Singapore's Designated Redlight Areas
Part One Squeaky Clean Sex
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A prominent news magazine once said that Singapore was a fine city, and then went on to explain that you could be fined for almost anything in Singapore.
Jaywalking can become a blot on your police record.
The mosquito patrol can enter your home without a warrant and check your flower pots for standing water, which constitutes an offence in the Lion City.
Not flushing a public toilet is an infraction punishable by a fine.
Urinating in an elevator would get your picture in the paper in the early 1990's (along with a fine of about S$800).
Even feeding the city's wild pigeons was illegal when I was there....
But in this squeekiest of squeaky clean cities, prostitution is legal -- and relatively well regulated. And if you're not careful you could walk right into a brothel in some of the city's shopping malls without even realizing what you were opening the dorr to...
Prostitution in Singapore is restricted to designated redlight areas (DRA's); some sources say there are five of these, others say six. But since they are all fairly close together, it's probably irrelevant. There are a total of about 400 brothels in the city with an estimated 10 to 20 prostitutes each. That's about 6000 prostitutes in the city...
Prostitutes carry a yellow health card in Singapore. They must report in "regularly" for health checks.
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And while prostitution and brothels are legal, solicitation is not. Even in the DRA's, there are no (legal) street walkers.
The sex industry in Singapore seems to be part of an official desire to make being "sensible" as controversial as possible. But for tourists who are not part of the Singapore mindset, the situation can become confusing. (And keep in mind that the government wants to be sensibly controversial to the International Community; the idea of citizens doing the same at home doesn't fly.) Organizations like Amnestry International and the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) see things in a different light than the government of Singapore. The official line is that, since prostitution is going to exist, regulating it is the only sensible course of action. CATW and similar groups take the position that legalization provides protection mostly to the individuals who run the brothels, and to some lesser degree to the men who frequent such places, but rarely to the actual prostitutes.
Many of Singapore's prostitutes are imported from Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Part Two The Designated Redlight Areas
Part Three The UN and the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
Sex industry assuming massive proportions in Southeast Asia
Sex as a sector: Economic incentives and hardships fuel growth
DECLARATION AND AGENDA FOR ACTION FROM THE WORLD CONGRESS AGAINST THE COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN, Stockholm, Sweden, 27-31 August, 1996
CONVENTION FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF THE TRAFFIC IN PERSONS AND OF THE EXPLOITATION OF THE PROSTITUTION OF OTHERS
End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism (ECPAT)
Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
LEGITIMATING PROSTITUTION AS SEX WORK: UN LABOR ORGANIZATION (ILO) CALLS FOR RECOGNITION OF THE SEX INDUSTRY
4 comments:
The evidence of legalised prostitution in Singapore is evidence of the government's recognition of the needs created as a result of the society they have engineered in Singapore.
The repressed and materialistic mindset of the average citizen means that lower educated, socially inept males will have much difficulty in finding a life partner. As such, they turn to paid sex to satisfy their needs, which is just as well for the government, since this surely reduces the number of violent crimes (especially sex crimes) being committed, and hence its legalisation. The Social Benefit outweighs the Social Cost.
The sex workers are predominantly foreigners, and there is no question they are being exploited, just like domestic helps (maids) and construction workers (banglas). But of course, I have never heard of a Singaporean who would care to champion such people's rights since its generally a 'every man for himself' attitude here. This is perfectly fine for the government as well since these foreign workers hardly have a voice of their own. And the foreign workers hardly have a choice as well since they risk 'a worse life back home'.
That said, prostitution has and always will be a vital part of a functioning social structure since ancient times (I'm sure everyone knows it is the world's first profession) and even in countries where prostitution is banned (such as the UK), the authorities have a 'close one eye' attitude towards soliciting.
RD
Here is a link to an old post on Singabloodypore...
http://singabloodypore.blogspot.com/2004/08/trafficking-in-persons-rep_109393446213305038.html
Thanks for the link.
I think the Singapore Press either dealt with this issue cursorily or completely 'overlooked this minor matter'. There was considerable mention about the social problems these people are creating in Singapore though.
As per my prior post these victims do not have a voice and neither is there recognition or sympathy for their plight. I doubt that this position will change drastically in Singapore in the near future since both individual Singaporeans and Government do not stand to suffer direct loss from this situation although there may be indirect loss through potential social problems. International organisations can only do so much, they are, after all, extrinsic.
Human (especially minors) trafficking in the EU from the poorer Baltic nations is also rife but at least the EU acknowledges the situation openly and takes active measures against trafficking. I guess it stems from greater awareness in civil rights which is of course sorely lacking in Singapore.
RD
funny this should come up, but on a medical standpoint, what has been known as the " medical surveillance scheme for commercial sex workers" has been around since 1977, and one of the major reasons for continuing it, apart from aforesaid comments, is that legalising and tolerating it actually brings down the prevalence of sexually-transmitted diseases.
it gives MOH an avenue to monitor HIV and other STIs in singapore, and at least allows the visible presence of the DSC clinic at Kelantan lane. a google search for the " scheme" would return the landmark study done to actually justify one aspect of it.
one reason why MOH may not release these figures, is the ironic suggestion that establised lower rates of STIs, if known to the public, may promote a false sense of security and actually encourage such high risk behaviour.
however, the girls are treated a little less humanely. some information gleaned from the DSC clinic nurses reveal them to be virtual night-time prisoners in their houses, with one free day in four months, and after finishing their contract, they are not to set foot in singapore ever for more than a few days, UNLESS they have proof that they married a singaporean and had children. even then , permanent residency is out of the question. inhumane, true, but like everything else here, what the people don't know they don't care.
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