Data Base

Sex Work and CCTV

(By Loren)

When I first went to the one-sex worker-apartments for outreach, I found that every unit (yes, every unit) had a closed-circuit television installed at the door. When we knocked, sometimes sex workers might not answer the door, so we waved to the camera to show kindness, some of them then changed their mind and opened the door for us. What kind of environment makes them so scared?

Because of the restrictions of the Hong Kong law, sex workers have to operate in this kind of "one-sex worker-apartments", meaning working all alone in individual units. In such an isolated working environment, one must protect oneself, and one of the methods is to "select clients" through closed-circuit television and refuse to open the door to anyone suspicious. After all, if a guy comes with bad intention, it is difficult for a left alone woman to resist.

In Hong Kong, which is supposed to be one of the most secure cities in the world, isn’t it ironic that there is a group of people who have to totally rely on themselves to ensure their personal safety at work?