Don’t legalize prostitution
Proponents of legalizing the sex trade say that doing so secures safety for women. Yet these voices aren’t talking about true safety — they’re talking about harm reduction. Instead of being raped eight, nine times a month, maybe a woman will be raped two or three times a month. Instead of being assaulted 20 times a month, maybe she’ll be assaulted two or three times. Instead of 100 murders a month related to the sex industry, maybe there will be 10. This is harm reduction, not harm elimination, which would require abolishing prostitution. Legalizing or decriminalizing prostitution does not control the sex industry, it expands it. Say NO to legalizing prostitution in Taiwan.
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women was the first US-based organization dedicated to fighting human trafficking internationally. Now in our 21st year and with more than 200 partners worldwide, we are today the world’s leading organization working to end human trafficking. We envision a world that is free of all commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. We are devoted to attaining full equality and rights for women and girls.
NORMA RAMOS
Executive director, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
Victor Malarek
Journalist
The Asian Women Coalition Ending Prostitution would like to urge the Taiwanese government not to legalize the sex trade and to recognize the violence inherent in this industry, as has been recognized by governments around the globe, UN conventions and numerous studies. We are a Canadian group based in Vancouver with links to women’s groups around the globe. Our membership includes women born in Canada and immigrants of Asian descent.
The latest constitutional interpretation by the Council of Grand Justices — which struck down a provision in the Criminal Code that penalizes sex workers, but not their customers — is a positive step. However, the grand justices made a critical error: They failed to recognize the highly unequal relationship that exists between men and women.
Prostitution is a form of violence against women, and changing the name of this violence will not change the fact that this violence is taking place. Designating areas such as red-light districts where customers can legally commit this violence against prostitutes will in no way advance the equality of women. On the contrary, this merely condones the commodification of women and leads to the government becoming dependent on the sex trade, for example through tax revenue.
Legalizing prostitution would, in fact, violate the grand justices’ ruling because it would make it easier for men to buy and sell women, thus reinforcing inequality. The majority of prostitutes are poor and from racial minorities. Poverty is the single overwhelming factor that pushes women into local and international sex industries.
Canada is today a destination country for trafficked women, particularly Asian women. One important condition for this is the expansion of sex industry. If Taiwan legalizes the sex trade, it will become known as a country that supplies women to other countries with sex industries.
Many countries have experimented, as the Taiwanese government proposes to do, with legalizing prostitution. Yet those countries are today declaring their experiments a failure: Expanding the sex industry only increased organized crime and trafficking of women.
On behalf of Asian women, we call on the Taiwanese government to help put an end to prostitution and advance the rights of women. As a first step, we recommend imposing legal penalties on patrons of the sex trade, pimps and traffickers of women and girls.
We would further like to voice our support for women’s groups in Taiwan, particularly the Garden of Hope Foundation, and urge Taiwan to take advantage of their expertise. These groups can play a leading role in improving the lives of women.
ALICE LEE
Asian Women Coalition Ending Prostitution
The Sexual Assault Support Center of Ottawa, Canada, shares the concerns of the Garden of Hope Foundation and the Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation concerning the proposed legalization of prostitution and sexual exploitation.
Legalizing the sex trade results in governments profiting off of women’s bodies and potentially forced labor in an industry that exploits them sexually. Furthermore, there are concerns about decriminalization and the message this sends to society about women’s bodies, about their status compared to men, and about their value within the labor force, which the sex industry views as primarily sexual. Any society that hopes to achieve equality of the genders should be cautious about what messages it sends through legislation.
Without trying to tell women what they should do or what work they should choose, we must recognize that the policies our governments and lawmakers pursue can have the effect of obstructing gender equality by perpetuating certain societal structures.
We urge the Taiwanese government to listen to local communities and political groups and to respect their expertise on matters of women’s rights and safety. Those women who are closest to the women of a community better understand the potential impact — whether intentional or unintentional — of this legislation.
The government should consult the Garden of Hope and the Taiwan Women’s Rescue Foundation about its proposal and any future legislation with repercussions for the rights of women.
ROYA GHAFARI
Program coordinator,
Sexual Assault Support Center of Ottawa
While the government has proposed legalizing the sex industry, many local women’s organizations have objected. The Pyeong-Taek Sexual Violence Relief Center, a South Korean human rights group, shares their concerns.
We believe that the sex trade is a form of violence and a violation of women’s rights. Legalizing the sex industry will only exacerbate these problems. Since Australia legalized prostitution, cases of sexual assault and violence against women have not decreased. On the contrary, Australia has become a destination for sex tourists.
We urge the Cabinet to reconsider the proposal to legalize the sex trade. Stop the legalization process now.
KIM JEONG-SUK
Director,
Pyeong-Taek Sexual
Violence Relief Center
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