Men who pay for sex are main culprits in this sorry tale

It did not surprise me that girls are engaging in 'compensated dating' ('Kiss & sell', February 21) but what did alarm me was the age of the girls involved in this activity ['offering men paid companionship and sex']. What has happened to our society?

It is understandable that one of the girls involved, Sugar, is doing such a thing to help herself and her family but what I don't understand is that young girls are earning money in this way so they can buy expensive designer goods.

It seems to me that many Hong Kong youngsters want these designer items. They tend to be more fashion-conscious than their contemporaries in other parts of Asia, with the exception of Japan and Korea. The rich definitely can afford whatever they want but what about those who are poor? This problem must be tackled promptly as our future leaders are supposed to emerge from the younger generation. Surely, enough shame has already been heaped on Hong Kong with the nude-photos scandal?

The girls described in your article cannot distinguish between right and wrong. However, it is the men who pay for their services who are chiefly to blame. Why are they willing to destroy the lives of young girls? These men are old enough to know what they are doing. Why are they 'dating' a teenager? Maybe they need someone to talk to if they have had a quarrel with their wife or it makes them feel young again. However, it sickens me to think of men, in some cases, paying for the services of teenagers young enough to be their daughters. Perhaps it is time that we had more educational programmes on morals and sex.

We need to teach these young girls that what they are doing is not the right way to earn money. And more importantly, people who sought these services should think about dignity. I could not believe that one of the clients quoted had a master's degree. How would these men feel if they found that someone close to them was engaged in this sort of activity?

People engaged in this compensated dating are undermining our society.