New law to penalise clients of prostitutes HANOI - Vietnam is to introduce a new law aimed at curbing the country's booming sex industry by imposing tough and embarrassing penalties on the clients of prostitutes. Nguyen Thi Hue, director of the Anti-Social Evils Department, admitted that a six year campaign to curb the industry had failed and that a new strategy was now required. "Most regulations related to prostitution are scattered through criminal and other laws," she told the Phu Nu Viet Nam newspaper. "Most of those stop at simply a monetary penalty which is why our campaign has not been successful. "The new law more clearly defines prostitution . . . [and] associated offences like brokering prostitution and trafficking in women. It will also have stronger provisions to deal with the clients of prostitutes." Ms Hue said if a client was a government official - 70 per cent of men visiting brothels are officials or Communist Party members - he would be fined, publicly denounced and dismissed. Prostitution has flourished in Vietnam with the prosperity resulting from nearly 15 years of transition to a market economy. A survey by the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs found that 40 per cent of Hanoi's hotels, hairdressers and karaoke bars doubled as fronts for the industry. The new law, likely to be passed at the next session of the National Assembly, will also strengthen legal provisions for the detention and "re-education" of women found guilty of prostitution. But the Anti-Social Evils Department has admitted that recidivism is very high because about 50 per cent of women participate in the industry voluntarily. The proposed legislation will also give local authorities more responsibility in policing the sex industry. "In the past, the fight against prostitution has been the responsibility of a [centralised] department. Under the new law, people's committees at all levels will be assigned the right to manage their own campaign," Ms Hue said. By Huw Watkin - South China Morning Post - April 10, 2000.