It is truly unthinkable that a sex guide published in Japanese, entitled Paradise in Taiwan (
The crackdown on the sex industry in Taiwan is a matter of political correctness. After this latest tempest in a teacup broke out, Kaohsiung City Mayor Frank Hsieh (
Ma and Taipei citizens took great offense at the book. But is the sex trade really the scourge of the nation?
Last October, the German parliament passed laws raising the status of prostitutes. Despite having been legal, the flesh trade in Germany is still considered a profession that violates public order and good customs. Sex workers, though required to pay taxes, had effectively been excluded from the social-welfare system. Under the new laws, prostitutes will be no different from other workers and will recieve both health and unemployment insurance. Statistics show that one-quarter of German men have paid for sexual services and the nation's prostitutes may number as many as 400,000.
It is widely known that the Netherlands is a haven for the sex industry. Scantily-clad "shop-window girls" advertise their charms in red light districts in Amsterdam and other cities. Countless prostitutes work in brothels scattered in residential areas and in escort businesses advertised in front of five-star hotels. The government's response to all this, apart from prohibiting exploitation from middlemen and child prostitution, has been to adopt a laissez-faire policy.
In the 17th century, prostitutes caught by the Dutch authorities would have an ear cut off. Nowadays the practical Dutch people know it is better to open up prostitution, since there is no way to prevent it. They admit that sex is one of humanity's basic desires and that sex workers can meet people's physiological needs.
The police in Amsterdam issue an English brochure for foreign visitors. In addition to the locations of red light districts, the guide's content advises visitors to open their eyes wide when they are "hunting" because shop-window girls "are not always women" -- some may be transvestites, transsexuals or hermaphrodites.
I don't believe that any of this is news to Ma, who is well-versed in the ways of the world. When, as Taipei City Mayor, Chen Shui-bian (
Not all Taipei citizens, in reality, are hypocrites who say they hate sex. According to a report released in December called Taipei Citizens' Understanding and Attitudes on the Sex Trade, 80 percent of Taipei citizens favored regulating the city's sex industry and confining it to selected areas.
Ma made himself a Sisyphus when he proudly said, "[The city government] will drive the sex trade out of Taipei City within a month." When a stone has been rolled to the top of a slope, it just rolls down again. The sex industry cannot be wiped out. Instead of endlessly rolling the stone, perhaps Ma should come up with another set of policies to regulate the industry.
Huang Jui-ming is an assistant professor at the Institute of Labor Studies at National Chung Cheng University.
Translated by Jackie Lin
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