Social workers from the Collective of Sex Workers and Supporters (COSWAS) gathered yesterday to recount the story of the Hua-hsi Street prostitutes who were banned from selling sex 8 years ago.
In August 1997, former Taipei mayor Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) put a ban on licensing prostitutes, saying that prostitution was often linked to violence and gangsters.
After granting a two-year grace-period for these "sex workers" until 2001, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) confirmed that legalized prostitution in Taipei was to be abolished.
The sex workers were forced to stop plying their trade at the time, causing grave unemployment problems as they were faced with the decision of turning to illegal underground prostitution or seeking a new career path altogether, Chung Chun-chu (鍾君竺), executive director of COSWAS, said.
Chung said the government had originally promised the sex workers career counseling to ease the transition process. However, such counseling plans were not even discussed until after prostitution was abolished, placing the sex workers in a difficult position with no jobs, no skills and no money, she said.
"They had no ability to do anything else and nowhere to go back to," she added.
A documentary made by Tsai Yen-shan (蔡晏珊), a volunteer at COSWAS, depicting former sex worker Pai Lan's (白蘭) life after the abolishment, was shown yesterday at the conference.
Raised in a family of six children, Pai had to work from a very young age, having only graduated from elementary school.
At the age of thirteen, her father was badly hurt in a truck accident and the family was laden with burdensome medical bills. The family borrowed money from a restaurant owner, "selling" Pai Lan in the contract. Pai Lan sold sex until the abolishment of prostitution, and was then forced to start a new job in order to survive. She decided to try her luck with a betel nut stand.
Having no management training or sales training, Pai Lan's betel nut stand shut down after ten months.
"She quickly discovered that knowing how to `wrap' betel nuts isn't enough to actually run a stand," Chung said.
Pai Lan also tried working in factories and at other betel nut stands but the owners could not accept the fact that she was slow and unskilled.
"If the government had provided counseling and taught her new skills, then this wouldn't have happened," Chung said.
Chung said there was no reason for the government to take away Pai Lan's job.
"There was nothing else she was good at, and with no skills, there were no other job opportunities for her," she said.
Chung said that COSWAS has continuously helped these unemployed sex workers retain their rights, and hopes that the government can legalize the sex industry once more.
"The government and society should not hold a negative attitude toward prostitution," she said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS