In China, sex workers' lack of legal protection fans police abuse

One recent afternoon, 10 "working girls" gathered in a northern Chinese city at the offices of a non-governmental organisation, one of the few in the country that has dedicated itself to helping female sex workers. The women, mostly in their middle to late 30s, chatted away as they enjoyed a rare break from their daily grind at massage or beauty parlours. They come mostly from poverty-stricken villages in China's hinterland.

Organised by the NGO, the gathering was to commemorate International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and, more importantly, to share experiences and learn how to deal with the women's biggest problem - the police.

After the Communists took power in 1949, they launched a series of campaigns that succeeded in all but eliminating prostitution in China. However, prostitution has made a spectacular resurgence in the past two decades due to growing wealth and looser social controls, even though it is still illegal. Campaigns of "Sweeping away Yellow" (the colour representing prostitution) come and go in waves.

At the gathering, one woman from Sichuan tearfully described how a client got her drunk before raping her. When she complained to the owner of the massage parlour, the businesswoman blamed her for not having charged the client. "Yong Gan", the head of the NGO and a former prostitute herself, said that violence poses the biggest threat to sex workers. Some clients feel they can do whatever they want to the girls.

The vast majority of prostitutes in China work independently, without a pimp or organisation controlling them. That means there's no protection, either, from clients or the much more common threat - violence at the hands of the police.

One Hubei woman who calls herself Mei told how one night last month, three policemen raided her massage parlour and claimed to have found evidence that she had sold sex that night. Mei was taken to a police station and interrogated, but denied the charge. To force her to confess, she was hit and kicked before being sprayed with a high-pressure water jet.

After two of the policemen left, the third said that he was seeking money, and asked how much she could pay. Mei, knowing that it was common practice to pay a fine or bribe, said she could afford 2,000 yuan (HK$2,500). The policeman then coerced her into having sex before she was released the next morning. Mei thought that was the end of it but, a few days later, the officer turned up and demanded his money.