Chinese sex workers protest against crackdown
Demonstrators in central Hebei province call for legalisation of prostitution and better treatment of women suspects
A crackdown on China's fast-growing sex industry has prompted a backlash, with sex workers demonstrating for the legalisation of prostitution and an outcry about the treatment of women suspects.
The protest in Wuhan, central Hebei province, is thought to have been the first of its kind in the country. The small group of women asked onlookers to sign a petition calling for an end to discrimination against sex workers and the scrapping of anti-prostitution laws.
"Our society has many problems that are neglected by the public and prostitution is one of them," Ye Haiyan, the activist and sex worker at the forefront of last week's demonstration, said today.
"Since the crackdown has drawn a lot of media attention, I thought it was a good opportunity for a demonstration to gain public attention so people can know more about the lives of prostitutes."
She said police had detained her for a few days for her part in the protest. Prostitution is widespread and blatant in China, despite frequent crackdowns. Many hotels, hairdressers, massage parlours and karaoke bars make little effort to disguise illicit activity. The World Health Organisation has estimated the country has 4 million sex workers, but academics have suggested the figure is higher.
In May, state media said police had arrested 1,100 suspects from "high-end" establishments in Beijing alone. But pink-lit hairdressers and massage facilities appear to be operating unhindered in the capital and elsewhere.
Ye, who tweets and blogs under the name Hooligan Sparrow, said the police campaign was harming the health of workers. She launched the Chinese Women's Rights Workshop, distributing condoms and Aids-prevention pamphlets to brothels in Wuhan. But she said that sex workers were now reluctant to use condoms for fear they would be used as evidence of prostitution.
On her website she said she also decided to speak out after seeing women publicly humiliated following police raids.
She told the Guardian that legalisation would not only help protect the health of sex workers and stem trafficking, but would also help tackle corruption.
"Brothels are not cheap places. Most consumers are quite rich and spend a lot usually. So where is the money coming from? If prostitution was legalised, such income could be more transparent," she said.
Zheng Huang, of Shanghai Leyi – an NGO supporting male sex workers – said the crackdown was the most significant for at least a decade. He believed prostitutes have become more vulnerable because they are moving around to avoid police.
He said: "Sex workers just need to regain the rights they are supposed to have rather than asking for more rights. For example, many prostitutes do not dare to call the police when they get robbed, because they are afraid of being arrested for their job."
Lawyers and academics suggest that, as in many countries, sex workers – rather than those who run the brothels – bear the brunt of anti-prostitution drives.
"Policemen usually impose a fine on the place then leave them in peace. It is like a protection fee," said Li Yinhe, a well-known academic who has campaigned for sexual reforms.This year's campaign has gone further than usual. Chinese police closed the Hilton hotel in Chongqing for several days in June after raiding a basement bar. Hilton Worldwide said the club was independently owned and operated.
There was anger last month when pictures of a raid on a brothel in Guangdong province emerged. The images of women barefoot on the street, handcuffed and tied to a rope, enraged internet users.
Last week the ministry of public security ordered police to stop such practices.
Li said her research showed the public were no longer so judgmental about prostitutes.
Zhu Xiaoding, a lawyer who has been following the anti-prostitution campaign, added: "Now people know prostitutes are mainly from poor areas in the countryside, with no skills and no other choice for making a living."
No comments:
Post a Comment