prostitution

Prostitute’s online AIDS confession – one big joke for the Chinese

Sophie Team Observers — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:05:54 +0200

The Chinese blogosphere was very excited last week after an alleged prostitute and HIV carrier published a blog post with the telephone numbers of 279 of her former clients, telling them "If your number is included, then congratulations, you've got AIDS". Instead of being appalled however, the Chinese blogosphere thought the whole thing rather amusing - a worrying indication of China's naive attitude towards the lethal virus.

Accompanied by numerous photos and videos, the self confessional and sordid tale of 29-old Yan Deli from Rongcheng County, Hubei Province, appeared online early last week. Before denouncing and exposing her alleged clients, the young woman explained that she had been sexually abused by her ‘old bastard' stepfather since the age of 15, and ended up doing odd jobs in Beijing before turning to prostitution. She goes into unmerited detail describing the sexually transmitted diseases she contracted through not using condoms, and about her various pregnancies, along with an ultrasound scan to prove it (see image below). The bitter story finishes with a list if 279 telephone numbers, and an invitation: "Beijing and Hubei friends, take a look, is your number listed?" (You can read an English translation in full here).

Images posted on the blog, along with the infamous list of numbers. Blurring by FRANCE 24.

By Thursday, the blog had been blocked by the authorities, and on Sunday (October 18), the police told newspaper China Daily that the tale was in fact an extreme case of revenge, concocted by the girl's ex-lover. But not before it had caught the attention of the national blogosphere. The reaction was unexpectedly jovial. Amongst comments posted on the Mop forum, one contributor jokes about being on the list, another about the declining professionalism of prostitution, and another about the poor quality of modern condoms. A few comments translated by ChinaSMACK:

"Satisfying ha ha! They can all die! Who told you guys to be shameless and go whoring!"

"Those who are on the list of phone numbers must have all fainted, he he."

"Will reading this thread infect me?"

How they protest prostitution in Ukraine

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:59:48 +0200

Their message - "Ukraine is no whorehouse". Their medium - anything from throwing cakes at sexists, challenging male tourists in the street, and getting naked in order to disrupt public ceremonies. Meet Kiev's controversial anti-prostitution activists.

The cost of living in Kiev is not cheap - not much less than in many western European capitals. And yet the average income, according to government statistics, is 300 euros a month. Coupled with lax visa laws for travellers, the conditions have led to the country's sex tourism industry becoming what is thought to be the biggest in Europe. It's no secret; websites like the one that calls itself "Ukraine's number one escort agency" - describe girls by exactly what they'll do in the bedroom, along with a list of prices. "Our escort Ukraine girls are open for all kinds of sex", they boast. Prostitution is supposed to be illegal.

FEMEN, the group of activists in question, says that the government is doing nothing to stop the practice. Which is why they're taking such drastic measures to bring attention to it. But are they the right ones? Give your opinion.

Iraq’s version of 'Sex, Lies and Videotape'

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:41:41 +0200

"For you, we'd sacrifice Al-Maliki". It's these words, recorded in a video of the Iraqi Trade Secretary's spokesperson addressing a prostitute, that are causing a racket on the Iraqi Web. Not great timing either; the man in question faces corruption allegations, part of a scandal that has led to the resignation of his boss.

The unfolding saga is worthy of a Hollywood script: corruption, debauchery, death threats, selling off of out-of-date food (ok, maybe not that bit...). The only difference is that the main players are no posse of wheelers and dealers, but Iraq's very own trade minister and his aids.

A member of Maliki's leading Shiite Dawa party, Abdul Falah as-Soudany denies all involvement in the embezzlement and corruption scandal and accuses discontented staff members and political rivals of scheming his demise. His reputation in ruins however, the disgraced minister handed over his resignation to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Monday.

At the beginning of the month two of the minister's brothers and his spokesman were accused of accepting bribes in exchange for food import contracts. When security forces were sent to the ministry to arrest the suspects, guards at the building fired into the air in order to baffle them - leaving time for the as-Soudany brothers to escape. One of them was later stopped at a roadblock, carrying a large sum of money and several identity cards.

Grace, 27, stripper

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:47:45 +0200

Photo: Bruno Netto

Grace is 27. She's a stripper in a Texas club. Two years ago, she started a blog about her day-to-day life, telling tales far from the glamorous clichés of porno-chic bars. And she discovered a talent. Her writing is polished and to the point. Sometimes sad, but not always. She tells her story to the Observers.

The saddest peep show in the world

Julien — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:21:25 +0200

These desperate migrant workers from southeast China, who often leave their wives behind to find work, are reduced to paying women ten cents to see their private parts.

The photos, taken in Nanchang city in southeast China, have been circulating on the Chinese blogosphere since they were posted on an online discussion forum on March 27. Taken with a camera wrapped in a bin liner (pictured), the images show migrant workers paying a woman in exchange to see and touch her private parts. A common practice for migrant workers, says Zhang, our Observer in the country. Many men leave their families behind to find work in a big city, and might not have sexual relations with a woman for many years. The price for a quick peek is between one and two RMB (10 and 20 euro cents). This is just one issue arising from the mass migration that has swept China in the past few decades. It has also seen thousands of children orphaned and millions of people working under slave labour conditions.

The prostitute that brought down the New York governor

Julien — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:08:00 +0100

The governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer, announced yesterday that he would resign from office after the press discovered his past dealings with a prostitute. The New York Times traced the prostitute and went on to publish details from her MySpace page. A few hours later, the call girl, Ashley Alexandra Dupré, was a freshly made web icon.

The 22-year-old's MySpace page has already been viewed more than four million times (doubling within the space of a few hours) and web-users are digging up anything they can find about the New Yorker. One of her former classmates has already set up a Facebook group with an alleged photo of her as a teenager. No rock has been left unturned. But are these actions condemnable? Born Ashley Youmans in New Jersey, the home-runaway told the New York Times that "this has been a very difficult time" and that she didn't want seen as " monster". But the sex-worker has not turned away from the hounding press and public. She could have easily closed her MySpace account and deleted the photos published on the site. But she didn't. And neither did she delete her song, "What We Want".

Susan wants to open Canada’s first ever brothel

Julien — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:04:00 +0100

Material compiled with the help of our Observer in Canada, Ostap Karmodi.

Although prostitution is legal in Canada, brothels are not. Sex workers have to trawl the streets by night, putting themselves at severe risks. Physical abuse is commonplace and many have been killed. One man was recently convicted for the murder of six women, most of them prostitutes from the poor Vancouver district of Downtown Eastside, and he's suspected of 43 other similar murders. Now, a group of Vancouver sex-workers has set up a sex workers “cooperative”, with the hopes of opening Canada’s first ever brothel in time for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Susan Davies, one of the campaign’s organisers, tells us about her struggle.

Meet Jane : prostitute, mother and model

Julien — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 23:02:00 +0100

Material compiled by our regional editor for South America, Cristiano de Sa Fagundes

Jane is a member of 'Daspu'; a new brand making its mark in the fashion world of Rio. What distinguishes it from other designer brands? All the clothes are designed and produced by Brazilian prostitutes. The project is carried out by a local NGO, Davida ('of life') that defends the rights of sex workers in Rio de Janeiro. The name ‘Daspu’- ‘whores’ in Portuguese, was inspired by that of the department store in São Paulo: ‘Daslu’. A reference which was not to the taste of the store’s owners, who have taken the NGO to court.