Prostitution Snares Taiwan Children

She is only 16. Leaning on the wall of a fast-food store and smoking a cigarette, she looks just like any Taiwan high school girl waiting for friends.

A man comes along. They talk for a while, stroll among the shopping crowds and then enter a “love hotel” nearby.

She is one of the “fallen wings,” the local expression for young prostitutes aged 12 to 18.

At midnight in some of the most prosperous streets in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, dozens of fallen wings wander along the pavement and hide in alleyways flashing hand signs to show their prices.

Social workers and others blame Taiwan’s wealthy, materialistic society that sprang up as property and stock speculation ran rampant.

“These young girls see too many rich people in this society getting wealthy without working hard,” said Wang Ching-feng, a lawyer who represents several women’s groups.

“So making money without labor is more important than anything for them.”

Taiwan’s current obsession with easy money is reflected in a common proverb: “Laugh at the poor but not at prostitutes.”

Wang said: “It (child prostitution) is like a slow-paced disease in our society. We can’t see any instant harm, but it’s spreading all over the island.”

Police reported only 774 cases involving child prostitution during the last three years, but social workers estimate that of 500,000 prostitutes in Taiwan, more than half are under 18.

“It definitely is not a pleasant feeling to have sex with different men every day,” said Chen, a name that means Truth. Chen, 17, lives at Charity House, a hostel where police send youngsters arrested on prostitution charges.

“But except for this, life is OK,” she said. “It’s easier to make money.”

She quit school last year and from her hometown, the southern city of Kaohsiung, came to Taipei, Taiwan’s colorful city of money, entertainment and crime.

Soon tiring of a monotonous, low-paying job at a beauty salon, Chen followed her friends into high-paying prostitution and made at least $150 a day.

Several years ago in Taiwan, children were sold into prostitution by their desperately poor families, but that is no longer the case.

“Among child prostitute cases we handled, two-thirds are prostitutes by their own will,” said Chen Chung-chu, executive director of the Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation. “And the ratio is increasing.”

“The most difficult thing is to help them back to normal life,” said Chen Chung-chu, whose organization tries to reform the girls. “They’ve been isolated in a world of sex and money for a long time.”

The drive against child prostitution is hampered by attitudes among Taiwan businessmen, who often expect sex as the end to an evening of wheeling and dealing.

“Businessmen just don’t care about this,” Chen Chung-chu said. “It’s hard to influence them.”

Social workers also find it difficult to teach prostitutes that there are other ways to make money.

“Their values are totally changed. They only want quick money,” said Wu Hui-in, director of Charity House.

“They don’t have any future plan. All they can see is present pleasure,” Wu said. “It’s hard to make them accept the idea of work.”

“When I get out of here, I want to run a beauty salon myself. It’s always been my dream,” said Chen, who will have to stay in the hostel for two weeks to a month depending on her behavior and whether her family agrees to stand as her guarantor.

“I hope I can stand earning hard money by washing and cutting hair, but I am not sure,” she added with a faint smile.