DUSHANBE, February 1, 2013, Asia-Plus  -- On Thursday January 31, Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimov met with representatives of Sughd youth in Khujand, the capital of Sughd province, the Interior Ministry’s official website reports.

During the meeting, Rahimov, in particular, noted that students from Tajik higher educational institutions committed 66 crimes last year.  22 of those crimes were committed by students from Sughd, the minister stressed.

Rahimov added that of 1,823 Tajik youth that were studying illegally at foreign religious schools, 1,612 were returned home last ear.

Rahimov reportedly stressed that as of January 1, 2013, there were 7,213 officially registered drug users in the country and 1,575 of them are young people and of 9,681 officially registered alcohol-dependent people, 405 are young people.

During the meeting, the minister also raised the problem of prostitution in Tajik society.  “To-date, 1,303 women engaged in prostitution have been officially registered in the country; 132 of them are underage girls,” noted the minister.  “Last year alone, police uncovered 153 houses of prostitution.”