Prostitution in Lithuania Prostitution in Lithuania Prostitution in Lithuania is illegal, but it is common. Law enforcement is weak, corrupt and is reputedly connected to organised crime. It is estimated that there are 3,000 prostitutes in the capital Vilnius. Many of them are foreign, predominantly Russian, but there are also significant numbers from Belarus, Ukraine and Poland. Street prostitution, including underage prostitutes, is generally controlled by criminal elements. Sex trafficking is a problem in the country. Both prostitution itself and buying sex are prohibited by the Code of Administrative Offences. Related activities are prohibited by the Criminal Code. Public order laws are also
History of the Jews in Lithuania "kahals" were not successful. The impoverished Jewish merchants, having no capital of their own, were compelled to borrow money from the nobility, from churches, congregations, monasteries, and various religious orders. Loans from the latter were usually for an unlimited period and were secured by mortgages on the real estate of the "kahal". The "kahals" thus became hopelessly indebted to the clergy and the nobility. In 1792 the Jewish population of Lithuania was estimated at 250,000 (as compared with 120,000 in 1569). The whole of the commerce and industries of Lithuania, now rapidly declining, was in the hands of the Jews.