Under the former Taliban regime, prostitution existed clandestinely in Kabul, despite being outlawed due to the government following a very strict interpretation of the Islamic Sharia law. Melissa Ditmore reported in Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex Work that during their rule the traffic in women for prostitution had thrived.[19][20] Prostitutes mostly worked from their private homes termed as Qalas and in Kabul there were 25 to 30 hidden brothels.[20][21][22]