the rise in prostitution, a new administrative liability for the activity was introduced in 1987. In 1998, the police registered over 268 females who had been caught performing sexual services for money in hostels and hotels. Prostitution is currently legal in Estonia, but pimping is prohibited. Forced prostitution and other abusive activities which surround the sex trade are also outlawed. UNAIDS estimate there are 1,000 prostitutes in the country. Child prostitution An inquiry by police officers in the capital Tallinn estimated that 27% of the 1,000 sex workers in the city were under 18, and a research study by ECPAT has estimated a similar proportion within the country. Sex trafficking 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. Women are increasingly exposed to trafficking as a result of sham marriages outside of Estonia; the women enter the marriages willingly, but their passports are confiscated and they are forced into prostitution. Stateless residents in Estonia were especially vulnerable to trafficking. Vietnamese nationals subjected to sexual exploitation transit Estonia en route to other EU countries. The United States Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons ranks Estonia as a 'Tier 1' country. See also Prostitution in the Soviet Union References Estonia Estonia Law of Estonia Estonian culture