The world's oldest profession will be outlawed throughout all of Taipei City in late March after 40 years of licensed prostitution comes to an end.
The city government plans to stand by its 1997 decision to end legal prostitution in Taipei.
In addition, the city's NT$7,750 monthly allowance paid to licensed prostitutes who are trying to change careers will also end in March.
According to a recent survey, 128 women are registered as prostitutes, but only about 50 have remained in the profession.
Most of the sex workers are middle-aged and do not have any professional skills necessary to change careers, according to local media.
They have also seen their business dwindle in recent years due to competition from younger, illegal prostitutes. Also, an increasing number of men are turning to Internet chatrooms to find one-night stands.
The KMT government legalized prostitution in 1959 with the enactment of the "Taiwan Provincial Prostitution Management Measures" (
The measures stipulated that proprietors and sex workers at legal brothels were entitled to 30 percent and 70 percent, respectively, of client fees. In addition, sex workers were required to have a physical check-up every two weeks.
In 1995, then-Taipei mayor Chen Shui-bian (
The city announced and carried out a ban on prostitution in September 1997, prompting 128 licensed sex workers to take to the streets in protest.
The 17-month battle came to an end in January 1999, when the city council bowed to pressure and granted a two-year grace period before implementing the ban.
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