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Taiwan - Joint Statement Against Legalization of Prostitution
Taipei, Taiwan, November 25, 2009
Garden of Hope
Foundation,
Taiwan
Taiwan Anti-Sexual Exploitation Alliance, Taiwan
Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation, Taiwan
ECPAT-Taiwan, Taiwan
Taiwan Women’s Link, Taiwan
Asian Women Coalition Ending Prostitution, Canada
Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres, Canada
Coalition against Trafficking in Women, USA
Equality Now, UK
Pyeong-Taek Sexual Violence
Relief Center, Korea
Sexual Assault Support Center
of Ottawa, Canada
Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter, Canada
Taiwan Should Stop Legalization
of Prostitution
On November 25th, the 10th International Day for
the Elimination of Violence against Women, Garden
of Hope Foundation in Taiwan and Taiwan Anti-Sexual Exploitation
Alliance together with local and international allies around the world express
our deep concern regarding the recent proposal to legalize prostitution, a form
of violence against women, by the government of Taiwan. Five international and
national women’s organizations from Canada,
Korea, UK and US will speak in full support of
Taiwanese women’s opposition to legalization of prostitution in Taiwan in the November 25th press
conference in Taipei, Taiwan.
In 2009, the Taiwan
court has ruled that the existent regulation on punishing prostituted women is
against the principle of equality and should become ineffective in two years.
While welcoming the decriminalization of prostituted women, the impact of this
ruling has misled the Taiwan government toward the establishment of the sex
trade district and legalization of sex industry that are completely against
women’s human rights. We believe that the Taiwan government has made a
critical error by failing to recognize the highly unequal relationship that
exists between men and women within prostitution.
We strongly urge the Taiwan
government not to legalize prostitution for prostitution is violence against
women. Changing the name of violence will not change the fact that men are
enacting violence on women.
Designating red-light districts where men can do legalized violence to women
will not cover the fact that the government allows for legal violation against
women’s basic human rights. In fact, legalization will allow men's
commodification of women, and develops government's dependency on revenue
generated by this practice. The Taiwan government will become known
internationally as a country supplying women to other countries with sex
industries and as a sex tourism destination. Many countries that had
experimented with sex industry have now realized that it is a total failure:
sex industry does not decrease sexual violence against women, but turns your
country into the destination of international sex tourism and trafficked women.
The majority of women entered prostitution because of poverty. We
strongly urge the Taiwan
government to recognize the STATE REPONSIBILITIES to address exploitation of
poor women and girls in prostitution and to enact progressive social, economic
and political policies that benefit poor women and advance women’s equality.
This brave step is recognized by many countries around the globe including Sweden, Norway
and Iceland.
Taiwan is really at the critical point in
promoting the rights of women and girls. We strongly urge the Taiwan government not to legalize
prostitution at any circumstances and should take following actions to protect
women against sexual exploitation:
1.
Stop
legalizing ‘sex industry’; prostitution is a form of violence against women,
not a job.
2.
Decriminalize
prostituted women who often enter sex trade out of desperate poverty; however
prostitution should not be recognized as a ‘job’ or an ‘industry’. By doing so,
it only denigrates women's value within the labor force as being primarily
sexual.
3.
Initiate
social, economic and political policies that benefit poor women and advance
women’s equality. Prostitution should not become the only choice for women in poverty.
4.
Purchasers
and third parties who profit from sex trade should be criminalized. The
government should strictly prohibit any information and acts related to
recruiting women into prostitution.
Contact: Regina Lin, Garden of Hope Foundation
E. goh615@goh.org.tw | T.
+886-2-2362-6995*213 | F. +886-2-2367-3002
Regina Yuching Lin
International
Affairs Specialist
The Garden of Hope Foundation
Empower Women & Girls, Empower the World
T +886-2-2362-6995 ext. 213 | F +886-2-2367-3002
E goh615@goh.org.tw | W
www.goh.org.tw
7F, 75, Sec. 2,
Roosevelt Rd. Taipei, Taiwan
10646
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