Vietnam to punish clients of prostitutes
HANOI - People caught buying sex would be identified to their employers
or
local governments and could face higher fines under a new
anti-prostitution
decree expected to be issued later this month, an official said Friday.
Under current regulations, prostitutes' clients are only required to pay
administrative fines of up to 500,000 dong (dlrs 33) while prostitutes
themselves can be sent to rehabilitation centers for up to a year.
The proposed new anti-prostitution decree was submitted by the
government to
the National Assembly in July. The assembly's Standing Committee will
meet
later this month to issue it, an official of the government's
Anti-Social
Vices Department said.
The decree would empower authorities to inform the local government of a
person caught patronizing a prostitute, and in the case of a civil
servant,
inform his supervisor, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The new decree doesn't specify the amount of the fine — which will be
determined by a separate decree that specifies fines for various
offenses,
the official said.
A survey conducted in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's southern
commercial center, in 1997 showed that 70 percent to 80 percent of the
customers of bars and karaoke parlors suspected of offering prostitution
were civil servants.
The official said the new decree has been revised several times.
There has been debate within the government over whether to publicize
the
names of civil servants who patronize prostitutes and whether their
families
should be informed, amid concern it could break up families, he said.
The government plans another survey later this year on the number of
civil
servants abusing drugs and patronizing prostitutes, the official said.
According to official estimates, there are 37,000 prostitutes in
Vietnam,
which has a population of 79 million. The actual figure is probably much
higher.
The Associated Press - September 6, 2002
State officials in Vietnam to be punished if caught with pants down
HANOI - Government officials in Vietnam have drafted a bill to punish all
state officials, including members of the military and police force,
caught having sex with prostitutes, state media said Friday.
In a bid to curb the Southeast Asian nation's rampant sex trade, the
bill, drawn up by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs,
proposes levying fines on all state employees found to have used
prostitutes.
Their superiors will also be informed of the offence which will be
marked down on their service record and will impinge on any future
promotions, the Thanh Nien (Young People) daily reported. The draft
legislation, aimed at strengthening the existing prohibitions on
visiting prostitutes, also allows for individuals caught with their
pants down to be brought before a disciplinary panel.
Before it comes into effect, the bill has to be approved by the
National Assembly -- communist Vietnam's rubber stamp parliament. This
could happen when it convenes for the second of its biannual sessions
in November.
Although technically illegal, prostitution is rife in Vietnam. Many
karaoke bars, barber shops and massage parlours are fronts for
brothels and are able to ply their trade after paying off local
officials and police.
In July, authorities said there were 36,963 women working the streets
and brothels.
However, the real number of sex workers in Vietnam is believed to be
far higher, with some estimates saying as many as 300,000 work
full-time or occasionally in the world's oldest profession.
The World Health Organization has warned that the country's large sex
and hospitality industry and widespread ignorance over the use of
condoms is one of the primary causes of Vietnam's climbing rate of HIV
infection.
The government says more than 51,500 people are HIV positive but the
real figure is thought to be at least 200,000 because of the limited
scope of testing and a reluctance by the government to admit the full
extent of the impact of the global pandemic.
Agence France Presse - September 6, 2002
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