Red-light districts keep on growing

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Red-light districts keep on growing

“The government has no official statistics on sex trade since 2007.” I couldn’t believe my ears when I spoke with a Ministry of Gender Equality and Family official last month. I was looking for the latest government data as I prepared for a feature report on sex trade. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is the agency mainly in charge of monitoring sex trade. However, the official was firm. “We have surveyed the sex trade conditions by outsourcing to an external research agency in 2010, but it was not approved as official data and cannot be released.”

The outsourced research the official mentioned was the “2010 Sex Trade Survey Report” by the Institute for Gender Research at Seoul National University. I could obtain the report through an office of a National Assembly member.

After reading the report, I understood why the ministry was reluctant to release it. The survey was conducted in 2010, six years after the enforcement of the special act on sex trade. Because the objective of the law was to eradicate sex trade, I expected the industry to have shrunk drastically. But the report’s conclusion was just the opposite. Let’s look at the number of red-light districts, where more than 10 brothels are concentrated. In 2007, there were 35 red-light districts around the country, and the number increased to 45 in 2010. The number of sex workers increased from 3,644 to 3,917. The report suggested that the red-light districts, which were under control after the enactment of the sex trade law, were thriving again.

My field investigation confirmed the trend. A considerable portion of red-light districts around the country are still in business. New variations of brothels and services are operating. I surveyed bars and salons in major nightlife districts in Seoul, Busan, Ulsan and Gwangju, and more than 100 businesses in a one kilometer radius said they could arrange prostitution. Major cities now have “sex trade new towns.”

According to the special act on sex trade, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is to conduct a sex trade survey every three years. Surveys were done in 2007 and 2010, and each cost hundreds of millions of won. In 2007, the outcome was published, but in 2010, it was not. The ministry claimed the report was not released because the statistics could be distorted. However, there are suspicions the ministry was reluctant because of the expansion of the sex trade. After all, the first report was released.

In Korean society, prostitution has established itself as an industry. When the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and local governments are not confident enough to release publicly funded survey reports, the eradication of the sex trade in the country will not happen anytime soon.

*The author is a national news writer of the JoongAng Ilbo.
By Jeong Gang-heon

   “정부에 2007년 이후 성매매 관련 공식 통계는 없습니다.”   귀를 의심했다. 지난달 초 여성가족부 관계자와 전화 통화를 할 때였다. ‘2012 대한민국 성매매 리포트(중앙일보 12월 3일 12면, 4일 14면)’ 기획 기사를 준비하면서 정부의 최근 공식 자료를 찾고 있던 차였다. 여성가족부는 성매매 관련 주무 부처다. 그러나 여성가족부 관계자는 단호했다. “2010년 외부 연구 용역을 의뢰해 성매매 실태 조사를 벌인 적은 있지만 여성가족부의 공식 자료로 승인되지 않아 공개할 수 없습니다.”   이 관계자가 언급한 외부 용역 연구는 서울대 여성연구소가 2010년 말 작성한 ‘2010 성매매 실태조사’ 보고서였다. 한 국회의원실을 통해 어렵게 해당 보고서를 입수할 수 있었다.   보고서를 살펴보니 여성가족부가 공개를 꺼리는 이유를 알 것 같았다. 실태 조사를 벌인 2010년은 성매매특별법이 시행된 지 6년이 흐른 뒤였다. 성매매 근절이라는 법 취지에 맞게 성매매 규모도 크게 줄었을 거라 예상했을 것이다. 그러나 정반대의 결과가 나왔다. 예컨대 전국의 성매매집결지(성매매를 1차 영업으로 하는 업소가 10개 이상 집결돼 있는 지역) 수만 해도 그랬다. 2007년 35곳에서 2010년 45곳으로 오히려 늘어난 것으로 조사됐다. 성매매 여성도 3644명에서 3917명으로 증가했다. 이는 성매매특별법 이후 주춤하던 집창촌이 다시 고개를 들고 있다는 뜻이었다.   현장 취재에서도 이 같은 사실이 확인됐다. 전국의 집창촌 가운데 상당수가 여전히 영업을 하고 있는 것으로 확인됐다. 각종 신·변종 성매매 업소들도 전국 곳곳에 자리잡았다. 서울·부산·울산·광주광역시 등의 대표적인 유흥가에서 2차(성매매)가 가능한 업소를 직접 조사한 결과, 직경 1㎞당 100여개의 업소가 “가능하다”고 답했다. 대도시마다 일종의 ‘성매매 뉴타운’이 들어선 셈이다.   성매매특별법에 따라 여성가족부는 3년에 한번씩 성매매 실태조사를 벌인다. 2007년과 2010년 두 차례 조사가 이뤄졌다. 조사 때마다 수억원의 정부 예산이 집행됐다. 2007년에는 조사 결과를 발표했지만, 2010년에는 보고서 자체를 비공개로 돌렸다. 여성가족부 측은 “은밀하게 거래되는 성매매의 특성상 통계가 왜곡될 가능성이 있어 공개에 어려움이 있다”는 입장이다. 그러나 성매매가 줄어든 2007년 조사는 발표한 것으로 볼 때 통계의 정확도 보다는 성매매 수치가 늘었기 때문에 공개를 꺼렸다는 의심이 든다.   오늘 밤 당장 집창촌이나 유흥가에 가보라. 성매매 실태를 눈으로 확인할 수 있을 것이다. 우리 사회에서 성매매는 그만큼 확고한 시장으로 자리잡았다. 여성가족부를 비롯해 경찰·지자체 등이 성매매 관련 기초 통계조차 자신 있게 공개하지 못하는 상황에선 성매매 근절은 요원한 일이다.사회부문 정강현 기자
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