The Collective of Sex Workers and Supporters (COSWAS) yesterday lashed out at both the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), accusing them of reluctance to propose a real solution for sex workers as a clause in the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法) that penalizes sex workers is due to expire.
Declared unconstitutional by the Council of Grand Justices three years ago, a clause in the Social Order Maintenance Act that penalizes sex workers, but not their clients, will expire on Sunday.
The Cabinet has proposed amendments to the law to authorize local governments to create red-light districts where the sex trade is allowed, while it would remain banned outside those areas.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
DPP Legislator Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) also proposed amendments to penalize only the client, not the sex worker.
KMT Legislator Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) has also proposed her own law revision to totally decriminalize the sex trade. However, her proposal has not received much support from colleagues.
“The KMT said that it supports allowing the sex trade to a certain extent with appropriate management, and that’s why the Cabinet has proposed the ‘red-light district’ plan,” COSWAS executive director Chung Chun-chu (鍾君竺) told a press conference held in front of the Legislative Yuan.
“But there’s neither ‘allowing the trade to a certain extent’ nor ‘appropriate management’ in the Cabinet plan — which is supported by most KMT lawmakers — because no local government is willing to -designate red-light districts, and thus it’s a de facto complete ban on the sex trade,” Chung said.
Responding to Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah’s (江宜樺) earlier remarks that the designation of red-light districts “could be discussed later after the law revision is passed,” Chung said: “Well, ‘discussing it later’ doesn’t mean anything for sex workers, because waiting for one more day means that they are not able to work and make a living for an extra day.”
Although DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and the DPP caucus have criticized the Cabinet proposal, saying it would not work regardless of whether the law penalizes the prostitute or the client, or allows red-light districts, Chung said that the DPP has also failed to propose any concrete solutions.
“Both parties try to pretend that they’re open-minded and progressive, but what they do is different from what they say,” Chung said.
Although it supported complete decriminalization of the sex industry, Chung said that the COSWAS would be willing to compromise on the red-light district proposal “if a clause is added to the red-light -district deal that local governments should designate red-light districts within six months after the amendment is passed or the sex trade should remain completely legal within cities or counties where the local government fails to do so.”
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS