Paju-si, 12th Sex Trade Victim Selected for Self-Support Assistance Program

Support Provided for a New Life of Victims of Sexual Exploitation

Paju City Hall exterior.

On the 23rd, Paju City in Gyeonggi Province held the 'Self-Support Committee for Victims of Sexual Exploitation' and announced on the 24th that it had decided to support the 12th applicant for self-support. This decision, the second made in October alone, has increased the number of individuals determined to leave prostitution and receive self-support to 12.

The selection of support recipients is decided through a review by the Self-Support Committee, composed of relevant experts, in accordance with the 'Ordinance on Self-Support for Victims of Sexual Exploitation.'

Since enacting the ordinance to support victims of sexual exploitation in May last year, Paju City has established a system to assist victims and has been providing self-support services alongside continuous policies to close prostitution districts.

Selected recipients receive a total of 50.2 million KRW over two years, covering living expenses, housing support, and vocational training costs. Additionally, if the recipient has children under 18, an extra 100,000 KRW per month for living expenses for the accompanying children is provided for two years.

Meanwhile, Paju City is also offering various supports such as legal aid, medical services, and recovery treatment programs through the Sexual Exploitation Victim Counseling Center, focusing on protecting victims. The city is strengthening cooperation between the public and private sectors to reinforce policies for closing prostitution districts to fundamentally prevent the occurrence of sexual exploitation.

Kim Kyung-il, Mayor of Paju City, stated, “Supporting victims of sexual exploitation is a very important task that contributes not only to individual recovery but also to the health and safety of society as a whole. As applications for support continue, we are considering extending the validity of the ordinance from this year to next year to ensure that victim support continues alongside the closure of prostitution districts.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.