Bulgaria's police have registered 4,111 prostitutes by the end of 2002. This is what Interior Minister Georgy Petkanov reported in the Parliament Friday. Prostitutes have been spotted at 366 gathering places across the country - 109 of them are at highway roads.

Most of the newly registered prostitutes are aged under 18. Even minors earn their living on the streets, the minister pointed out.

He highlighted the fact that most of them come from underprivileged families and from the Gypsy ethnic minority. Parents often force their children into prostitution, the minister said.

He sounded alarm that his ministry is not able tackle the problem unassisted. The minister stressed that Bulgarian policemen work hard to bring prostitution under control but the lack of sound legal regulation holds them back. Petkanov demanded that the Parliament pass legal amendment to help law-enforcers come to grips with prostitution.

Bulgaria's Parliament should finally decide whether prostitution is a crime or legal activity, Petkanov said. Strict legal regulations are needed to deal with high crime rates connected to prostitution rings.