Taipei Licensed Prostitutes

Directed by Tsai Tsung-lung

The TV documentary explores the lives of Taiwan’s licensed sex workers. It follows how, in 1997, Mayor Chen Shui-bian’s sudden abolition of legal prostitution in Taipei stripped more than a hundred women of their right to work, forcing them into a long-term struggle for survival. Through documenting their protests and personal stories, the film uncovers the little-known history of sex workers in Taiwan and examines their struggles under multiple layers of oppression—from political and economic forces to legal and ethical debates.