The Chiayi City Council passed a motion to assess the possibility of establishing a regulated red-light district in the city. Chiayi Mayor Huang Min-hui (黃敏惠) said that the city government would examine the legality and feasibility of the proposal, but the most important thing is to consult the public.
In 2011, the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法) was amended to allow local governments to set up regulated red-light districts, yet no city mayor or county commissioner has done so. Establishing a red-light district is a sensitive issue, and no officials would want to go against existing social conventions. It is difficult to persuade the public to accept such an arrangement.
Undeniably, the majority of Taiwanese are bound by conventional norms of morality and customs, considering “sex” to be impure and regarding the sex industry with contempt. However, the truth is that the sex industry has existed for a long time in society. Indeed, it never went away.
Sex workers exist in every corner of the globe and have done so for some time. For one thing, people have sexual needs; for another, the sex industry does not disappear with economic growth. No matter how affluent a society is, there are women who live in poverty who face adverse circumstances, perhaps due to unforeseen changes to their lives, and need to take care of their families. To survive, they become sex workers.
Moreover, those who are unmarried, divorced or widowed have sexual needs, so too do the disabled and migrant workers. In this sense, there is a demand in place for such work. The problem is how the public considers this social issue.
In Europe, red-light districts have been established in cities including Germany’s Hamburg and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Both areas have become popular sightseeing spots. These districts are regulated by the government, and so people’s sexual needs are met and sex workers are protected. With official governance, criminal rings do not have a chance to control and exploit sex workers, whose income and safety is therefore ensured.
Moreover, sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS are more effectively managed. It is a triple-win situation for sex workers, clients and the government.
In Taiwan, the issue of establishing regulated red-light districts has been discussed for years. However, even though the Social Order Maintenance Act was revised to legalize it, no red-light district has yet been set up. One of the main reasons is that in Taiwan, officials are afraid of contravening social conventions and affecting children’s upbringing.
The truth is that in Taiwan, everyone knows where a “red-light” area is while pretending there is no such a thing. Everyone behaves as if there were no sex industry in Taiwan. In the cities, it exists in the form of a high-end hotel, guesthouse or club, and in rural areas, it is there, disguised as a restaurant or snack bar. These places are different in appearance and classified differently, but they all provide entertainment and sexual services.
Rather than hiding the issue and avoiding discussion, we should acknowledge it and deal with it. The sex industry should be institutionalized, legalized and brought to light. The most significant problem now is to change the public’s perceptions of the sex industry, which should not be discriminated against. The public’s needs should not be ignored either. The public should understand sex workers’ reasons for engaging in the industry.
The issue of setting up red-light districts must be discussed and considered in a rational and constructive manner.
Shiao Fu-song is a lecturer at National Taitung University.
Translated by Emma Liu
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