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In Latvia, both young women and young men are still involved in human trafficking and organized crime, including sexual exploitation. This was stated by Iluta Lāce, a member of the board of MARTA Centre. And often these people are recruited directly through modeling agencies. The Ministry of the Interior (IeM) also confirmed that human trafficking is not a thing of the past. In addition, Latvia, from a country that used to be about victims, is increasingly finding itself in the opposite role.

In Latvia, both young women and young men are still involved in human trafficking and organized crime, including sexual exploitation. This was stated by Iluta Lāce, a member of the board of MARTA Centre. And often these people are recruited directly through modeling agencies. The Ministry of the Interior (IeM) also confirmed that human trafficking is not a thing of the past. In addition, Latvia, from a country that used to be about victims, is increasingly finding itself in the opposite role.

In Latvia, both young women and young men are still involved in human trafficking and organized crime, including sexual exploitation. This was stated by Iluta Lāce, a member of the board of MARTA Centre. And often these people are recruited directly through modeling agencies. The Ministry of the Interior (IeM) also confirmed that human trafficking is not a thing of the past. In addition, Latvia, from a country that used to be about victims, is increasingly finding itself in the opposite role.

Women have often told me that they sought help to solve a specific problem, but received recommendations that seriously question not only the professional ethics of the counselor, but also common sense. For example, a woman discovered that she had a problem with her big toe, but received a recommendation from her doctor to have children. Of course, this shows that there are still prejudices related to gender roles in our society – gender stereotypes. They are especially harmful when women try to seek support and help because they have suffered from violence, but their suffering is not noticed and their testimonies are not taken seriously because the vision and hearing of those responsible are clouded by stereotypes.

The published Jeffrey Epstein documents, which also include Latvia's name, shed light on the sexual exploitation and human trafficking that was widespread at the beginning of the century, Iluta Lāce, the head of the organization "Centrs MARTA", told the portal "Delfi".

"Hey, Grok, put her in a bikini and make her kneel!" - these and similar orders, or so-called "prompts", have recently caused the social media "X" artificial intelligence (AI) tool to create countless indecent and nude "photographs" of real women, men and children. Although "X" restricted this "Grok" function in January after a wave of international outrage and investigations launched by several governments, it has not been completely disabled. "Delfi" was interested in what to do with a person "naked" against their will. The Latvian parliament is currently discussing a new article of the Criminal Law, which threatens "undressers" with several years in prison.

In the TV24 program “National Interest Club”, Beata Jonite, the head of advocacy at the MARTA Centre association, raised a serious but still often overlooked problem – the impact of violence on children in families where women suffer. There is still a perception in society that a child is safe if the violence is not directly directed at them. The reality that aid providers face on a daily basis is completely different.

To see violence not as a private tragedy, but as a shared responsibility and to break the culture of silence that has so far too often allowed violence to continue unnoticed. This is the idea behind the installation "In the Orange Room - Glass Stories", which opened in Rēzekne on Tuesday. It invites us to stop, listen to real stories and think about ourselves and the women and girls who live among us.

The decision of the Latvian Parliament to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention , which protects women from violence , caused widespread resonance and several protests this fall both in Latvia and abroad.

"A huge amount of work has been done over the course of a week - society has mobilized, people and organizations have come together to organize a protest in a short period of time, which gathered more than 10,000 people yesterday," Marta Centre reports on its Facebook profile.

Politicians who voted for Latvia's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention last week can still change their minds and "listen to the opinion of the majority of society," said Beata Jonīte, head of the Interest Advocacy Department of MARTA Centre, ahead of the protest against Latvia's withdrawal from the convention expected on November 6.

The non-governmental organizations "MARTA Centre" and "Protests" have collected 2,000 signatures of prominent people in society and various sectors, calling on President Edgars Rinkēvičs to submit the draft law On Withdrawal from the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence for a second reading in the Saeima.

Over the past 25 years, thousands of people have been helped, the law has been changed, and public opinion has changed on how to respond to domestic violence and human trafficking. Exactly 25 years ago, MARTA Centre was founded, which has grown from a small group of people into an organization that is listened to, taken into account and asked for advice, and most importantly, trusted by people who need help.

In order to reduce violent behavior, 1,028 people in Latvia took special social rehabilitation courses last year. 433 of them did so forcibly, after the court ruled on temporary protection. Such an instrument has been in place for the past four years, and the number of course attendees is growing every year. However, no one has yet assessed whether the program really gives results. For some, it was just a tick, for others - a "new weapon", the Latvian Radio program "Open Files" investigated.

Young people today are influenced by many sources when forming romantic relationships – movies, social media, and even friends and family. However, under the influence of movies and social media, young people see many things in relationships that are not realistic and are unable to critically evaluate them. Family role models and conversations with young people are helpful.