Don't Watch This: Confucius
You're hot then you're cold. What gives, North Korea?
China's sick healthcare system breeding antibiotic-resistant "superbugs"
Meet the Spanish pavilion's Miguelin: the first female Expo mascot?
Video: Riding down Da Jing Lu
In lieu of Women's Day, China Crossroads is highlighting women's issues in China including: women in the workplace, migrant women, reproductive health and sex workers.
The first article in the series, The Plight of China's Xiaojies, discusses the abuse, murder and lack of legal representation of China's sex workers. In an interview with China Newsweek Magazine, Zhao Jun, a leading scholar on the murder cases of China's women sex workers, a number of facts came to light about these marginalized members of society.
After 12 years as a police officer, Zhao pursued a post doctorate in sociology on the subject of the murder of female sex workers. For over a decade, the 38-year-old scholar collected and studied xiaojie homicides. He gained first hand knowledge about a social issue that has been largely ignored by speaking the sex workers in a friendly way in restaurants, foot massage parlors, KTV or football fields.
Zhao Jun's study detailed cases from medium-sized cities and coastal cities with a relatively higher degree of development.
Some interesting points from the interview:
- Sex work in China is illegal and xiaojie homicides are frequent (40% of murder cases in Beijing were xiaojies).
- There is no specific xiaojie victim case category or statistics in the public security organs.
- Xiaojie murder cases are not classified in China’s criminal record books.
- In cases where the murderer is found, the punishment is weak for all involved, exacerbating the likelihood of future murders.
- Xiaojies won’t call the police after being assaulted, robbed or kidnapped because under the current legal system, they will fined 5000 RMB, incarcerated for 10 to 15 days or face reeducation through labor for up to two years.
- The murder of xiaojies is one of the most difficult types of criminal cases for the police because xiaojies often have fake identities and are often unwilling to disclose information during an investigation.
- Xiaojies’ contact with unspecific, highly mobile customers makes it difficult to target suspects.
- The failure to xiaojies’ legal rights reflects mainstream discrimination and ignorance towards marginalized groups: their work is marginalized and underground, so too are their rights.
- Most xiaojie murders are not premeditated, but take place when customers quarrel over the price. Customers have been known to smother xiaojies because they are afraid to let people know what they have been doing.
- Rather than police, most xiaojies turn to their bosses, family or friends for help.China’s emergency dialing phone number, 110, does not work for them.
- Xiaojie bosses don't want police intervention for fear of being sentenced to 5 years imprisonment, criminal detention or the death penalty. Therefore, if the victim makes a report, the boss faces even greater risk.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
post to facebook
brilliant article. more of these type stories please.
Agree. Zhao Jun's work is a definite credit to society.
Maybe that will make some guys think twice before they go for their "happy finish"...It's not happy for everyone, guys.
I appreciate that Zhao Jun has chosen to investigate this issue and share his findings about these marginalized members of society.
He's addressing not just an issue that China has, but a global one. Prostitution is the oldest trade on earth. And like it or not, prostitutes provide a necessary social service to society.
Especially in a country like China that has a higher ratio of men to women, prostitution is not going to disappear, so the only way to protect these women is be legalizing prostitution in order to give prostitutes legal rights.
Although there are "hairdressing" shops on every street in China, prostitution technically does not exist. Which means that prostitutes don't technically exist, which means that if a prostitute is murdered, it technically didn't happen.
I'm reading China Underground, Zachery Mexico's new book (fyi, he's at the lit fest next week). Mexico writes:
"While prostitution is technically illegal in China, it is also preposterously pervasive. Some estimate that one of every ten women in China earns her living as a prostitute, as she has few other lucrative options--that's nearly 70 million people."
In countries that have legalized prostitution, there have been proven increase in condom use, reduced spread of sexually transmitted diseases and more safety for prostitutes. Legalization is not about morally supporting an issue, it's about regulating, controlling and protecting something that can't be stopped.
just remember that every five minutes somewhere in China, a woman is being exploited.....and quite frankly she is getting rather sick and tired of it.
Same case at Hong Kong. I happen to know a girl, she told me they they are very worried about their safty. As they was robbed at their place very often. And many times, the guys aim that they can't make a police report.