Government crackdown of sex work in China: Responses from female sex workers and implications for their health

Abstract

The Chinese Government periodically enforces anti-prostitution laws through regular police presence in red light districts and through the arrests of brothel managers and sex workers. One of the most intense crackdowns on prostitution occurred throughout China in 2010. Using the ‘structure-agency’ framework and ethnographic approach, this paper examines the influence of the 2010 government anti-prostitution crackdown on female sex workers (FSWs). We observed 10 red light districts (6 cities and 2 counties) and interviewed 107 FSWs, 26 managers and 37 outreach workers working with FSWs. The findings describe variations in police practices and diverse strategies adopted by FSWs in response to police actions. The strategies include: soliciting sex outside of establishments in less visible channels, increasing the mobility and flexibility of sex work, changing sexual practices, sharing knowledge of how to identify policemen disguised as male clients and building personal relationships with local police. Our study suggests that, rather than disappearing as a result of crackdowns, the terms and content of sex work changed as a result of the FSWs' responses to police practices. Some of these responses potentially increased the health risks associated with sex work, but others laid the foundation for an effective response to police practices.

Keywords:

• China
• female sex worker
• anti-prostitution
• HIV/STI
• violence

Acknowledgements

This paper was presented in draft form at the Sex Work in Asia: Health, Agency and Sexuality Conference at the Harvard University Asia Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts in October 2010. We appreciate Suzanne Maman, Kate Muessig and Joanna Davis for thorough review and editing and Derek Hird for detailed review on the draft version. We thank all the reviewers for their thoughtful comments. Finally, we are deeply grateful to all the women, managers and grassroots groups who kindly participated in this study.

Funding

We acknowledge financial support from the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, the Research Funds of Renmin University of China [10XNJ059] and writing support from Partnership for Social Science Research on HIV/AIDS in China [NICHD R24 HD056670].

Additional information

Funding

Funding: We acknowledge financial support from the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, the Research Funds of Renmin University of China [10XNJ059] and writing support from Partnership for Social Science Research on HIV/AIDS in China [NICHD R24 HD056670].