The grim specter of sexual slavery still lingers in the underbelly of many Eastern European capitals. Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is no exception. Despite the world's fascination with Czechia's natural landscapes and medieval castles, the city remains home to thousands of women trapped in the grips of human trafficking, specifically forced sexwork, while their basic human rights are stripped away and their voices silenced. While a thriving sex industry has bolstered the country's economy since the Velvet Revolution of , it's a complex issue that requires attention.
It's important to differentiate between sex work which involves consensual engagement in commercial sex, and sex work which involves force, coercion, or deceit. In the Czech Republic, all sex work is permissible under the law, meaning the issue of consent often operates in a gray area leaving sex workers are vulnerable to discrimination, abuse and sex trafficking.
It is a booming business that continues to thrive. According to some estimates , 12, to 13, women worked as sex workers in the Czech Republic in , making the industry a significant source of employment. But who does this employment truly benefit? The history of sex work in Czechia is a complicated story that stretches back decades. The early of the 20th century brought a period of tremendous upheaval, as the world underwent rapid changes in population, urbanization, and political power.
World War I led to the creation of an independent Czecho-Slovak state for the first time in centuries, and the age of machines brought with it unparalleled economic growth.
Unfortunately, these shifts also paved the way for a spike in the trafficking of women and girls, with many of the victims being brought in from other European countries. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, state regulation was the dominant way authorities dealt with the sex industry in Europe, with governments implementing mandatory health checks, police surveillance, and registering sex workers.
