Results tagged “sexworkers”

Back when we first heard the story of ladies-of-the-night feeding drugged candy to expat men in order to steal their things, we squealed in schadenfreudetastic glee. Little did we know that there was an even more salacious twist yet to come: The ladies were actually men!

Recently, after pressure from sex workers for protection rights, the government in Taiwan has taken steps toward legalizing prostitution. In six months' time, sex workers in Taiwan will no longer be prosecuted for their trade, and a red-light district may be set up in the capital, Taipei. While it is obviously controversial, we thought we would take a look at the debate for decriminalized prostitution, and what legislation in our neighbor across the strait might mean for us mainlanders.

This goes down as one of the best pieces of news we heard all day: China is going to continue its more progressive bent towards AIDS/HIV awareness and has started a bunch of educational campaigns to inform higher risk groups - including sex workers, who don't have any legal standing in the country despite their prevalence.

• Obama accepts invitations to visit China, Russia [AP] "President Barack Obama has accepted an invitation to visit China later this year. The White House said Wednesday that Obama has accepted an invitation from President Hu Jintao. Obama and Hu met in London ahead of the G20 economic summit."
• Chinese Inmates at Guantánamo Pose a Dilemma [NYTimes] "Mr. Hassan, an intense former college professor, is among some 300 exiles from western China’s Uighur Muslim minority who live peacefully in the Washington area, where the American government has supported their pro-democracy efforts. But while the United States is hosting Mr. Hassan and the others, it has been imprisoning 17 of their countrymen in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba."
• SARFT Tightens Grip on Online Videos [JLM Pacific Epoch] "The State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) issued new regulations for audio-visual content broadcast online and via mobile Internet on March 30. Under the new rules, all films, TV series, cartoons and documentaries transmitted through Internet media must first obtain offline broadcasting licenses."

In lieu of Women's Day, China Crossroads is highlighting women's issues in China including: women in the workplace, migrant women, reproductive health and sex workers.