Reflections | ‘Brothels in Malaysia … No way,’ a government minister said, yet in imperial China sex workers were regulated and divided into 6 classes
- A recent suggestion that sex workers be made available to male foreigners in Malaysia, especially married ones there alone, was shot down by officials
- Imperial China recognised six categories of sex worker, from those in the imperial palace who were principally entertainers, to ‘hidden prostitutes’.
The suggestion made in a podcast that sex workers should be made available for male foreigners in Malaysia, especially married ones whose wives are not with them, was swiftly rebuffed by government ministers.
Sex work is as old as humanity itself, as are the strong sentiments that it provokes. It continues to exist, even in places with strict anti-prostitution laws.
In some countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands and Singapore, the laws reflect a more pragmatic approach, in which the state regulates the activity in varying degrees, from requiring sex workers to undergo regular health screenings to taxing their incomes.
Prostitution is illegal in China, but this wasn’t always the case. For thousands of years, the Chinese state had regulated sex work in different ways.