BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhuanet) -- China will end the public shaming of prostitutes by parading them through the streets, the People's Daily reported on Tuesday, following controversy over cases in which sex workers were paraded in public.

Ministry of Public Security has ordered the police to stop parading suspects in public and has called on local departments to enforce laws in a "rational, calm and civilized manner," the report said.

Prostitution is illegal in China and police sometimes used means such as parading prostitutes in public as a deterrent. However, recent cases have sparked controversy on the Internet.

Earlier this month, local media in the city of Dongguan in southern China's Guangdong province published pictures of two suspected prostitutes and two patrons who had been detained by police. The handcuffed girls were shown walking barefoot, handcuffed and tethered by a rope around their waists.

In another case this month, police in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province, posted a public notice about a vice raid, including personal information about prostitutes and their clients.