Bulgaria one of Europe's biggest prostitute exporters: study
(AFP) – Dec 12, 2007
SOFIA (AFP) — Bulgaria is one of Europe's biggest exporters of prostitutes and has one of the largest and most developed networks of prostitutes in the continent, a new study said Wednesday.
In the southern town of Sliven, which has a population of about 100,000 people, the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) estimated that one out of every 15 women aged between 15 and 30 was engaged in prostitution.
"This is a social catastrophe," said CSD analyst Tihomir Bezlov.
The non-governmental think tank found Bulgarian prostitutes working abroad earn the equivalent of about seven percent of gross domestic product (GDP), a similar proportion to countries such as Taiwan and South Korea.
"According to even the most conservative estimates, Bulgarian prostitutes working abroad earn between 0.9-1.8 billion euros (1.3-2.7 billion dollars) a year, the equivalent of 3.6-7.2 percent of GDP in 2006," Bezlov said.
The study estimated there were 18,000-21,000 Bulgarian prostitutes working around Europe, mostly in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Greece.
Given its nature, it is difficult to compile reliable statistics about sex trafficking. But the scope of the problem can be gauged by the number of cases where victims of sexual exploitation contact the police for help.
Police estimate that one out of every 10 prostitutes seek help, Bezlov said.
In Germany, reputed to have one of the most developed sex services markets in Europe, 12.7 percent of sexual exploitation victims are of Bulgarian origin, compared with 1.2 percent who are Russian.
In the Netherlands, the ratios stood at 14 percent and 10 percent respectively, Bezlov said.
Taking a look at organised crime in general in Bulgaria, the CSD analyst said that the origin, structure and evolution of criminal networks was similar to in Russia.
"Bulgaria's organised crime, which is based on violence, is resembling that of Russia and the other former Soviet countries," Bezlov said.
Many of the perpetrators were former police officers, laid off after the fall of communism in 1989, jobless athletes such as wrestlers, and ex-prisoners, the study showed.
During the first few years following the collapse of communism, the government was weak and the justice system inefficient, allowing protection rackets to spring up.
Wealthy criminal bosses became involved in drug trafficking in the late 1990s and car theft became so widespread that one out of every three cars on Bulgarian roads in the mid-1990s was stolen.
In 2006, another "Russian" phenomenon emerged in Bulgaria, with 60 percent of all stolen vehicles being offered back to their owners in return for ransom, Bezlov said.
Bezlov said that Bulgaria's accession to the EU this year was likely to reduce crime.
"Bulgaria's EU accession led to the gradual curbing of the most drastic forms of organised criminal activity," the study said.
"This is largely due to the increasing pressure on Bulgarian institutions from Brussels which in turn has resulted in the taking of more resolute action against organised crime."
