About 47 percent of the public is in favor of establishing a special zone in Taipei City where prostitutes can practice their trade, a public survey revealed yesterday.
The results of the survey, revealed yesterday morning at a City Council hearing, will be sent to the city's Commission of Research, Development and Evaluation (研考會) as a reference for the city government's final decision on the future policy for prostitution.
The poll, administered by National Taipei University (
Opinions on the issue were almost evenly split, with 47 percent of those surveyed supporting the establishment of a special zone for prostitution and 44 percent opposed.
When asked to chose between Taipei's two former public brothel zones of Wanhua and Tatung districts as the better location for such a setup, about 41 percent chose Wanhua while 26 percent opted for Tatung.
Asked to choose among the city's 12 districts as the most suitable location for the scheme, about 24 percent of the people chose Wanhua, trailed by Peitou with nearly 10 percent, and Chungshanat about 7 percent. More than 40 percent of respondents said that they had no preference.
Most, however, preferred that brothels not be allowed in their own neighborhoods. About 64 percent of the people surveyed said "not in my backyard." Only 18 percent said that they could accept them nearby.
When asked whether it would be better to locate the district outside of Taipei City, over 50 percent of those polled said yes, while 37 percent said no.
The legality of prostitution became a topic of heated debate in 1995 when then-Taipei mayor Chen Shui-bian (
On Sept. 4, 1997, the city announced a ban on legal prostitution. The ban was officially carried out two days later, prompting 128 legal sex workers to take to the streets to stage what ended up being a 17-month battle over the issue.
The battle ended on Jan. 26, 1999, when Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Since March 28 of this year when the grace period ended, the city has been trying to reach a final decision on the future policy of prostitution.
A planned task force to study the city's sex industry has yet to be approved.
SOURCE: TT
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