weak, but there are occasional clampdowns. Foreign sex workers are usually targeted, and are often deported. Public order laws are also used against prostitutes. Many of the local prostitutes have entered the sex trade due to poverty and lack of other employment. Foreign prostitutes, especially from Indonesia, China and the Philippines, enter the country on 90-day tourists visas. West Asia Armenia In Armenia, prostitution is illegal under administrative law (Article 179.1). Related activities such as running a brothel and pimping are prohibited by the Criminal Code, although there are known to be brothels in the capital, Yerevan, and in Gyumri. According to UNESCO, since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, prostitution in the country has grown. There are about 5,600 women involved in prostitution in Armenia, roughly 1,500 of them are in Yerevan. However, official police figures are far lower, for example 240 in 2012. Police and other safety forces reportedly tolerate prostitution. Many women turn to prostitution due to unemployment. Azerbaijan Prostitution in Azerbaijan is illegal but common. Prostitution is an administrative offence and punishable by a fine. Keeping a brothel is a criminal offence and punishable by up to 6 years imprisonment. In 2017 a draft law proposing to add heavy fines to the punishment for keeping a brothel was before the National Assembly. It has been estimated that there are 25 054 prostitutes in Azerbaijan, some of which are aged 15 – 18. Bahrain Prostitution in Bahrain is illegal but has gained a reputation in the Middle East as major destination for sex tourism. The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights reported in 2007 that there were more than 13,500 prostitutes in the country and that the number was rising. Sex trafficking is a problem in the country. Cyprus The law does not prohibit prostitution itself, but operating brothels, organizing prostitution rings, living off the profits of prostitution, encouraging prostitution or forcing a person to engage in prostitution are illegal activities. Cyprus has been criticised by the US State Department for failing to control the flow of illegal immigrants and legal to be involved in forced prostitution. Cyprus has gained a reputation for being a major transit point for people smugglers to transport women for the purposes of prostitution. International observers have criticized the government for its lack of action to prevent forced prostitution. The law of Cyprus forbids forced (but not voluntary) prostitution. However,