Schoolgirls as young as 16 are being lured to work as prostitutes after being offered jobs as waitresses at Mongkok karaoke clubs.
Police say the teenagers are persuaded to work as hostesses - or so-called PR girls, who sing and drink with clients - after being told they could take home more than $1,000 a day. However, they earn as little as $50 per client and may have to work from 2pm to 4am.
The warning follows the arrest of 11 students, aged 16 to 17, in one week during undercover operations at three nightclubs. Police said some of the girls were recruited through newspaper ads, while others were introduced by friends.
Officers said the schoolgirls were encouraged to earn extra money working as hostesses after being offered summer jobs as waitresses with monthly salaries of between $6,000 and $7,000.
'PR girls are paid $100 an hour to sing and drink with clients. Of course, they allow their clients to touch their bodies,' a police source said. 'They can earn extra money by providing various sex services inside the [private] singing rooms.'
The girls receive only half the fee paid by clients for sex services, which can cost as little as $100.