Taiwan's
National Police Agency (NPA) convened urgent information meetings Sunday
morning, on the first day of legalised red light districts across Taiwan.
Under an amendment that just scratched Article
80 off the Social Order Maintenance Act, transactions between sex workers and
their patrons are now legal within designated zones.
These sex-trade zones are to be established at
the discretion of local governments. Prostitutes and patrons who trade outside
designated zones face a fine of up to NT$30,000 (US$973). A so-called “pimp
clause” clamps down extra-district prostitute agents, who may be punished
between NT$10,000 (US$324) and NT$50,000 (US$1,622) and may be detained for
three to five days.
The next three months are the amendment's
“advocacy window,” during which new policies will be actively publicised, said
Chen Kuo-an of the NPA.
But all policy violators are subject to
penalty, effective immediately — the amendment includes no legal grace period,
he stressed.
Although no new penalty schedules have yet
been inked for patrons, prostitutes and patrons alike may be governed under
existing articles 28 and 29 of the Social Order Maintenance Act, said Chen.
According to Article 28, relevant factors for
determining sex-trade fines are the “motives behind the violation,” “purpose of
the violation,” “method of stimulation,” “risks of stimulation,” and the
violating party's “knowledge of the situation” and “post-violation attitude.”
According to Article 29, punishment may be
reduced or waived based on mitigating factors from Article 28.
Said Chen, the amendment's core mission is to
stem human trafficking, forced prostitution, and other sexual exploitation.
No sex-trade violations were reported Sunday,
said the Taipei City's Zhongshan and Wanhua Police District police districts,
the New Taipei City Police Bureau, both in northern Taiwan, and the Taichung
City Government Police Bureau in central Taiwan.
In its latest objection to the amendment, the
Collective of Sex Workers and Supporters (COSWAS) on Sunday accused central and
local governments of passing the buck on the establishment of legal red light
districts under terms of the new amendment.
The national and local governments are evading
responsibility for the decision on setting up red light districts, since
several local government chiefs such as Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin are reluctant
to have such districts in their constituencies, said the sex trade advocacy
group.
This reluctance is forcing sex workers to move
their business underground, which will pose a threat to their personal safety
and their working environment, COSWAS Executive Director Chung Chun-chu said.
In addition, clients will be deterred by the
fact that it is still an offense under the new law towards patronising the sex
trade, which in turn will deprive sex workers of their means of livelihood, she
said.
“The sex business is not like setting up a
nuclear power plant,” she said.
Chung said the sex trade has long existed in
Taiwan and that local governments should first seek to understand the
relationship between the sex industry and the neighboring communities before
saying no to red light districts.
She also blasted licensed pubs and massage
parlors that she said secretly offer illegal sex services.
There are over 100 such establishments and
more than 5,000 women providing sex services within those establishments, Chung
said. Most of those businesses have the support of corrupt politicians and
media outlets, and the new law only exploits the rights of those sex workers
who do not have powerful people behind them, she charged.
The group called for counties and
municipalities to pragmatically deal with the issues and policies pertaining to
the sex industry and address the rights of sex workers.
News Desk
The China Post
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