(Han-)Chinese Cultural Appropriation of Sexual Legal Politics: Postcolonial Discourse on Law Controlling Sex Work in Hong Kong

2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 547-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Man-Chung Chiu

AbstractHong Kong law, following the Anglo-American liberal legal private/public dichotomy, through decriminalization, imposes strict regulations on the development of the sex work industry. The legal regulations, besides failing to suppress the industry, reproduce a context where female sex workers are (re)pathologized and (re)marginalized by the mainstream patriarchal society. In the article, I will critically examine the underlying theories of the contemporary Hong Kong legal discourse from both the Lacanian psychoanalytic and Buddhist vijnanamatra perspectives, and argue that the Foucauldian resistance subverting the patriarchal agenda on the representation of the sex work industry could be reproduced and localized within the specific cultural context of Hong Kong, which is a predominately (Han-)Chinese society.

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
William C.W. Wong ◽  
Eleanor Holroyd ◽  
Amie Bingham

Author(s):  
Haixia Ma ◽  
Alice Yuen Loke

Abstract Background Hong Kong has gained a good reputation for its quality public health care services. However, there is a growing recognition that social stigma is a potential obstacle when female sex workers (FSWs) access health care services. There are a lack of studies focusing on how FSWs experience and cope with stigma when accessing health care services in Hong Kong. Objective This study aims to explore how FSWs experience stigma and develop coping strategies when accessing health care services in Hong Kong. Methods This is a qualitative interview study. Staff of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that serve sex workers in Hong Kong facilitated the process of recruiting the participants. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with 22 FSWs, focusing on their experiences of stigma and coping strategies when accessing health care services. A directed content analysis approach was adopted to analyze the data. Results The interview data can be grouped into three themes: experience of stigma in the health care setting; coping with the stigma of sex work; and the call for non-judgmental holistic health care. Conclusion This study contributes to an understanding of the experience of stigma and stigma coping strategies of FSWs when accessing health care services in Hong Kong. stigma remains an important issue for a large proportion of FSWs when they seek timely professional help, openly disclose their sex work identity, and receive comprehensive health care services. The study also highlights the need to address multiple healthcare needs of FSWs beyond STDs. Moreover, the study contributes to increasing awareness of, and respect for, the human right of FSWs to receive non-discriminatory health services.


AIDS Care ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1031-1039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phoenix K. H. Mo ◽  
Winnie W. S. Mak ◽  
Yvonne T. Y. Kwok ◽  
Meiqi Xin ◽  
Charlie W. L. Chan ◽  
...  

2001 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Romans ◽  
Kathleen Potter ◽  
Judy Martin ◽  
Peter Herbison

Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare the mental and physical health, adult abuse experiences and social networks of female sex workers with data previously collected from two large community samples of age-matched women. Method: A convenience sample of sex workers were interviewed and completed two wellestablished questionnaires, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and the Intimate Bond Measure (IBM). Sex workers were invited to reflect on their experiences of their work. Results: There were no differences in mental health on the GHQ-28 or in self-esteem (measured by an item on the Present State Examination) between the two groups. Neither were there any differences in their assessment of their physical health or the quality of their social networks. Sex workers were less likely to be married and had been exposed to more adult physical and sexual abuse than the comparison group. They were more likely to smoke and to drink heavily when they drank. One-third said that their general practitioner was not aware of their work. A subgroup not working with regular clients or in a massage parlour had higher GHQ-28 scores and may be an at-risk group. Narrative information about the work, particularly its intermittent nature, is presented. Conclusions: No evidence was found that sex work and increased adult psychiatric morbidity are inevitably associated, although there may be subgroups of workers with particular problems. The illegal and stigmatized nature of sex work are likely to make usual public health strategies more difficult to apply, considerations which should give concern from a preventive health standpoint.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raluca Buzdugan ◽  
Shiva S. Halli ◽  
Jyoti M. Hiremath ◽  
Krishnamurthy Jayanna ◽  
T. Raghavendra ◽  
...  

HIV prevalence in India remains high among female sex workers. This paper presents the main findings of a qualitative study of the modes of operation of female sex work in Belgaum district, Karnataka, India, incorporating fifty interviews with sex workers. Thirteen sex work settings (distinguished by sex workers' main places of solicitation and sex) are identified. In addition to previously documented brothel, lodge, street,dhaba(highway restaurant), and highway-based sex workers, under-researched or newly emerging sex worker categories are identified, including phone-based sex workers, parlour girls, and agricultural workers. Women working in brothels, lodges,dhabas, and on highways describe factors that put them at high HIV risk. Of these,dhabaand highway-based sex workers are poorly covered by existing interventions. The paper examines the HIV-related vulnerability factors specific to each sex work setting. The modes of operation and HIV-vulnerabilities of sex work settings identified in this paper have important implications for the local programme.


2015 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipak Suryawanshi ◽  
Varun Sharma ◽  
Niranjan Saggurti ◽  
Shalini Bharat

SummaryFemale sex workers (FSWs) are vulnerable to HIV infection. Their socioeconomic and behavioural vulnerabilities are crucial push factors for movement for sex work. This paper assesses the factors associated with the likelihood of movement of sex workers from their current place of work. Data were derived from a cross-sectional survey conducted among 5498 mobile FSWs in 22 districts of high in-migration across four states in southern India. A multinomial logit model was constructed to predict the likelihood of FSWs moving from their current place of work. Ten per cent of the sampled mobile FSWs were planning to move from their current place of sex work. Educational attainment, marital status, income at current place of work, debt, sexual coercion, experience of violence and having tested for HIV and collected the results were found to be significant predictors of the likelihood of movement from the current place of work. Consistent condom use with different clients was significantly low among those planning to move. Likewise, the likelihood of movement was significantly higher among those who had any STI symptom in the last six months and those who had a high self-perceived risk of HIV. The findings highlight the need to address factors associated with movement among mobile FSWs as part of HIV prevention and access to care interventions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 92 (8) ◽  
pp. 593-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela M Parcesepe ◽  
Kelly L L'Engle ◽  
Sandra L Martin ◽  
Sherri Green ◽  
Chirayath Suchindran ◽  
...  

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