SCORES of legal experts and activists wrote to China's legislature today calling for the abolition of a system that allows women arrested for prostitution to be jailed without trial.

In the joint letter, the 109 signatories said the custody and education system was unacceptable because police can send the women to detention centres without the involvement of courts.

The government has said it is trying to make the judicial system fairer and has abolished a labour-camp system that allowed police to jail people without trial. 

But activists say the system dealing with sex workers and their clients has been largely ignored because prostitution is frowned upon.

Women's rights activist Chen Sile said women incarcerated in re-education centres were viewed as immoral and found it hard to get fair treatment.

Now that the labour camp system had been abolished, "it is the right time to talk about abolishing custody and education regulations," she said.