Beginning two years ago, Germany's Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth proposed legislation to raise the legal status of prostitutes. Although prostitution in Germany has already been legalized, it is still considered to be a profession that violates "public order and good customs."Prostitutes are required to pay taxes but have effectively been excluded from the social welfare system.
Along with the passage of time and changing values, however, support for the large-scale liberalization of prostitution has gradually increased. One survey revealed that 7 in 10 Germans supported the reform measures proposed by the ministry. In fact, according to official statistics, one in four German men has visited a brothel. Last year Berlin's courts made the landmark ruling that prostitution did not violate "public order and good customs." In the words of the chief justice, "Prostitution has already become part of the collective lifestyle of German society."
We don't necessarily have to follow suit with a large-scale liberalization of prostitution. Still, politicians who regard prostitution as the "scourge of the nation" should consider this: does Taiwan possess the kind of "public order and good customs" that surpasses that of the Europeans?
If not, then what significance is there in revoking the status of licensed prostitutes who have been legal for such a long time? The two-year grace period has already expired, putting 45 licensed prostitutes out of business. Legally the issue appears to be cut-and-dry, but unfortunately no one believes that the burgeoning sex trade and "assisted relationships"
Huang Jui-ming is an assistant professor at the Institute of Labor Studies, National Chung Cheng University.
Translated by Scudder Smith
RSS