Taiwan plans to decriminalise sex trade
From:
AFP October 14, 2010 3:36PM
TAIWAN'S government said today it plans to decriminalise the sex trade by allowing prostitutes to open small-scale businesses.
The authorities have been mulling various measures, including the creation of special sex zones, to regulate the trade amid criticism of the existing law, which punishes only sex workers but lets their customers off the hook.
The law is due to expire in late 2011, and the interior ministry has proposed new rules allowing small brothels operated by individuals or by groups of three to five sex workers.
However, the ministry has ruled out setting up red-light districts or allowing larger companies due to opposition from experts concerned that it would turn the sex trade into a regular industry, it said in a statement.
The ministry said it will submit the proposal to the cabinet's human rights committee for approval by the end of this year after collecting more feedback from the public.
A poll released by the ministry in February found that the majority of Taiwanese were in favour of creating special sex zones.
Under existing laws, prostitutes face three days in jail or a fine of up to 30,000 Taiwan dollars (950 US dollars) if they are caught providing sexual services. Their clients go unpunished.
While there is no official figure for the scale of Taiwan's sex industry, observers estimate it involves hundreds of thousands of people and generates annual revenues of up to 60 billion Taiwan dollars.
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http://www.news.com.au/breaking- ... rfkui-1225938756662