100,000 Child Slave Prostitutes in Taiwan

Discussion Open Forum
81

EOD,

I looked at the sites you linked to, and with regard to the figures of child prostitution in Taiwan, they are bullshit. Especially the figures of 100000 child prostitutes of which 20% are aboriginal girls. You stated you believe these ridiculous figures, so rather than just citing dubious websites (who probably all got their information from one original mistaken source, I’d like to hear how you can explain these figures given this analysis that Cranky Laowai presented you with:

[quote]In describing Taiwan, the site writes of “young virgins,” giving the ages of 12-15. So let’s set the lowest age at 12, with the oldest at 17.

As of 2000, Taiwan’s population was 22.2 million. Of that number, roughly 956,000 fell into the 12-14 age range, with another 1.12 million in the 15-17 group. That’s 2.08 million. Now let’s halve that number to get the number of girls: 1.04 million. (Sure there can be boys in the sex industry, too, but the number would be just a small fraction of the number of girls.)

The site’s figure of 100,000 would mean that one tenth of girls 12-17 in Taiwan are prostitutes. Bullshit.

The site also says that 20 percent of Taiwan’s child prostitutes are Aborigines.

Taiwan has about 414,000 Aborigines. If the Aboriginal population matches the demographics of the population as a whole, there are about 19,400 Aboriginal girls in the 12-17 age group. That’s about 20 percent of 100,000.

So, according to the site’s reckoning, virtually every Aboriginal girl is a child prostitute.
[/quote]

The only problem with these figures, is that the source that you listed which claims 20% of child prostitutes are aboriginal lists the aboriginal population as 337342. That means that OVER 100% of aboriginal girls are prostitutes. Maybe some of them are moonlighting at different brothels.

There are two possibilities here:

  1. You are right, in which case some 10% of Taiwanese girls, and 100% of aboriginal girls are child prostitutes.

  2. You are just wrong, in which case you should stop making such outrageous claims.

Brian

82

Do you guys ever sleep?

What I really want to know is how this reflects on"E"'s attitudes about women and aborigines. Does he really believe that the ladies teaching high school and university, that the female doctors and nurses, that the mothers and wives were all prostitutes just because they

83

taiwaninfo.org/info/child/child3.html

CNN

[quote]UNICEF says it is trying to address the underlying causes of child sexual abuse by working to improve access to and quality of education, raising awareness, and advocating for children’s rights.

The United Nations says one million children are drawn into prostitution annually.

It estimates that 100,000 children and women in the Philippines, 400,000 in India, [color=red]100,000 in Taiwan![/color], 200,000 in Thailand are subject to commercial sexual exploitation in the region.

[/quote]
cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/e … onference/

84

Apparently EOD has never heard of Mark Twain’s dictum about lies, damn lies, and statistics. Just how did UNICEF arrive at those numbers? What methodology did they use? Answer those questions satisfactorily first, before putting blind faith in other people’s numbers. It is not unknown for organizations to boost numbers favorable to their cause - in fact, it is quite common. Take China’s official economic performance, for example, or official rate of AIDS - do you trust their numbers, as well?

85

So you continue to assert that when I go into my neighbourhood 7-11, the aboriginal girl who works there is probably also a prostitute.

I am married, and as such, not inclined to pay women or girls for their sexual services. My friends who do, on the other hand, appear perfectly justified in walking up to her and asking how much she charges–only because she is aboiriginal. It’s not racism, CNN says that it’s true.

But honestly, I have to ask “E”; are you a fundamentalist Christian? Did you come to Taiwan as a missionary? Do you work for the God-folk? I have never talked to someone so authoritarian as you; if it’s in print from a big organization, it must be true. CNN couldn’t be wrong. And what’s more, the definition of truth is that CNN said it.

Is that what you teach the kids? If it’s in the news, it’s true. I sure hope that your students don’t read the Apple Daily.

86

EOD, do you want to belive that figure so much?

When a report, or a figure contradicts common sense, you should at least check it out thouroughly - track it to its source - before taking the report over common sense. To do otherwise, strongly suggests that you have a reason for wanting to believe that things are that bad.

Well, although I couldn’t track down the actual report, I got close enough.

All of these 100000 child prostitutes claims in the various links you’ve provided seem to go back (where they’ve quoted a source at all) to the UNICEF Report on the Commercial Exploitation of Children, released at the Yokohama Conference. This UNICEF press release describes it.

unicef.org/newsline/01pr97.htm

Now what seems to have happened is that sloppy journalists have looked at the title of the report UNICEF Report on the Commercial Exploitation of Children, and then looked at the table at the bottom:

[quote]100,000 in the Philippines
400,000 in India
100,000 in Taiwan
200,000 in Thailand
244,000-325,000 in the United States
100,000 in Brazil
35,000 in West Africa
175,000 in Eastern & Central Europe[/quote]

and then, (as you did without checking your source) used this out of context to claim that there are 100000 child prostitutes in Taiwan. What they didn’t do is check the title of the table:

[quote]Children and women subjected to commercial sexual exploitation:

100,000 in the Philippines
400,000 in India
100,000 in Taiwan
200,000 in Thailand
244,000-325,000 in the United States
100,000 in Brazil
35,000 in West Africa
175,000 in Eastern & Central Europe
[/quote]

Not, children, but children and women. Not prostitutes, but ‘subject to commercial sexual exploitation’ (so probably includes bar hostesses, betelnut girls, strippers, etc.

So maybe you’d like to change the title of your post to ‘100000 Women and Children sexually exploited in Taiwan’, or would that not have quite the shock value you intended? And next time, if you insist on ignoring common sense, at least check your facts first, before making such ludicrous claims.

Brian

87

If you are so sure you are right and everyone else is wrong then get CNN to print a retraction.

88

[quote]If you are so sure you are right and everyone else is wrong then get CNN to print a retraction.
[/quote]

For what? I don’t see CNN claiming that there are 100000 child prostitutes in Taiwan.

Even if they had (which they didn’t) it would just mean that they were making the same mistake as you - misquoting the UNICEF report. Someone else making the same mistake as you, does not make you right.

Brian

89

That figure seems really high. I think it’s inflated to make a stronger point. There is a problem in Taiwan but to say that there are 100,000 child slave prositutes is a lie. The legal age of consent is 16 (not sure if this an Asian 16 or a Western 16 because of the extra year added on at birth in Asian countries). Therefore the number probably includes 17-18-19 if you use the Asian age or 16-17-18 if using the western age.

90

Grasshopper, read the other posts, especially my post before last. The figure is wrong. It was misquoted. It should be ‘there are 100000 women and children commercially sexually exploited in Taiwan’.

Brian

91

We are not the ones making the mistake. CNN does not misquote official reports on their own website. UNICEF did not make any ambiguous statements.
I admire your loyalty to your almost country but denying the most obvious facts in the face of overwhelming evidence does little to protect Taiwan or it

92

I’m starting to believe that “E” is one of those guys who believes all women are prostitutes. “E”, say it ain’t so. Tell me that you don’t believe a woman is wayward and soiled just because she’s poor and comes from a coloured race.

Hay “E”, let me tell what the real problem is. It’s just that your argument, it’s the kind of thing that a kid might say to his high school teacher. It’s not the kind of thing that a mature, educated adult is supposed to say. But keep in mind, there’s nothing wrong with being – you know – dull. Look at Forrest Gump; dull as a butter knife, but he made a million, and a lot of other cool things.

The problem is that we like you “E”, and we don’t want you to take all this all personally. We don’t doubt UNICEF or CNN. We believe them. We believe you, too. We just think that only a stupid person would make this kind of argument.

93

EOD,

Read this carefully:

CNN did not say that there are 100000 child prostitutes in Taiwan.

UNICEF did not say that there are 100000 child prosttitutes in Taiwan.

You misread them. It’s you not CNN and UNICEF making this claim. Just show me where UNICEF or CNN said that. Otherwise retract your claim.

Brian

94

Don’t give up Brian. “E”'s a little slow when you make a good point. Either that or he may have decided that it’s true: every woman and child in Taiwan, except the ones he lives with, don’t sell sex for a part-time job.

95

Well, all I have to say is that E isn’t the only one who’s blind, glancing at the poll above. That 44% who say there aren’t any brothels in their neighborhood must mean that there aren’t any “clearly visible” brothels around where they live. Most brothels in Taiwan are hidden from public view. But they’re there, if you’ve been in Taiwan long enough to know how to spot them.

96

Yes, yes, you and the others who are not blinded by the greedy Taiwanese. Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but a forumosa.com poll is not a particularly good source of information. Because of its lack of control, you can vote more than once and it is not considered fraud. That’s why only the Bush Administration advocates using forumosa.com as a method of voting in federal elections.

“E” is not really blind–at least I think. He can see colours and shapes as well as you and I can. He is numerically blind. He has yet to agree that his calculation of childhood prostitution–and it is his calculation, not CNN’s or UNICEF’s–has no other outcome but the suggestion that a vast percentage of Taiwanese females–perhaps all Taiwan aboriginal females or most Chinese children–will have sex with you if you pay them money. This is an amazing statement, and I do not believe it is true regardless of how many brothels there are in my neighbourhood.

By the way, “E” and Brian, are you fellows related to the people by the same name who post on another well-known Website for English teachers? I mean the one that’s not nearly as good as forumosa.com, but has international jobs.

97

Well, the vast majority of women will have sex with you if you pay them money. Let me illustrate by this famous example.

Man: “Will you have sex with me for a million dollars?”

Woman: “Of course!”

Man: “Will you have sex with me for twenty dollars?”

Woman: “Of course not! What do you think I am?”

Man: “We’ve already established what you are, ma’am. Now we’re just haggling over the price.”

98

Mod Land is right (no, not about women being whores, but about the number of whores in Taiwan). I would bet a week’s grog that most of the 40 plus percent who say there are no brothels within a kilometer of their residence have voted incorrectly. There are a dozen places of ill repute within 300 meters of my apartment building.

Of course, the poll question is a little vague; does “brothel” mean you have to do it on the premises or does it include places where you can find a woman of easy virtue to take back to your bachelor pad?

99

Hey, it’s not just women. Men, too. I’d even have sex with EOD for a million bucks.

100

I don’t know about trying to count women, never worked well for me…
I always get mixed up, sidetracked or something like that.

But I do often wonder about the trippy 3d barber poles…are those a marker for sex for sale, drugs or a combination flea market debauchery thing? I’ve been unable to bring myself to explore one of these places. There’s always a thug type nearby and often they approach you even before you approach the entrance.

And what’s with the foot massage places… how do they keep busy with so many customers all the way til 3 or 4 in the morning?