In a country where sex before marriage is still frowned upon and where a young couple kissing in the street may be reprimanded by police, female sex workers -- some of whom are still legally minors -- can sometimes be seen on the hunt for wealthy clients, particularly men from the oil-rich Gulf seeking an outlet in a country dubbed the most liberal in the Arab world.

To Lebanon's Kamal, it's a job like any other: "I send clients at luxury hotels photo albums of the girls. It's like selling goods." Kamal, whose name has been changed at his request, is a 40-year-old pimp based just outside of Beirut, where prostitution thrives, though illegal, in hotels, nightclubs, brothels, private homes, chalets and even on highways. "I inherited the trade from my father," he told AFP. "To me, it's just a regular job." "Demand soars in the summer season, so we help each other out across the networks. They pass girls over to us when we need them and vice versa," Kamal explained. Kamal owns a club in a coastal city north of Beirut which has a reputation as a prostitution hub. In this seaside city, so-called super nightclubs employ exclusively foreign women, mainly from eastern Europe, who travel to Lebanon on "artists' visas." They start off as dancers and often turn to -- or are forced into -- prostitution in afterhours. But Kamal says he prefers employing Lebanese and Syrian women, who are "in great demand among Arabs." "We charge a minimum of 120 dollars (84 euros) per hour, but the price can climb to over 400 dollars (280 euros)," he said. "Gulf clients pay up without asking about the price, while the Lebanese haggle to the penny." For a mere 20 dollars (14 euros), a receptionist at a luxury hotel provides a selection of pictures to a potential client who can then "choose a blonde, a brunette, one woman or three," said Kamal.