Special penalty tied to prostitution could be abolished

Chinese lawmakers held panel discussions on Tuesday morning to deliberate on a draft resolution to abolish the "custody and education" system, a penalty reserved for breaches of law related to prostitution.

The draft resolution was submitted to the ongoing bimonthly session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

Members of the committee and others who attended the discussion agreed that as China's law-based governance keeps advancing, the legal system has replaced the function of the "custody and education" system.

Abolishing the "custody and education" system in a timely manner was in line with current developments and social reality, the lawmakers said, noting that it would be good for the protection of human rights, as well as being an inevitable requirement to promote law-based governance.

They suggested that related departments and offices should continue to investigate and handle violations related to prostitution and work on prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases.