Beijing Massage Parlors: China’s Prostitutes Rally For Legalization
Ye Haiyan, a sex worker and single mother in Hubei province, was detained Sunday by plain-clothes officers for several days for organizing the group, which carried banners, collected signatures and called for an end to the persecution of sex workers. She is being held at “a resort” for “two to three days of studies.”
Having launched the Chinese Women’s Rights Workshop — which distributes condoms and HIV prevention brochures to local brothels — Ye said legislation would protect sex workers’ health and stem trafficking and corruption. “Brothels are not cheap places. Most consumers are quite rich and spend a lot usually. So where is the money coming from? If prostitution was legalized, such income could be more transparent,” she told The Guardian .
The World Health Organization estimates that China has around 4 million sex workers, but other sources suggest the figure is higher, with many hotels, hairdressers, massage parlors and karaoke bars known to serve as false fronts for such activity. In June, Chongqing’s Hilton Hotel was closed for several days after police raided a basement bar.
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