sections 159 to 166) to prosecute domestic violence. Marital rape and abuse may be prosecuted under other categories, and depending on the severity of the crime, fines, police supervision, or a maximum of fifteen years' imprisonment may be imposed.
Article 159 of the Criminal Code punishes rape by a prison sentence of three to seven years. Rape is defined as an "act of sexual intercourse by means of violence, threats or taking advantage of the state of helplessness of a female victim." Accordingly, only females can be victims of rape. Increased prison sentences can result in cases where aggravating factors are present, such as gang rape, repeat offenders, or rape of a juvenile. Article 160 punishes sexual assault, defined as "pederastic or lesbian or other unnatural sexual acts of gratification, and committed with violence, threats or exploiting the helplessness of the victim," from six to fifteen years, depending on the circumstances.
Sexual harassment is not specifically defined under Latvian law. However, according to a 2002 report by the Council of Europe, sexual harassment may be classified as other offenses such as rape, threat of rape or offense against the person's honor.
The International Helsinki Federation notes that NGO and governmental sources suggest that there are about 10,000 to 15,000 prostitutes in Latvia, and approximately fifteen percent of prostitutes are believed to be under eighteen years of age. Prostitution is controlled by the Regulations on the Restriction of Prostitution, which requires prostitutes to work in places determined by local authorities. Prostitutes must carry a medical card, which is to be issued by a certified venereal doctor. Those who do not carry a health card or who work in the wrong area may be fined up to 250Ls (425 USD). Adult prostitution is legal, but procuring, pimping and forcing someone into prostitution is not. Article 164 of the Criminal Code punishes compelling someone to engage in prostitution by up to three years' imprisonment, custodial arrest, a fine, and/or confiscation of property. Article 165 punishes anyone who lives off the profits of prostitution by a sentence of up to four years and possibly confiscation of property.
According to an investigation conducted by the Baltic Sea Task Force, the problem of trafficking of women in Latvia was not officially noted until 1993-1994. It is presumed that the problem has since spread to affect thousands of women. This issue has received much more attention throughout the last few years. The recruiting of women for prostitution in other countries is carried out through different means, including newspaper ads, which offer employment as executive assistants or dancers. The destinations identified include Germany, Scandinavian countries, Great Britain, Spain and Italy. In May 2000, a revision to the Criminal Code of Latvia criminalized the sending of a person to another country for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Trafficking in persons is punishable under Article 165(1) by a maximum of four years' imprisonment. Where there are aggravating circumstances involved (offense against property and minors under the age of eighteen) the maximum penalty increases to ten years of imprisonment, and in the most severe cases (organized crime or involvement of children under fourteen years of age) the sentence of imprisonment increases to a term of eight to fifteen years. Article 165(2) defines "sending" as " any action that encourages legal or illegal departure from the State or entry into the State, transit or residence in a foreign state." According to a report by the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, thirteen charges under Article 165 were filed in 2002, bringing the total number of charges in trafficking cases to twenty-five.
Compiled from:
Human Rights in the OSCE region: the Balkans, the Caucasus, Europe, Central Asia, and North America Report 2002 (Events of 2001), International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, 6 June 2001.
Albania-Luxemburg "Legislation in the Member States of the Council of Europe in the Field of Violence against Women," Volume I, Council of Europe, Strasbourg, November 2002.
Second Periodic Report, Latvia, CCPR/C/LVA/2002/2, 29 November 2002.
Baltic Sea Task Force Report, Task Force on Organised Crime in the Baltic Sea Region, 2000.
Human Rights in Latvia in 2002, Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, March 2002 (PDF, 61 pages).