Taipei, Oct. 15 (CNA) Women's rights activists accused the government Friday of having failed to make its position clear with regard to its sex industry policy and of making rushed decisions without public consensus.
"We're not sure about the government's position on the sex industry -- does it have an open attitude on adult sex transactions or does it intend to prohibit such activities? " asked Tsai Wan-fen, secretary-general of Taiwan Women's Link, at a press conference organized by the Anti-Sexual Exploitation Alliance, a league of more than a dozen human rights non-government organizations (NGOs).
The alliance voiced its opinion two days after Interior Minister Jiang Yi-huah said his ministry will not approve the establishment of red-light zones anywhere in the country and agreed that adult sex transactions should be decriminalized.
The Ministry of Interior (MOI) will start formulating its final policy and submit its recommendations to the Executive Yuan before the end of the year, Jiang was quoted as saying.
Tsai said the alliance is firmly opposed to the legalization of adult sex transactions, adding that the government should crack down on the sex industry and penalize those caught running prostitution rings.
The MOI "acted on its own discretion, " with only four public hearings held on the controversial issue. The majority of the six scholars who spoke at those hearings appear to favor the legalization of prostitution, Tsai said.
According to a public opinion survey conducted by the MOI last year, 83 percent of the respondents said they favored the establishment of red-light zones and over 90 percent of the respondents said they disagreed with the legalization of adult sex transactions in private homes, said Cheng Kai-jung, secretary-general of the Taipei Association for the Promotion of Women's Rights.
The results of the survey show that there is no public consensus on the controversial issue and that more dialogue is needed before finalizing the national policy, Cheng added.
Legalization of the sex trade could lead to serious threats to social order and human trafficking due to the potential involvement of organized crime, said Justine Wang of the Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation.
Until a final consensus is reached, Wang said, the government should not set a timetable for the issue. If it does decide to legalize prostitution, she went on, it should also consider levying "a social tax on whoremasters, " since their behavior brings extra costs and threats to society. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J