Girls who go on compensated dates are finding their clients in new and more obscure ways, such as through online game chat rooms. And to avoid attention from police and the media - with their blatant advertisements on internet forums gradually being driven out - they are also seeking new clients among the friends of existing clients.
These are the findings of a survey conducted since June by the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and prostitutes concern group Zi Teng to find out the latest developments in the shady world of compensated dating, which involves girls being paid to go on dates that often involve sex.
About 20 girls were involved in the survey and two-thirds said they took part in compensated dating because they had run into serious financial trouble because, for example, their parents did not give them money.
A third said they did it to satisfy materialistic desires, such as wanting to buy luxury-brand products.
DAB lawmaker Starry Lee Wai-king called on society to help such girls get back on the right track.
Although all the girls surveyed had suffered injuries of different severity from their activities, only one had contacted the police; the rest were afraid of getting arrested when they were discovered to be involved in compensated dating, the survey found.