Ah Yim heads a non-governmental organisation called Zi Teng in Hong Kong. She founded the group in 1997 to research and represent Hong Kong's sex workers. Ah Yim's group uses the term 'sex worker' as opposed to 'prostitute' intentionally, because of the pejorative implications of the latter word; by using this term, there remains no doubt that Zi Teng regards prostitute women as workers, rather than lazy nymphomaniacs, a common perception promoted by mass media. ALU visited Ah Yim in her Prince Edward office and conducted the following interview.

ALU: Why did you call the organisation Zi Teng, and how many staff do you have?

Ah Yim: The translation for Zi Teng is Chinese wisteria, a very common and beautiful flower. The name sounds good, and we thought it was an appropriate name considering the work of our group. There are four full-time staff; I am the director, there are two sex worker organisers, and one researcher.

ALU: How did you become involved in this work?

Ah Yim: I was a community organiser at a workers' drop-in centre run by the Hong Kong Chinese Industrial Committee, an NGO closely involved with labour in China and Hong Kong. One day I discovered that a friend of mine whose husband had died had become a prostitute. I was quite shocked, but she asked me, "What is so different about you and I? We both do eight hours a day, and we both are paid for those hours, so I am a worker just like you." This gave me much food for thought, and I could not refute her argument, so after a while, Zi Teng was formed to help fight for these workers' rights. When I asked her why she did this work instead of seeking regular work, she gave me two reasons. First and foremost the money is better, and second although her husband was dead, her body still had physical needs, and sometimes sex with a client could be very satisfying.

As I became more involved with Zi Teng, I discovered my friend was not unique, and that sex workers sometimes enjoyed having sex with some clients, and even preferred them to husbands or boyfriends. Some of the clients are very pleasant also.

ALU: Who are the sex workers?

Ah Yim: The vast majority are young women. Most have entered the industry because of financial problems, and many are middle-aged single mothers, now superfluous to the labour market. They work hard to raise their children with no help from society or government. Recent economic conditions are driving them to desperation, because even sex work no longer brings in enough cash to cover their basic costs of living, and the government neglects them while their problems keep growing.

Of course these things are always open to argument, but I personally believe that all people whose work involves sex are sex workers, including workers in pornography, blue films, trafficking, striptease, phone sex, and escorts whether or not they have sex with their clients. Children and men also fall within my definition. Work is work no matter who performs it, so some people may consider it immoral, but to me it is still work. However, some sex workers themselves feel that it is not work.

One aspect of our culture stresses a link between love and sex, particularly to girls. So some of them grow up and become sex workers but feel very guilty about it. Until recently children of single women or women who were not sure who was the father of a child were objects of institutionalised discrimination. Their birth certificates used to describe such children as 'illegitimate', but the registration criteria were changed in 1991, now just the mother's name can be entered as the sole parent.

ALU: How many sex workers are in Hong Kong, who are they and how much money do they earn?

Ah Yim: Including all the categories I gave you before, I estimate there are around 100,000 altogether. Only about half of these are Hong Kong nationals. During the 1980s, sex workers were recruited from Asia, especially Thailand and China, and eastern Europe. After the Soviet Union collapsed, many also started arriving from the member states.

There are sex workers at the top of the market who make a lot of money, but most sex workers are just scraping a living. HK$250 (about US$30) is the standard rate for a one hour session.

ALU: What about AIDS?

Ah Yim: Most sex workers know about AIDS, and how to prevent it by insisting on using a condom. But Hong Kong business is bad in general at present. Many clients do not seem to understand the danger, and offer more money or say they will go to another sex worker who does not insist on wearing a condom. This puts pressure on the workers to risk AIDS infection just to make income.

Another aspect is husbands and boyfriends of sex workers. Because they are not clients, they seem to think it is safe to have unprotected sex. This is not true, and is dangerous to both the sex worker and her partner - neither of them can know if the other has had unprotected sex with someone else. Clients' wives and partners are also at great risk from catching AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases. Usually they have no idea their partner is seeing sex workers, and have unprotected sex believing it to be completely safe.

ALU: Are there any other serious problems?

Ah Yim: In Hong Kong, sex workers are not protected by labour laws, because the government does not acknowledge this industry as work. Sex work itself is not illegal, but soliciting is, and the police try to stop sex workers operating in residential areas. They harass workers and clients. Sometimes the police beat workers; sometimes they reveal their identity after having sex with a sex worker, then threaten to make false charges against the worker unless she waives the fee.

Life is difficult as the workers age. Men prefer younger women, so older sex workers must reduce their fees, sometimes as low as HK$50 (around US$6). There is an AIDS clinic in Hong Kong, but because of prejudice, and a lack of information and education, the neighbours object to it, and it has caused a serious localised social problem.

ALU: Are the sex workers employed or self-employed?

Ah Yim: Most street workers are on their own and are self-employed, though some of them do not consider this as work.

Those who work in 'one-girl apartments' are also self-employed, but they are controlled by the triads and must pay them HK$1,000 (US$130) per day, which is the equivalent of four 'tricks' before they can even think about paying the rent or buying food.

The rest are controlled by pimps or work in Karaokes, night clubs, striptease shows, massage parlours, and saunas, and can be regarded as employed.

ALU: Have you noticed any changes since setting up Zi Teng, and how could things be improved?

Ah Yim: There is still a lot of prejudice against sex workers. People are more aware of their problems, and many people now regard them as workers in the service sector. But there is still a long way to go. Because the public in general only has superficial understanding about sex work, it is commonly held that sex workers get what they deserve when they are unjustly treated by the authorities or suffer violence from clients and police. Workers from social service departments also discriminate against them when they realise they are sex workers. There are no provisions for them socially or legally, thus depriving them of rights and human dignity. Zi Teng would like the government to abolish two laws which the police use regularly - "Letting premises for use as a vice establishment" is used to harass workers in one-girl apartments.

Police enter these apartments, claiming to check up on the licenses, knowing that no one-girl apartment workers are licensed. They also stand in lobbies where they know there are sex workers and scare away the clients to take away their business. When they allow other sex workers to use their apartments when ill or have their menstrual period, the police charge workers with "Living on earnings of prostitution of others" and "Tenants permitting premises to be used for prostitution". This is all aimed at stopping sex workers from working.

Because they work alone they are subject to violence and robbery, yet when they call the police for protection, they are ignored. Police also use the sexual services, but then refuse to pay - who can protect them from abuse by the police?

The other law which should be abolished is "Soliciting for immoral purposes" which is used to prosecute street workers. The police are allowed to charge anyone if they suspect her verbal or body language, or facial expression. Interpretation of such is purely subjective, giving the police unfair advantage, and is wide open to misuse and bigotry. For example, one sex worker was charged while she was out shopping because the policeman involved already knew her occupation.

It is common for the police to charge workers with soliciting after they frame them by posing as clients and asking for sex. Sometimes they even arrest workers on trumped up charges, backed by statements from clients obtained by police threats against the customers.

A strong union would be invaluable, but registration is impossible because the authorities will not categorise prostitution as work.

As I said, sex work is not illegal in Hong Kong. The authorities claim that some laws stop exploitation and control of people by third parties, but their effect is to push sex workers into poorer working conditions, creating a very seedy public image and marginalising them even more.

In the police stations sex workers are intimidated into signing false statements which incriminate themselves.

Prejudices of judges and the legal profession mean that workers will not have fair treatment in court whether they are defendants or plaintiffs. In one case, a judge refused to accept a defendant's statement after she declared she was a sex worker. In another case where a client assaulted a sex worker in a Karaoke, the judge 'reasoned' his behaviour did not constitute an offence, because the woman was not a virgin!

Such examples are common and deny sex workers' legal right to protection under the law. It is completely unjust to lose ones' rights because of involvement in the sex industry.

ALU: It sounds like a real mountain to climb.

Ah Yim: There is much to do, but we are not hopeless. In order to achieve the rights of sex workers and improve their working conditions, a group of sex workers have expressed their difficulties and demands to members of the Legislative Council and the Chief Executive, and will meet officials from the relevant department soon. At the same time, others have had meetings with groups of single mothers, students and so on. Sharing their experiences like this gives the public more understanding of their working conditions and helps to fight prejudice and discrimination.

Zi Teng helps with the struggle for rights and legal protection. Sex workers should be respected and receive fair treatment in a modern society.