Vietnam cracks down on sex trade
Few have taken Vietnam's previous pledges to
eradicate prostitution seriously, but new
legislation could result in state employees caught
with their pants down finding themselves in an
unfamiliar and embarrassing position.
Under the new decree that came into force on
July 1, the names of all civil servants, military and
police personnel found to have frequented the
services of a lady of the night will be passed on
to their superiors for punishment.
In a country with 1.3 million state employees,
civil servants account for 60 percent of
prostitutes' customers, according to official
figures.
"It is the first official decree on this matter and it
is aimed at people who pay for sexual services
and work in the public sector," said Vu Ngoc
Thuy of the National Committee for the Progress of Women.
Those caught in the uncompromising act will face fines of between US$15 and
US$250 and be barred from promotion for a given period. Repeat offenders
risk suspension.
Previously, state employees were fined a token amount of money and given a
"warning" in the name of "safeguarding cultural traditions and maintaining
social order."
In a forerunner of the new decree, authorities in the southern province of Can
Tho published in July last year in the state-controlled press a list of 20 state
employees who frequented houses of pleasure.
Last month's vote on the new legislation by the National Assembly, Vietnam's
parliament, triggered much debate, in particular on the disclosure of the names
of the culprits.
Perhaps aware that they themselves could fall foul of the law, deputies also
discussed the dilemma of combating this "social evil" while protecting the
dignity of state employees and the state of their marital relations.
After lengthy discussions, they eventually agreed that the names of offenders
should not be passed on to their families, only to their bosses.
In line with the communist tradition of pinning dates and statistics on
everything, the government has earmarked 2005 as the target date by which
the phenomenon of state employees engaging the services of prostitutes will be
brought under control.
But their objective is likely to be difficult to achieve given that prostitution is a
long-established part of the culture in Vietnam.
Hair salons, karaoke bars and massage parlors offering "additional services"
are abundant in the political capital Hanoi, as they are in other cities across the
country.
State employees often celebrate national festivals and success at work with an
evening out on the town, which usually involves copious quantities of alcohol, a
slap-up feast and an evening in a karaoke bar followed by further "after hours"
entertainment.
"The purchase of the sexual services by public sector employees is rather
widespread," said Nguyen Thi Hue from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and
Social Affairs, who is leading the anti-prostitution drive.
"It will prove very difficult to know the names, addresses and the exact places
of work of the civil servants affected by these sanctions because they will
provide false information or say they have forgotten their papers."
Hue also admitted that the annual budget of US$1.5 million for implementing
the legislation was "very insufficient."
Nguyen Ngoc Lan, manager of a Hanoi mini-hotel -- the favored place for
illicit bedroom entertainment -- is sceptical that the decree will curtail the trade.
"The benefits brought by the sex industry are too important," she said. "What's
more you cannot settle personal matters with administrative measures."
Agence France Presse - July 14, 2003.
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