TWO articles http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=985653&lang=eng_newsProstitution to be decriminalized: official Central News Agency2009-06-24 10:38 PM Taipei, June 24 (CNA)
The government has tentatively decided todecriminalize prostitution in response to sex workers' appeals for betterprotection of their human rights, a senior official said Wednesday. Jiang Yi-huah, minister of the Research, Development and EvaluationCommission, made the remarks after a meeting of the Executive Yuan's specialtask force on human rights. The discussion in the meeting focused on the progress on domesticimplementation of two United Nations-sponsored human rights treaties -- theInternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the InternationalCovenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Jiang said. When President Ma Ying-jeou promulgated the two covenants May 14, hepromised to bring all relevant domestic laws and statutes in line with thestandards set forth in the two international treaties, within two years.
During Wednesday's meeting, Premier Liu was quoted as having said that thecurrent regulations that criminalize prostitution and punish prostitutesshould be amended in line with the principle of "exempting prostitutes fromany penalties." "As to whether a special district should be demarcated forthe sex trade, the premier said it would be up to the local governments,"Jiang told a post-meeting news conference. Instead of putting the issue to a referendum, Jiang said, city/countycouncils and governments should decide on their own whether a special zoneshould be designated for sex trade in their administrative areas.
At the meeting, the premier also directed the Ministry of the Interior comeup with a draft package of regulations on the management of sex workers andother ancillary matters within six months to pave the way for thedecriminalization of prostitution. Once the Interior Ministry completes those preparatory steps, Liu said, workshould get started on amending the current statute that holds prostitutesliable to penalties.
Before the existing regulations are scrapped, the Executive Yuan will askthe Judicial Yuan to suggest that local courts fine prostitutes instead ofdetaining them, the premier said. Liu also ordered the Interior Ministry not to include arrests forprostitution in the criteria for evaluating the performance of policeofficers. "This will help to ensure that the police only arrest prostitutes under'unavoidable circumstances,'" Jiang explained. (By Sofia Wu)________________________________
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2009/06/25/2003447087Government moves to decriminalize sex transactions By Shih Hsiu-chuanSTAFF REPORTERThursday, Jun 25, 2009, Page 1
The government has decided to decriminalize prostitution but will leave thedecision to set up red light districts to local governments, an officialsaid yesterday. The Executive Yuan's Human Rights Protection and Promotion Committee hasdecided to abolish Article 80 of the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), the regulation governing sexual transactions that stipulatesdetention or the fining of sex workers, Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺), minister ofthe Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC), told a pressconference after a committee meeting. Under the article, sex workers can be detained for a maximum of three days,fined up to NT$30,000 or sent to a correctional institution for a period ofbetween six and 12 months, while customers are not subject to anypunishment. “Two years ago, several members of the committee raised the issue ofinequality against sex workers, prompting the government to address theproblem,” Jiang said.
At the meeting, the Ministry of the Interior and the RDEC supported thedecriminalization of consensual sex between adults, based on academicresearch on the issue and conclusions drawn from public consultations, Jiangsaid. He said that Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) had asked the ministry topropose a draft bill to manage the sex trade and sex workers within sixmonths, saying that the abrogation of Article 80 of the Social OrderMaintenance Act would only take effect when new regulations are in place.
During the transition period between now and the decriminalization of thesex trade, the government will adopt temporary measures to reduce thepossibility of sex workers being punished, he said. One of the measures will be that police officers will no longer be able toreceive bonus points on their performance evaluation for arresting violatorsof Article 80, he said. In response to the ministry's suggestion that red light districts should beestablished to better manage the sex trade, Liu was quoted by Executive YuanSpokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) as saying that he would leave the decision tolocal governments.
Liu said that red light districts could be established in a county or cityas long as the local government obtained approval from the local council. Whether prostitution would be allowed if it takes place outside a red lightdistrict would depend on the provisions of a new management act, Jiang said. Also included on the agenda of yesterday's meeting was the government'sposition on the amendment to the Assembly and Parade Law (集會遊行法), whichfailed to clear the legislature in the just-concluded session because ofseveral controversial articles branded as regressive by activists.
The amendment stipulates that organizers must register their activities inadvance instead of obtaining permission from police beforehand as stipulatedin the current law. Activists criticized the proposal as being too strict. Jiang quoted Liu as saying that small-scale protests should be exempted fromthe registration system.
The government has tentatively decided todecriminalize prostitution in response to sex workers' appeals for betterprotection of their human rights, a senior official said Wednesday. Jiang Yi-huah, minister of the Research, Development and EvaluationCommission, made the remarks after a meeting of the Executive Yuan's specialtask force on human rights. The discussion in the meeting focused on the progress on domesticimplementation of two United Nations-sponsored human rights treaties -- theInternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the InternationalCovenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Jiang said. When President Ma Ying-jeou promulgated the two covenants May 14, hepromised to bring all relevant domestic laws and statutes in line with thestandards set forth in the two international treaties, within two years.
During Wednesday's meeting, Premier Liu was quoted as having said that thecurrent regulations that criminalize prostitution and punish prostitutesshould be amended in line with the principle of "exempting prostitutes fromany penalties." "As to whether a special district should be demarcated forthe sex trade, the premier said it would be up to the local governments,"Jiang told a post-meeting news conference. Instead of putting the issue to a referendum, Jiang said, city/countycouncils and governments should decide on their own whether a special zoneshould be designated for sex trade in their administrative areas.
At the meeting, the premier also directed the Ministry of the Interior comeup with a draft package of regulations on the management of sex workers andother ancillary matters within six months to pave the way for thedecriminalization of prostitution. Once the Interior Ministry completes those preparatory steps, Liu said, workshould get started on amending the current statute that holds prostitutesliable to penalties.
Before the existing regulations are scrapped, the Executive Yuan will askthe Judicial Yuan to suggest that local courts fine prostitutes instead ofdetaining them, the premier said. Liu also ordered the Interior Ministry not to include arrests forprostitution in the criteria for evaluating the performance of policeofficers. "This will help to ensure that the police only arrest prostitutes under'unavoidable circumstances,'" Jiang explained. (By Sofia Wu)________________________________
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2009/06/25/2003447087Government moves to decriminalize sex transactions By Shih Hsiu-chuanSTAFF REPORTERThursday, Jun 25, 2009, Page 1
The government has decided to decriminalize prostitution but will leave thedecision to set up red light districts to local governments, an officialsaid yesterday. The Executive Yuan's Human Rights Protection and Promotion Committee hasdecided to abolish Article 80 of the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), the regulation governing sexual transactions that stipulatesdetention or the fining of sex workers, Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺), minister ofthe Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC), told a pressconference after a committee meeting. Under the article, sex workers can be detained for a maximum of three days,fined up to NT$30,000 or sent to a correctional institution for a period ofbetween six and 12 months, while customers are not subject to anypunishment. “Two years ago, several members of the committee raised the issue ofinequality against sex workers, prompting the government to address theproblem,” Jiang said.
At the meeting, the Ministry of the Interior and the RDEC supported thedecriminalization of consensual sex between adults, based on academicresearch on the issue and conclusions drawn from public consultations, Jiangsaid. He said that Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) had asked the ministry topropose a draft bill to manage the sex trade and sex workers within sixmonths, saying that the abrogation of Article 80 of the Social OrderMaintenance Act would only take effect when new regulations are in place.
During the transition period between now and the decriminalization of thesex trade, the government will adopt temporary measures to reduce thepossibility of sex workers being punished, he said. One of the measures will be that police officers will no longer be able toreceive bonus points on their performance evaluation for arresting violatorsof Article 80, he said. In response to the ministry's suggestion that red light districts should beestablished to better manage the sex trade, Liu was quoted by Executive YuanSpokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) as saying that he would leave the decision tolocal governments.
Liu said that red light districts could be established in a county or cityas long as the local government obtained approval from the local council. Whether prostitution would be allowed if it takes place outside a red lightdistrict would depend on the provisions of a new management act, Jiang said. Also included on the agenda of yesterday's meeting was the government'sposition on the amendment to the Assembly and Parade Law (集會遊行法), whichfailed to clear the legislature in the just-concluded session because ofseveral controversial articles branded as regressive by activists.
The amendment stipulates that organizers must register their activities inadvance instead of obtaining permission from police beforehand as stipulatedin the current law. Activists criticized the proposal as being too strict. Jiang quoted Liu as saying that small-scale protests should be exempted fromthe registration system.
