Brothels closed in Taipei

Legal brothels in the Taiwanese capital, Taipei, were closed down at midnight, targets of a campaign to wipe out prostitution in the city.

The brothels have been allowed to operate for the past fifty years, and the authorities had delayed the closures to give former prostitutes time to find new jobs.

Many received government help to open food stalls, beauty shops and other small businesses.

It's estimated that one-hundred-thousand women work in the sex trade in Tawian, and critics of the action against legal brothels say it will only push the problem underground.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service