Although prostitution is technically illegal in China, freelance sex workers
operate openly throughout the country at every level of society, the
International Herald Tribune reports. They work in bars and state-owned hotels
as well as in poor neighborhoods.
Although open prostitution in China is common today, it was nearly nonexistent
a quarter of a century ago, reports Asian studies scholar Jinghao Zhou in
China: an International Journal.
The recent resurgence of prostitution, he says, comes from economic changes
that have taken place in China over the last three decades -- rapid
urbanization due to globalization, and the reform of China's market economy.
Sociology and AIDS Policy Professor Jing Jun told the Washington Post that
China's thriving sex trade is tied to the country's poor economy. "A lot of
these women send half their income back to support their families," he said.
"Prostitution is not fundamentally connected to a lack of values but a lack of
jobs, choices, opportunities and education."
Health experts worry about heightened medical risks for increasingly desperate
women -- some earning just over USD $1 per session -- who cannot afford to lose
clients. Fearing loss of business, many sex workers give in when their clients
refuse to wear a condom, according to the Post.
In 2006, less than 40 percent of sex workers used condoms according to Chinese
Center for Disease Control and Prevention surveys.
