Last night, I arrived really early to a prayer meeting at my church. So, I went across the street to a cheap noodle shop.
I got inside, ordered beef noodles, and since it was a bit crowded, I sat at a table with another guy. He was in his 30's. We started talking, and I found out that he had grown up in this neighborhood, and was now an officer at the local police station.
We chatted a bit about Hong Kong, and he talked about how lousy Hong Kong's government is. But, I really wanted to ask him about the area where he works in Wanchai, and specifically about the neighborhood around Hong Kong's world-famous bar district on Lockhart Road. Incidentally, it's right by Hong Kong's largest police station.
I asked him, "As a police officer, what is the biggest problem you see in the neighborhood?"
"There are always many events and gatherings, so traffic is a big problem."
Coincidentally, I had also been thinking about the traffic problem--just not that kind of traffic.
"Anything else?"
"In the bars, there is a lot of drugs. This is a problem."
Drugs in Hong Kong...that could have been an interesting conversation. But, I didn't know when I'd have another opportunity to talk with a police officer about sex trafficking in Hong Kong. So, I went for it.
"Okay. I know people who say that there are many prostitutes at the bars on Lockhart Road who do not want to work there."
He lifted up his finger energetically. "Oh, no! No problem. There are no under-age. All of them are legal age."
He meant that most of the prostitutes on Lockhart Road are 18 or older. Unfortunately, most of them are also foreigners, employed for bar work and sex work. This is sex trafficking, and it's definitely not legal.
Just to clarify--in talking with the officer, I assumed that he didn't know that, according to Hong Kong law, hiring someone from abroad for a job that involves sex work is considered sex trafficking. Hong Kong law actually has a fairly reasonable definition of this crime--but these laws are rarely enforced.
"Oh, no under-age? That's good. But I hear that there are many women who have a six-month contract, and they are only paid for 2 or 3 months. They get tricked, and their employers or agencies lie to them about their expenses."
"No, their boss and work agency has to explain to them."
"So, they all understand what they are getting into?
"Yes, they must know before they come."
In fact, many prostitutes do know what they're getting into before they come. In fact, there are many who come to Hong Kong on a six-month contract, go back to the Philippines or Thailand, and then return again. Sometimes they bring a friend or a sister with them! As bad as it sounds, there are certainly worse places to be a prostitute than in Hong Kong.
But, there are also many young women who come here and have no idea that they will be conned out of half their wages. And there's nothing they can do. After all, it's just a temp job, and things don't always work out your way, right? It's just tough luck.
I continued talking with the officer. "Well, I hope they know. But, of course, most prostitutes in Hong Kong are in massage parlors, not on the streets, right?"
He looked confused, and surprised. Eventually, he slowly said, "There are some places that are not legal."
I tried to look laid-back and matter-of-fact as I explained, "Yeah, just like any big city, you might have 90% of prostitutes hidden away inside massage parlors and other businesses, and just a few out on the sidewalks."
I'm really not sure why he had to leave so suddenly. But he had already finished his noodles, and didn't seem to be enjoying the conversation nearly as much as I was.
Anyway, after he left, I paid for my noodles, and went up to the prayer meeting. A few people gather at my church weekly to pray for an end to sex trafficking in Hong Kong. We prayed for Hong Kong's government, especially members of the judicial system.We also prayed for the police officers of Hong Kong (and for one in particular).
--
I read last year about some sex workers going to four different police stations in Hong Kong, to notify police that a prostitute had been raped. The policemen's response at all four stations was the same.
They laughed.
I don't have the exact wording, but the idea was: "How can you rape a prostitute? That's their job, right?"
Well...it's hard to know how to answer that, if you're talking with people who don't believe that prostitutes are full human persons, who share a common dignity with every other member of society.
But it's not just the average Hong Kong police officer who doesn't believe that prostitutes are worthy of having their dignity respected. Most cultures see prostitutes as women who just really want to have sex and make a lot of money. That's a problem. Because it's usually just not true.
Back to Hong Kong police culture, though. If the police were to develop a more humane attitude towards prostitutes (and towards women in general), then the sex trafficking industry would...
Well, it would be ruined, wouldn't it?
Let's make people a little uncomfortable, and ruin things for Hong Kong's sex trafficking industry.
I got inside, ordered beef noodles, and since it was a bit crowded, I sat at a table with another guy. He was in his 30's. We started talking, and I found out that he had grown up in this neighborhood, and was now an officer at the local police station.
We chatted a bit about Hong Kong, and he talked about how lousy Hong Kong's government is. But, I really wanted to ask him about the area where he works in Wanchai, and specifically about the neighborhood around Hong Kong's world-famous bar district on Lockhart Road. Incidentally, it's right by Hong Kong's largest police station.
I asked him, "As a police officer, what is the biggest problem you see in the neighborhood?"
"There are always many events and gatherings, so traffic is a big problem."
Coincidentally, I had also been thinking about the traffic problem--just not that kind of traffic.
"Anything else?"
"In the bars, there is a lot of drugs. This is a problem."
Drugs in Hong Kong...that could have been an interesting conversation. But, I didn't know when I'd have another opportunity to talk with a police officer about sex trafficking in Hong Kong. So, I went for it.
"Okay. I know people who say that there are many prostitutes at the bars on Lockhart Road who do not want to work there."
He lifted up his finger energetically. "Oh, no! No problem. There are no under-age. All of them are legal age."
He meant that most of the prostitutes on Lockhart Road are 18 or older. Unfortunately, most of them are also foreigners, employed for bar work and sex work. This is sex trafficking, and it's definitely not legal.
Just to clarify--in talking with the officer, I assumed that he didn't know that, according to Hong Kong law, hiring someone from abroad for a job that involves sex work is considered sex trafficking. Hong Kong law actually has a fairly reasonable definition of this crime--but these laws are rarely enforced.
"Oh, no under-age? That's good. But I hear that there are many women who have a six-month contract, and they are only paid for 2 or 3 months. They get tricked, and their employers or agencies lie to them about their expenses."
"No, their boss and work agency has to explain to them."
"So, they all understand what they are getting into?
"Yes, they must know before they come."
In fact, many prostitutes do know what they're getting into before they come. In fact, there are many who come to Hong Kong on a six-month contract, go back to the Philippines or Thailand, and then return again. Sometimes they bring a friend or a sister with them! As bad as it sounds, there are certainly worse places to be a prostitute than in Hong Kong.
But, there are also many young women who come here and have no idea that they will be conned out of half their wages. And there's nothing they can do. After all, it's just a temp job, and things don't always work out your way, right? It's just tough luck.
I continued talking with the officer. "Well, I hope they know. But, of course, most prostitutes in Hong Kong are in massage parlors, not on the streets, right?"
He looked confused, and surprised. Eventually, he slowly said, "There are some places that are not legal."
I tried to look laid-back and matter-of-fact as I explained, "Yeah, just like any big city, you might have 90% of prostitutes hidden away inside massage parlors and other businesses, and just a few out on the sidewalks."
I'm really not sure why he had to leave so suddenly. But he had already finished his noodles, and didn't seem to be enjoying the conversation nearly as much as I was.
Anyway, after he left, I paid for my noodles, and went up to the prayer meeting. A few people gather at my church weekly to pray for an end to sex trafficking in Hong Kong. We prayed for Hong Kong's government, especially members of the judicial system.We also prayed for the police officers of Hong Kong (and for one in particular).
--
I read last year about some sex workers going to four different police stations in Hong Kong, to notify police that a prostitute had been raped. The policemen's response at all four stations was the same.
They laughed.
I don't have the exact wording, but the idea was: "How can you rape a prostitute? That's their job, right?"
Well...it's hard to know how to answer that, if you're talking with people who don't believe that prostitutes are full human persons, who share a common dignity with every other member of society.
But it's not just the average Hong Kong police officer who doesn't believe that prostitutes are worthy of having their dignity respected. Most cultures see prostitutes as women who just really want to have sex and make a lot of money. That's a problem. Because it's usually just not true.
Back to Hong Kong police culture, though. If the police were to develop a more humane attitude towards prostitutes (and towards women in general), then the sex trafficking industry would...
Well, it would be ruined, wouldn't it?
Let's make people a little uncomfortable, and ruin things for Hong Kong's sex trafficking industry.
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