DEMOGRAPHIC-DATA ON PROSTITUTES FROM BULGARIA - A RECRUITMENT COUNTRYFOR INTERNATIONAL (MIGRATORY) PROSTITUTES

The study was aimed at investigating the conditions and circumstances for the recruitment of prostitutes, as well as their reproductive hist ory, working conditions, knowledge of and attitudes to sexually transm itted diseases (STDs), and use of prophylactic antibiotic therapy of t hese diseases. Two hundred prostitutes were investigated by in-depth i nterviews at STD clinics, private practices and hotels. Of the 200 pro stitutes, 8 (4%) were less than 15 years old and 32 (16%) more than 25 years old. Most of the women came from rural villages. Half of them w ere gypsies. Most had a boyfriend (often the pimp). One-quarter had be en or were on their way abroad to prostitute. Half were migrating with in Bulgaria to prostitute. They claimed a high rate of condom use with customers, but seldom with their pimps or boyfriends. About one-tenth used antibiotics prophylactically. They had knowledge of classical ST Ds and HIV/AIDS but only in exceptional cases had they heard about chl amydial and human papillomavirus infections. They often cohabited with a female friend also often practising prostitution. It was concluded that recruitment is often easy as the prostitute can earn more from on ly one contact with a customer than their parents earn from work in a month. Symptoms suggestive of STD were very common in the prostitutes, i.e. in 43%. Bulgaria is a recruitment area for international prostit utes.