Paju-si Decides 11th Sex Trade Victim for Self-Support Assistance Program

Support for the Social and Economic Independence of Victims of Sexual Exploitation

Paju City Hall exterior.

On the 7th, Paju City in Gyeonggi Province announced that it held the ‘Self-Support Assistance Committee for Victims of Sexual Exploitation’ on the 4th and decided to provide support to the 11th applicant for self-support assistance.

According to the ‘Ordinance on Self-Support Assistance for Victims of Sexual Exploitation,’ the Self-Support Assistance Committee, composed of related experts, discusses and verifies the application to determine whether to provide support to the applicant.

With this support decision, the number of individuals in Paju City who have resolved to leave prostitution and receive self-support assistance for a new life has increased to 11, and the number of victims of sexual exploitation who applied for self-support assistance this year has reached seven.

Since the enactment of the support ordinance in May last year, applications for self-support assistance have continued, and the rate of increase is also accelerating. Paju City views this as a result of consistent policies to close prostitution hotspots and the improvement of municipal trust due to the prompt rescue and support of victims of sexual exploitation.

The approved recipients will receive 50.2 million KRW for living expenses, housing support, vocational training costs, and more. Additionally, if they have children under 18, they can receive an extra 100,000 KRW per month for living expenses for their accompanying children for 24 months.

Along with victim support, Paju City is doing its best to help victims achieve self-support through various supports such as legal, medical, and recovery treatment programs at the Sexual Exploitation Victim Counseling Center. At the same time, to fundamentally prevent the occurrence of sexual exploitation, the city is strengthening the closure policy of hotspots through cooperation between citizens, police, fire departments, and public-private sectors.

Kim Kyung-il, Mayor of Paju City, said, “I send encouragement to the victims who have applied for support with hope for a new life,” and added, “We will do our best to provide generous support and help victims achieve self-support.”