Prostitution in American Samoa is illegal, as are related activities such as brothel keeping and pimping.[1] These acts are punishable by law, including a fine of more than $500 or a jail sentence of up to a year for customers of prostitution.[2] Prostitution occurs in bars[3] and nightclubs,[4] and in boats moored in the harbours.[5]
46.3706 Promoting prostitution in the second degree. (criminalises pimping, procuring and brothel keeping)
46.3707 Prostitution houses considered public nuisances. (gives courts the power to close premises used for prostitution for up to a year)
Sex trafficking
Young women from nearby Samoa are brought to the island, often through family connections, for domestic chores and are subsequently subjected to sex trafficking.[8]
In 2007, five Chinese nationals were jailed for trafficking Chinese women into the country to work as prostitutes in bars and nightclubs. The two ringleaders were sentenced to 62 and 63 months imprisonment. The victims had their passports taken away, weren't paid, and weren't allowed to leave until they had paid off their ever-increasing debts.[4][9]
Law enforcement officers raided the U.S. territory's Office of Immigration in January 2010. It was alleged that in the previous 6 months immigration officials had waived through trafficking victims without performing the required checks on people entering the country. Possibly hundreds of victims were brought through in this manner during the period. The women being used by a prostitution ring.[10]
