Sunday, December 10, 2006
Hitting below the belt how they name and shame prostitutes and their customers in China
"A parade of prostitutes by police aimed at naming and shaming sex workers in southern china has sparked a backlash by an unusual coalition of lawyers, academics and the All-China Women's Federation.
As part of a two-month crackdown on vice in the cityof Shenzen, public security officers hauled about 100 women and some of their customers through the streets on November 29. Handcuffed and wearing yellow prison tunics, they attracted large crowds of onlookers. Although women tried to cover their faces with surgical masks, it was not enough to hide their identities because police revealed their names, home towns and dates of birth while publicly sentencing them to 15 days in prison.
In a sign of increased consciousness of individual v social rights the police were criticised for going too far."
My heart goes out to the people who were paraded on the streets of China. If that were to happen in the UK, the parade would be enormous.
What I find unusual, is that customers were part of the parade. Most of what I have read on crackdowns involves the providers being taken in, not the clients. Well, this is how they do it in China, sheesh!
Jonathan Watts of the Guardian newspaper writes:
Chinese anger at humiliation of prostitutes.
As part of a two-month crackdown on vice in the cityof Shenzen, public security officers hauled about 100 women and some of their customers through the streets on November 29. Handcuffed and wearing yellow prison tunics, they attracted large crowds of onlookers. Although women tried to cover their faces with surgical masks, it was not enough to hide their identities because police revealed their names, home towns and dates of birth while publicly sentencing them to 15 days in prison.
In a sign of increased consciousness of individual v social rights the police were criticised for going too far."
My heart goes out to the people who were paraded on the streets of China. If that were to happen in the UK, the parade would be enormous.
What I find unusual, is that customers were part of the parade. Most of what I have read on crackdowns involves the providers being taken in, not the clients. Well, this is how they do it in China, sheesh!
Jonathan Watts of the Guardian newspaper writes:
Chinese anger at humiliation of prostitutes.
Labels: China, guardian, News, Prostitutes, Stigma
