Prostitution in Hong Kong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Prostitution in Hong Kong is legal, but a whole host of activities surrounding prostitution are not, such as soliciting for sex and living off "immoral earnings".
The main public venues for sex workers in Hong Kong are topless bars, karaoke bars and massage parlours. However, much of the commercial sex worker industry consists of women working in small, usually first floor one room apartments (usually referred to as "one-woman brothels"). They advertise for clients through the Internet and local classifieds such as in free magazine Brink. Another major aspect of this trade is migrant sex workers. These sex workers are particularly visible in the Wan Chai district, catering mainly to Western businessmen and tourists. The sex workers operating in this area are predominantly Thai and Filipino. Many work on a freelance basis in Wan Chai bars and discotheques. Transsexual sex workers from Thailand seeking clients can also be seen in the Wan Chai district. There are several NGOs that work closely with sex workers in Hong Kong; these include Ziteng and Aids Concern [1]. Ziteng campaigns for changes in the law, in particular the overturn of ban on brothels with more than one prostitute, since this prevents sex workers banding together for protection.
The laws of Hong Kong currently allow classified ads for prostitution and websites that allow clients to make appointments with prostitutes.
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[edit] History
From 1879 to 1932, prostitution was decriminalized and prostitutes were required to register for licenses, pay tax, and have regular health examination. Prostitution boomed in the districts of Sai Ying Pun, Wan Chai, Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei. In 1930, Hong Kong, with a population of 1.6 million, boasted 200 legal brothels with over 7,000 licensed prostitutes.[1] But in 1932, the Hong Kong government issued a ban on prostitution and three years later licensed prostitution ended. From that time on, prostitution was permitted within strict limits while prohibiting a whole host of activities surrounding prostitution, such as soliciting for sex and living off "immoral earnings" (working as a pimp).[2] Although organized prostitution is illegal, the industry had always depended on gangsters to recruit economically disadvantaged women who otherwise would never enter the profession voluntarily. Until the 1980s, most Hong Kong underground sex establishments were run by gangsters.[3] During the 1990s, however, Hong Kong saw a massive shift in the form of prostitution. There was an influx of "northern girls" from mainland China who worked as prostitutes illegally in Hong Kong on their short tourist visas;[4] local voluntary prostitutes also increased dramatically in number. As a result, gangsters could no longer make a profit by coercion and their controlling power declined.[3]
[edit] Types and venues
- Street hookers: they can be seen scatted along the pavements of Yau Ma Tei, Sham Shui Po, Tsuen Wan, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun. Usually pimps or gangsters are not involved and the prostitute would loiter in the street in search of customers. After a deal is struck, they would go to a love hotel for the service. Before the Asian financial crisis in 1998, street prostitutes would offer a set course of services for HK$400-450; after that, the set price is down to HK$200.[5]
- One-woman brothel (一樓一鳳 jat1 lau4 jat1 fung2 Yīlóu-yīfèng): by Hong Kong law it is illegal for two or more prostitutes to work in the same premise.[6] As a result, the most common form of legal prostitution in Hong Kong is the so-called one-woman brothel, where one woman receives customers in her apartment.[7] Sheung Shui in the New Territories is now one of the centers for the one-woman brothel trade.[7]
[edit] Migrant sex workers
Many migrant sex workers arrive on a short tourist visa and try to make as much as money as possible by prostituting illegally before leaving Hong Kong, some returning frequently. There are also "underground" organizations (such as Thai restaurants and escort bars) that arrange for foreign (usually Thai) and mainland girls to gain work in Hong Kong legally with an entertainment visa, but in fact they actually work in go-go bars in Wan Chai or other hostess clubs around Hong Kong.[8] Despite the more visible presence of Thai and Filipino sex workers in Hong Kong, the majority of migrant sex workers who come to Hong Kong are from mainland China. It is reported that with RMB10,000-20,000, mainland Chinese girls would normally secure a three-month visa. Other frequent or previously deported visitors might experience tight visa requirements and would normally obtain only seven-day visas.[9] Owing to the short stays and other expensive costs (to pay for the travel arrangements and cover the high cost of renting apartments, advertising etc. in Hong Kong), sex workers would exert all their energy and work from morning till night during their seven-day stay. The necessity to make money quickly also means that the sex workers are more likely to take risks.[10] Also if the sex workers are abused, they are less likely to seek redress from the relevant authorities.
Many mainland girls advertise their services on designated websites where they put their pictures, contact numbers and service charges. While they are in Hong Kong, they usually stay in three- or four-star hotels and provide their services there. Each visit takes about 50 minutes and costs about HK$600 to HK$1000.
[edit] Legal issues
Prostitution in Hong Kong is legal, but subject to various controls, mainly intended to keep it away from the public eye.[2] These controls are manifested in the form of prohibiting a whole host of activities surrounding prostitution, including soliciting and advertising for sex, working as pimps, running brothels and organized prostitution. For instance, by the Hong Kong legal code Chapter 200 Section 147, any person who "solicits for any immoral purpose" in a public place may receive a maximum penalty of HK$ 10,000 and six months' imprisonment. In practice, a woman on the street in certain areas well-known for streetwalkers such as Sham Shui Po might well be arrested even if seen smiling at a male passer-by.[2] Advertisement of sex services, including signboards, illuminated signs and posters, is also prohibited, and an offence may result in imprisonment for 12 months.[11]
Organized prostitution, in the form of directing "over another person for the purpose of... that person's prostitution", is forbidden by Section 130, and an offence may result in 14 years of imprisonment.[12] Sections 131 and 137, which are aimed at pimps, stipulate a jail sentence of seven years as the maximum penalty for "procuring another person to become a prostitute" and "living on earnings of prostitution of others".[13] Under Hong Kong law, it is also illegal to organize arrangement of sex deals for more than one woman; violators are subject to a HK$20,000 fine and seven years' imprisonment.[6] Therefore, if two women are found serving customers in the same apartment, it is an illegal brothel. This gives rise to the so-called "one-woman brothel" where one woman receives customers in her apartment, which is regulated by Section 141.[14] This is the most common form of legal prostitution in Hong Kong.[7]
[edit] Movies about prostitution in Hong Kong
- The World of Suzie Wong (1961)
- Call Girl 1988 (應召女郎一九八八 Yìngzhào Nǚláng Yījiǔbābā)
- Hong Kong Gigolo (香港舞男) (1990), starring Simon Yam
- Girls Without Tomorrow 1992 (現代應召女郎, 92應召女郎) (1992), starring Vivian Chow
- Call Girls '94 (94應召女郎) (1994)
- Durian Durian (榴槤飄飄, 榴槤飄香) (2000), directed by Fruit Chan
- Hollywood Hong-Kong (香港有個荷里活) (2001), directed by Fruit Chan
- Public Toilet (人民公廁) (2002), directed by Fruit Chan
- Golden Chicken (金雞) (2002), starring Sandra Ng
- Golden Chicken 2 (金雞2) (2004), starring Sandra Ng
[edit] Books about prostitution in Hong Kong
- Whispers and Moans: Interviews with the men and women of Hong Kong's sex industry by Yeeshan Yang (Blacksmith Books, 2006)
[edit] Notes
- ^ Yang, 52.
- ^ a b c Yang, 53.
- ^ a b Yang, 57.
- ^ Yang, 145.
- ^ Yang, 21.
- ^ a b Hong Kong legal code Chapter 200 Section 139 Keeping a vice establishment.
- ^ a b c Yang, 55.
- ^ Yang, 99.
- ^ Yang, 99-100.
- ^ Yang, 100.
- ^ Hong Kong legal code Chapter 200 Section 147A Prohibition of signs advertising prostitution.
- ^ Hong Kong legal code Chapter 200 Section 130 Control over persons for purpose of unlawful sexual intercourse or prostitution.
- ^ Hong Kong legal code Chapter 200 Section 131 Causing prostitution and Section 137 Living on earnings of prostitution of others.
- ^ Hong Kong legal code Chapter 200 Section 141 Permitting young person to resort to or be on premises or vessel for intercourse, prostitution, buggery or homosexual act.
[edit] References
- Yang, Yeeshan (2006). Whispers and Moans: Interviews with the men and women of Hong Kong's sex industry. Blacksmith Books. ISBN 962-86732-8-9.
- Bylingual Kaws Information System. Hong Kong SAR Government. Retrieved on 2008-02-08.
[edit] See also
[edit] External link
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