Government,
y-luth, 191Ṁ.
The following 10 proposals for the abolition of the purobrse and sale of human beings are respectfully subriti herewith for Your Majesty's perusal.
(1) Entire abolition of the law respecting purchase by de In the law roverning the purchase with money of hereditary slaves and girl slaves, distinction is made between the bannerfolk and the commonpeople, the former resorting to captain under whose control they belong and the latter to local officials for the sealing of documents. Parties vil to effect purchase by white deeds are permitted to do so. Cases of offences in this remect are differently adjudica accorting as red or white deed are employed. Again, the purchase and sale of human beings is not confined to the c of slaves; vives, concubines and children or grandchildren obtained in the same way. now that the policy is adopted not permitting the trade, all auch practices rust be promi bited. It is therefore suggested to prohibit for all fute time all purchase and sale of human beings irrespective of Thether it be to provide wives or concubines, children or Frandchildren, or slaves, inflicting penalties for infract of the prohibition, and the whole of the former law govem sale by deed being rescinded.
(2) Desirability of fixing proper penalties for the true The lows appretaining to the sale of human beings without d with the consent of the person sold are, as they stund, ver commlete. However, as rapards the pessages in the law prot that a purchaser acting in ignorance is not liable to puni mont and that neither are a person who actuated by poverty sells his children nor the purchaser of such children, nov the trade is being prohibited, these matters although of s
proposed Fravity, should not be neglected. It is therefore roomi only that, until the promulgation of the new laws respectin the sale of human beings without or with their consent, te old law remain in force, but that the legal penalty of pand ment in the 8th degree to which sellers of their children
matir
which relate to cases of assult and sexual misconduct between persons of higher and lower rank should be rescinded.
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(10) Desirability of effectively enforcing the prohibition against sale and purchase of higher and lover rank persons as prostitutes or actors. Although inferior in station, gloves are members of the human family, and if they fell to being prostitutes or actors they are degraded. Their characters are sullied and their modesty destroyed.' The law therefore prescribes the cenalty of the angle followed by banishment for the offence of mucusing a free girl to be a prostitute or of a fre boy to be an actor. Unfortunately, the law has been long in existence, and is reared by officials as a dead letter, à case of the purchase of a.free girl for prostitution does indeed occasionally some formed, but not from one end of the year to the other is there heard of a case of the purchase of a free bay to be an actor. For is official action bringing formed such eases known to have been taken. If the prohibition be not proclaimed in strong terms and effectively carried into effect, if will prove mich harder to eradicate the professions of prostitute and actor than to abolish the tet slave. Through the practice of abuses it may than be that those who cease to be slaves merely become prostitutes and actors instend.' It is therefore suggested that the local authorities be charged to exercise strict and secret vigilance and emish with the utmost- rigour of the law any cases which occur of the purchase of free persons to be prostitutes or actors,
Covering memorial minuted:-
"Approved by Imperial Hict of sun-t'ung 1st Year
1th Foon, 1st day". (January 1st., 1915.)