Since prostitution is a sensitive indicator that develops with changes in the social environment and the state, it is useful to divide the history of this phenomenon from Estonia's first independence according to the different historical stages of the country.
That was not sufficiently successful and in May 1920, obligatory measures to fight prostitution and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) were issued.
Because prostitution was legal in 1918–1940, the data from that period is remarkably precise and allows giving an adequate overview of the phenomenon.
Along with Estonia's occupation by the Soviet Union, attitudes to prostitution changed drastically.
For instance, Tallinn City Moral Censoring Unit and Ambulatory of STDs which had been controlling the prostitutes and their health, was now liquidated on 16 November 1940, only a few months after occupation.
The reason was absence of prostitution as a mass phenomenon in Soviet Estonia and indifference to it from that part of the government.
Since the KGB kept a vigilant eye on foreigners, the activities of those prostitutes were only feasible with the knowledge and control of this structure.
In 1998, the police registered over 268 females who had been caught performing sexual services for money in hostels and hotels.
[6] Estonia is a source, transit, and destination country for women and girls subjected to sex trafficking.
Estonian women and children are subjected to sex trafficking within Estonia and in other European countries.
Vietnamese nationals subjected to sexual exploitation transit Estonia en route to other EU countries.