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Coronavirus: ‘I don’t want to infect my children,’ says Hong Kong sex worker
A sex worker in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. File photo
Cici, a mother of two young girls, has been a sex worker in Hong Kong for about four years. But she is now struggling to make ends meet in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
“I never experienced such poor business,” says Cici, who is in her 30s.
Since January when the first case of the was discovered in Hong Kong, residents have embraced social distancing, with many staying in their homes and rarely venturing out. That has led to a dramatic drop in Cici’s daily wages.
“Previously, I could earn HK$1,000 a day, now I don’t even have one customer a day,” says Cici.
A flat occupied by prostitutes working in one-woman brothels in Kowloon City.
Every day now brings anxiety for Cici. Not only because of money concerns, but also because she knows she is at risk of contracting the disease. “Any customer could be infected and I always worry … I don’t want to infect my children,” says Cici, who works in a one-woman brothel in Kowloon.
Sex workers like Cici are not only highly exposed to the virus, which has already infected more than two million people across the globe, but because of quarantine and lockdown measures they also have limited access to clinics and support groups. That leaves them more vulnerable, both to sexually transmitted diseases and exploitation.
- Sex workers are facing greater health risks and violence amid the pandemic – and their income is drying up
A sex worker in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. File photo
Cici, a mother of two young girls, has been a sex worker in Hong Kong for about four years. But she is now struggling to make ends meet in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
“I never experienced such poor business,” says Cici, who is in her 30s.
Since January when the first case of the was discovered in Hong Kong, residents have embraced social distancing, with many staying in their homes and rarely venturing out. That has led to a dramatic drop in Cici’s daily wages.
“Previously, I could earn HK$1,000 a day, now I don’t even have one customer a day,” says Cici.
A flat occupied by prostitutes working in one-woman brothels in Kowloon City.
Every day now brings anxiety for Cici. Not only because of money concerns, but also because she knows she is at risk of contracting the disease. “Any customer could be infected and I always worry … I don’t want to infect my children,” says Cici, who works in a one-woman brothel in Kowloon.
Sex workers like Cici are not only highly exposed to the virus, which has already infected more than two million people across the globe, but because of quarantine and lockdown measures they also have limited access to clinics and support groups. That leaves them more vulnerable, both to sexually transmitted diseases and exploitation.
