Prostitution in Somalia is officially illegal. Sex trafficking [ 4 ] and child prostitution [ 5 ] are problems in the country.
Prostitution laws in Somalia are contained in the Penal Code of , which was based on the Italian Penal Code of The laws are currently under review. Somalia is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking.
Information regarding trafficking in Somalia remains extremely difficult to obtain or verify. Victims are primarily from Somalia's southern and central regions and subjected to trafficking within the country, especially in Puntland and Somaliland in the north. In Somaliland, women act as recruiters and intermediaries who transport victims to Puntland, Djibouti , and Ethiopia for the purposes of sex trafficking. Due to poverty and an inability to provide care for all family members, some Somalis willingly surrender custody of their children to people with whom they share familial ties and clan linkages; some of these children may become victims of sex trafficking.
Regional governments from Somaliland and Puntland reported smuggling and trafficking continued through Somalia as a transit point on routes to Libya , Sudan , and Europe. Women and girl migrants working in the informal economy were particularly vulnerable to trafficking. Certain marginalised ethnic minorities, Somali Bantus and Midgaan , continue to face greater risk of sex trafficking, as do IDPs and people living in areas under al-Shabaab control.
Self-identified administrators of some IDP camps reportedly force girls and women to provide sex acts in exchange for food and services; some Somali officials are alleged to be complicit in such exploitation.
