Paju-si, Amendment to the 'Sex Trade Victim Self-Support Assistance Ordinance'

Victim Self-Support Application Period Extended by One Year

Gyeonggi Paju City (Mayor Kim Kyung-il) announced on the 12th that it has partially amended the 'Paju City Ordinance on Self-Support Assistance for Victims of Prostitution, etc.' (hereinafter referred to as the Ordinance) on the 7th, allowing victims of prostitution to apply for self-support until 2025.

Paju City Hall exterior. Provided by Paju City

The 'Paju City Ordinance on Self-Support Assistance for Victims of Prostitution, etc.' was enacted on May 9, 2023, to support victims of prostitution in settling as healthy members of society. While other local governments typically support the self-support of victims of prostitution for one year, Paju City provides support for two years, significantly expanding assistance to ensure that victims face no difficulties in establishing a livelihood after leaving prostitution.

The main amendment extends the validity period of the Ordinance stipulated in the supplementary provisions from 2024 to December 31, 2025, by one year. The support targets those confirmed as victims of prostitution in Paju City's prostitution districts from May 8, 2022, one year before the Ordinance's enforcement date, to May 9, 2023, the enforcement date of the Ordinance. After applying for support and undergoing review by the 'Victims of Prostitution Self-Support Assistance Committee,' those selected as support recipients can receive assistance.

The support includes social and economic assistance such as living expenses, housing costs, and vocational training fees for two years to help recipients become self-reliant. In addition, victims in emergency situations can receive urgent rescue, as well as legal and medical support to prevent human rights violations.

Since the enactment of the Ordinance in 2023, 12 people have applied for self-support assistance as victims of prostitution in Paju City. They are doing their best to establish new roots in society through self-support assistance after deciding to leave prostitution.

Mayor Kim Kyung-il of Paju City said, “With the one-year extension of the application period for self-support assistance for victims of prostitution through this Ordinance amendment, I hope that more victims will receive rescue and support and gain hope for a new life.” He added, “We will do our best to promptly close the prostitution districts so that victims can escape stigma, hatred, violence, and exploitation, and furthermore, to create a gender-equal and women-friendly city of Paju.”