Prostitution in the Czech Republic is legal, but organized prostitution (brothels, prostitution rings, pimping, etc.) is prohibited. Ever since the Czechoslovak Velvet Revolution (1989) led to the creation of the two independent states Czech Republic and Slovakia, prostitution has been flourishing and has contributed its share to the region's booming tourist economy. Prostitution is widespread in Prague and areas near the Republic's western borders with Germany and Austria. In 2002, the Czech Statistical Bureau estimated the trade to be worth six billion crowns ($217 million) a year.[1] UNAIDS estimate there are 13,000 prostitutes in the country.[2]