Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ha Noi, Jan. 3 (VNA) -- The Prime Minister has approved an action programme for prostitution prevention in the period of 2001-2005.

The programme stresses the necessity to prohibit prostitution in all forms as this social evil causes degradation in ethics and lifestyle, the spread of HIV/AIDS epidemic, and break of conjugal happiness, thus affecting social order.

The programme aims to abolish the vice among adolescents, especially pupils and students, and prevent public employees from prostitution by 2003.

In the two following years, 2004-2005, the programme aims to reduce prostitution in urban areas and tourist sites, and restrict organized prostitution and the illegal sending of women and children abroad for prostitution.

The programme emphasizes information dissemination as the most urgent measure and calls for close coordination between relevant ministries and agencies.

According to Nguyen Thi Hue, Head of the Anti-Social Evils Department under the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, prostitution has been illicitly organized in diverse forms. The illegal sending of women abroad for prostitution has increased, particularly through the common border lines with Cambodia and China. Ten percent of these women are adolescent. Foreign prostitutes have also made their appearance in Viet Nam.

Since 1994, more than 11,000 brothels have been detected and more than 40,000 brothel owners arrested, and hundreds of hotels, restaurants, dance floors and inns fined. More than 30,000 prostitutes have been treated for their diseases and re-educated, and 14,000 of them provided with jobs.--VNA