Today is Saturday, and everyone should be relaxing at home, watching TV and scrolling through their phones. Brother Xiaoquan is here to bring you some exciting content today: Singapore's yellow industry and related topics. As a "fine city," are you always worried about doing something illegal and getting caught? Today, Brother Xiaoquan will give you some knowledge popularization to satisfy your curiosity.
First of all, it is emphasized that possessing pornographic videos in Singapore is illegal. If the police find pornographic videos stored in the computer hard drive, a fine will be imposed. However, so far, I have never heard of any friend being fined for having pornographic videos in their computer. Maybe the police are too busy to manage such things.
The Singaporean government has clearly pointed out that browsing pornographic videos in Singapore is legal. This is a bit conflicting with the above rule because the current network is very fast. Most people directly watch pornographic videos on websites, and it's not laggy at all. "Appetite for food and sex is human nature." So there are still many people who visit some pornographic websites. There are many pornographic websites that can be accessed in Singapore. Ask the male friends around you, and probably each of them can give you a list of pornographic websites. (Previously in Singapore, two Singaporean men were sued by a Japanese company for illegally downloading Japanese AV. Seeing this, do our Chinese compatriots laugh?)
So, watching pornographic videos is not illegal, but downloading and storing them is illegal.
Most people only know that Singapore is a garden city and a country with extremely strict laws. But it's hard to imagine that there is also a "red - light district" in the world where prostitutes work with licenses. Geylang is not only a food paradise in Singapore but also one of the few legal "pleasure grounds" globally. Singaporean celebrity Li Guohuang said that the most famous tourist attraction in Singapore is Geylang, which makes a lot of sense.
In fact, regarding the question of whether prostitution is truly legal in Singapore, a senior editor of the Lianhe Zaobao in Singapore gave an incisive answer. He said that the attitude of the Singaporean government towards this industry can be summarized in nine words: "Not legal, not banned, and regulated." It can be said that the Singaporean government basically has a vague policy towards the sex industry. There is a special "Anti - Prostitution Unit" in the police establishment, from which it can be seen that the government has not recognized the legal status of prostitution.
However, in a red - light district like Geylang, which is tacitly understood, the police generally don't interfere much in anti - prostitution operations. But if you want to operate outside this area, you have to be careful of the police.
In addition, prostitutes working here have to go through inspections by the Anti - Prostitution Unit of the police department and the medical center. Only those who meet the physical health standards can get a "health card," which is commonly known as a "yellow card" because of its color.
Their work permits (Special Working Pass) are valid for two years. Once the two - year period expires, they have to return to their respective countries, cannot marry Singaporeans, and can never come to Singapore again with the same identity for the rest of their lives. Prostitutes in Geylang can only take a few days off each month when they are inconvenient, but they are never allowed to stay out overnight.
In addition, there is another opportunity to go out every month, which is for a medical check - up. Because the incubation period of AIDS is six months, in the first six months after coming to Singapore, a medical check - up is required every month; after six months, it is changed to once every three months. During the period when prostitutes work in Singapore, if they are found to be infected with a disease at any time, they have to stop working immediately or be repatriated.
So, prostitutes in Singapore are legal as long as they are legally registered. Note the words "legally registered" prostitutes here.
After talking about prostitutes, let's talk about clients. First of all, for legal prostitutes, since they "work with licenses," it is naturally not illegal for clients to visit these prostitutes. And if you visit "illegal prostitutes," that is, those streetwalkers, prostitutes in nightclubs and cabarets, don't worry either. Because in Singapore, the client is always legal, provided that the prostitute is over 18 years old. If you visit an illegally prostituting prostitute and are caught on the spot, the police will only arrest the prostitute. The client can just pat their butt and leave, getting a free service. This is what happened in the news that Brother Xiaoquan shared with you yesterday. Several clients and illegal prostitutes were caught on the spot in a HDB flat. The prostitutes were handcuffed and taken away, while the clients were sitting on the sofa as if nothing had happened. After the police finished handling the matter, they were released.
So, as long as the prostitute is over 18 years old, prostitution is legal in Singapore.
Let's talk about prostitutes under the age of 18, that is, child prostitutes. Singapore stipulates that it is illegal to have commercial sex with girls under 18 years old. So before you prostitute, you must make sure that the other party is over 18 years old.
The most ridiculous thing is that some time ago, during a crackdown on prostitution in Singapore, two prostitution gangs (that is, unlicensed prostitutes) were caught in a row. The pimp will definitely be severely punished (sentenced, fined, and caned, not missing any of them). Generally, prostitutes will be fined and repatriated and added to the unwelcome list, and they will not be able to enter Singapore again in the future. Logically, the case should be closed at this point. But what makes these two cases special is that one under - 18 - year - old prostitute (seemingly 17 years old, only one year short) was found in each of the two gangs. This is a big deal! Prostitution is legal, but if the prostitute is under 18 years old, then it is a crime!
So, according to the confessions of the prostitutes and call records, dozens of clients were arrested, including teachers from prestigious schools, lawyers, senior managers in the financial industry, and so on. Moreover, during the subsequent trials, the more reluctant a person was to plead guilty, the more severe the sentence. Some people said that they had asked the prostitutes about their age, and the other party said they were 19 years old (some clients said that they specifically asked the prostitutes how old they were before the transaction, and the prostitutes said 19. Coupled with their curvaceous figures, the clients believed it, but ended up being tricked...). The judge did not accept this. Some people even said that they found out that the prostitute was underage at that time, so no sexual relationship occurred. But the judge still rejected it based on the prostitute's confession (if the prostitute said it was done, it was considered done. How tragic). In the end, all of them were sentenced without exception, with imprisonment ranging from several months to several years. And all the people involved were exposed by the media (attached with their photos. Just think about it, it's so tragic. How can they still live on this small island in the future...).
In February 2008, the Singaporean Parliament amended the Penal Code, making it illegal to have commercial sex with boys and girls under 18 years old. Once convicted, the offender can be imprisoned for up to seven years, fined, or both. (So the principals, civil servants, managers, etc. above all had tragic endings...)
So, prostitution with a "child prostitute" is definitely illegal in Singapore.
Geylang was originally an old urban area and was originally the settlement of Malays in Singapore. Later, it was planned by the government as a red - light district and became a gathering place for clients and prostitutes. Here, prostitution is as common as going to a restaurant for a meal. Prostitutes with "yellow cards" are the so - called "legal" prostitutes, and vice versa, they are the so - called "streetwalkers," that is, unlicensed prostitutes.
In Geylang, only the even - numbered lanes are legal. In the "legal" even - numbered lanes, there are so - called "legally" operated stores with red lights on. The women here mostly come from Malaysia, the Philippines, and China. They are dressed sexy, in skirts that can hardly cover anything, and through a layer of glass, they tempt passers - by who are interested. (According to the revelation of Brother Xiaoquan's friend, now there are only prostitutes from Thailand and China. The Malaysian government no longer allows Malaysian women to come to Singapore to engage in prostitution.)
They have their own numbers for customers to choose from, and the income they get has to be split equally with the boss: for example, if a Thai girl charges $50, she can only keep $25; if a Chinese girl charges $100, she can keep $50. But their jobs are very stable, and their daily income is no less than that of streetwalkers outside. They are not allowed to kiss and not allowed to be photographed. The service time is generally about half an hour. If you pay more, it will be longer. If you want to add an hour, you have to pay double.
So, in the Geylang red - light district, only the even - numbered lanes are legal.
In addition to legal prostitutes, the other type is the so - called "streetwalkers" outside. Most of them enter Singapore on tourist visas and only stay in Singapore for a few months, coming and going repeatedly. But because they don't have a legal license, once caught, they will be repatriated and not allowed to enter Singapore again.
These street - standing girls have a clear demarcation. $S60, S$80, S$100... Girls from different countries with different prices will each occupy a certain area. And this quoted price does not include the cost of renting a private room in a hotel. The time is generally forty minutes to an hour. Because of this, there are many hotels in Geylang that rent rooms by the hour, seizing the business opportunity and joining the ranks of making money. And once these streetwalkers are caught, they often face prosecution, imprisonment, fines, and then repatriation, and are also blacklisted by Singapore, and can never come to Singapore again in the future.
So, streetwalkers are definitely not legal.
In Singapore, there is a Women's Charter that makes countless Singaporean men shudder. This charter not only stipulates various alimony issues in case of divorce, making many Singaporean men dare not divorce because of the high costs... At the same time, this code that protects women's rights also involves many rights of prostitutes. For example, although "licensed" prostitutes are legal, prostitution - related activities such as operating an illegal brothel, pimping, and living off the income of prostitutes are all illegal.
Previously, Brother Xiaoquan shared a piece of news with you. A Singaporean man taught himself web design and "started a business" by building a website for prostitutes. He posted glamorous photos on it and marked the prices clearly. Customers could book prostitutes on this website, and the man would get advertising fees... What a "creative" idea. As a result, because he violated the Women's Charter by making money from prostitutes, he was arrested and imprisoned... It seems that one has to understand the law before starting a business!
For those illegal prostitutes, next to rows of streetwalkers, you can see many idle men. Some help to solicit customers, and some just stand casually. They are pimps. Each woman has to be protected by a pimp. One is to keep watch for them because the police often conduct raids; the other is that if there are any disputes, the pimp can solve them. So they charge a protection fee of ten to fifteen yuan from each transaction. They are also illegal and will be punished if caught.
So, not only pimping, as long as you make money from prostitutes, it is illegal.
After talking about so many questions, I don't know if it has satisfied everyone's curiosity. Prostitution and whoring have existed for thousands of years. Whether it is legal or not, and regardless of the so - called "existence is reasonable," Brother Xiaoquan thinks that Singapore still "默许" the existence of the red - light district for its own reasons and difficulties:
First, there are too many foreign workers. Look at those migrant workers at construction sites. They leave their hometowns. Do you believe that they have no desires? If their desires are not vented, what will be the consequences? Think about it. If you really can't figure it out, you can refer to the so - called "postgraduate - guarantee path" in many domestic universities (in some universities, there have been cases where female students were raped by migrant workers or people outside the school. In order not to affect the reputation, the school often gives the female student and her roommate postgraduate - guarantee qualifications, so it is jokingly called the "postgraduate - guarantee path"). Not all migrant workers have such needs, but considering such a large number of migrant workers, it is necessary for Singapore to have a tacitly approved red - light district.
Second, tax revenue and related industries. Everyone knows that Geylang is a red - light district, but Chinatown is also "half - red." Coincidentally, these two places are also food gathering places in Singapore. "Appetite for food and sex is human nature." The overlap between the red - light district and the food district should not be without an internal relationship. Previously, during the anti - prostitution crackdown in Dongguan, Brother Xiaoquan once read relevant news that during the heyday of the red - light district in Dongguan, 14 yuan out of every 100 yuan of government tax revenue was provided by the red - light district and related industries (including the hotel industry, entertainment industry, and various aspects such as catering, transportation, and retail). Geylang in Singapore is also world - famous. Many foreign friends come here specifically to "visit." Therefore, tacitly approving the red - light district may also be a trade - off by the government in some aspects.
Third, have you ever taken a taxi? Every time we tell the taxi uncle, "Go to Lane [X] in Geylang" (actually to eat, barbecue, or hot pot), many uncles will smile lewdly and introduce where it's fun. What percentage of local men have been to Geylang or bought sex? This data is unknown. For a society that is more open than the Chinese mainland, perhaps the red - light district is also a necessary evil.
And the difficulties of Singapore, in Brother Xiaoquan's opinion, still exist. The red - light district has its contributions, but the harm is indeed not small. Some time ago, a murder occurred on the street in Geylang. This area is also a drug - infested area. The Central Narcotics Bureau of Singapore often conducts raids in this area. At the same time, Geylang is also one of the distribution centers for various illegal drugs and aphrodisiacs. Singapore's new alcohol ban, that is, no alcohol can be sold after 10 pm, gives special "care" to Geylang and Little India. (In Geylang and Little India, drinking in public is prohibited from 7 am on Saturday to 7 am on Monday. And on the eve of public holidays, from 7 pm to 7 am the next day of the holiday, the same alcohol ban applies.) The reason boils down to the fact that the red - light district and its related industries will have a certain negative impact on social order.
Finally, Brother Xiaoquan has always had a doubt and wants to consult everyone. We often see reports in the domestic media that a certain official has a mistress (or even more mistresses, such as a second, third, or fourth mistress). Brother Xiaoquan thinks that the Chinese mainland has always been cracking down on prostitution and whoring. Once a client is caught, their family or work unit has to come to the police station to pick them up. Isn't having a mistress and prostitution essentially the same? Both are cases where men pay money and women sell their bodies. Aren't they both "money - for - sex transactions" in nature? Shouldn't the act of having a mistress be punished as prostitution? Brother Xiaoquan has limited knowledge and welcomes everyone to teach.
