In the province, there are currently 3,968 business and service establishments that are prone to prostitution, including 1,170 accommodation establishments (hotels, motels, inns, rental houses, etc.), 2 dance clubs, 565 karaoke establishments, massage parlors and 2,231 other business establishments. Although prostitution has not yet become a hot spot, it is quite complicated, especially prostitution involving the use of drugs and other addictive substances.
Many difficulties and challenges
According to reports from authorities, pimps, brokers and prostitutes use increasingly sophisticated tricks and methods of operation such as: pimps and motel owners do not directly raise or manage prostitutes but often hide their faces and operate prostitutes over the phone; brokers and freelance prostitutes often leave their contact phone numbers with motel owners, hotels, receptionists, security guards, etc. of hotels and motels so that when customers have a need, they can contact them; prostitutes and sex buyers use websites, online services, "forums", social networking sites such as Facebook, Zalo, Telegram... to post sexy photos, get to know each other, "chat sex" to find partners to buy and sell sex, etc., making it difficult for authorities to detect and handle.
Meanwhile, some legal regulations on prostitution prevention and control are no longer suitable for reality, and have not met the requirements of fighting and preventing prostitution in the new situation. The implementation of the integration of prostitution prevention and control programs with socio-economic development programs has not been flexible. The management of functional agencies over business establishments, motels, hotels, massage services, etc. is still loose and has many loopholes. Inspection and control work is not regular and not very effective. On the other hand, the awareness of a part of the population is still distorted, with a loose and free lifestyle, and does not attach importance to prostitution prevention and control in the place where they live. Some Party committees and authorities at all levels have not really paid attention to propaganda work and the fight against prostitution, so the desired results have not been achieved.
Fundamental solutions
In order to reduce violations of the law related to prostitution, contribute to ensuring security, order and social safety; limit the impacts caused by prostitution on socio-economic development, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee has issued a plan to implement prostitution prevention and control in Thanh Hoa province in 2023; a plan for interdisciplinary inspection of prostitution prevention and control, karaoke service business, and discotheque services in Thanh Hoa province in 2023, along with many other directive documents.
Accordingly, the People's Committees of districts, towns, cities and relevant departments, branches and units have issued plans to implement the program on prostitution prevention and control in 2023. At the same time, they actively direct member units to strengthen the work of preventing and combating prostitution, not allowing complicated situations of prostitution to occur in residential areas. In particular, information and propaganda work has been widely deployed by departments, branches, unions; People's Committees of districts, towns and cities with many rich and diverse forms.
In the first 6 months of 2023, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs coordinated with 10 vocational training institutions to organize 10 competitions to learn about legal knowledge on preventing and combating drug-related crimes with the participation of more than 6,000 students, students and teachers; organized the printing and distribution of 10,000 leaflets on preventing and combating prostitution to districts, towns and cities. The Department of Information and Communications trained nearly 250 grassroots propagandists on editing, writing news and propaganda articles on preventing and combating drug-related crimes and prostitution. Directed the Department of Culture and Information of districts, towns and cities to guide the district and commune-level radio stations to develop columns with hundreds of news and propaganda articles on preventing and combating prostitution.
The Department of Education and Training integrates prostitution prevention and control activities into the movement "Building happy schools". 100% of the units under the department organize rallies, demonstrate their strength, and respond to the propaganda of "Peak month for drug and prostitution prevention and control"... As a result, more than 120,812 students in high schools and 52,421 teachers and staff participated in the propaganda and had basic knowledge in prostitution prevention and control.
The People's Committees of districts, towns and cities direct departments, offices, People's Committees of communes, wards and towns to promote propaganda work, innovate the content and form of propaganda, educate policies and laws on prostitution prevention and control. Propagate widely to all villages and residential groups; mobilize the combined strength of the whole society to raise awareness of the fight against prostitution. Integrate the task of prostitution prevention and control with the implementation of socio-economic development programs; social security and assistance; drug prevention and control; HIV/AIDS prevention and control; human trafficking prevention and control. Link the movement of the whole people uniting to build a cultural life in residential areas with the movement of the whole people protecting national security...
In performing their duties, the two-level procuracy has strengthened the inspection of receiving and handling denunciations and reports of crimes, especially denunciations and reports of crimes related to prostitution. The two-level prosecution agencies have closely coordinated in investigating, prosecuting and trying prostitution cases according to the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code and the coordination regulations between the three sectors. Through interdisciplinary inspections at 236 service establishments, 1 establishment was found to have violated regulations on prostitution prevention and control. The police forces at all levels have arrested and handled 9 cases related to prostitution activities, arresting 47 subjects. Among them are 12 brothel owners, prostitution brokers, 18 prostitutes, and 17 sex buyers. By the end of June 2023, the procuracy at all levels had accepted 7 cases, 13 defendants. The court accepted and resolved 5 cases, 11 defendants.
The work of propaganda, management, inspection, examination and strict handling of violations of the law and crimes related to prostitution has created a strong change in the awareness and actions of organizations, unions at all levels, sectors and the whole society in preventing and combating prostitution. Thereby, contributing to repelling and eliminating social evils, building the homeland and country to be more and more prosperous and happy.
Article and photos: Mai Phuong
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