Continuing the Fight for Acceptance of Female Sex Workers in China

“我们是有益的，没有害处。只要社会不歧视我们，法律不惩处我们，我们就过得很幸福。”

“We [sex workers] are doing something beneficial for others, not harmful. As long as society does not discriminate against us, and the law does not punish us, we will lead a happy life.”

Lanlan, a founding member and executive director of Xin’ Ai was born in 1978, a time of great economic change for China. After dropping out of school at thirteen, she tried her hand at farming and eventually found work in a restaurant, chopping vegetables and washing dishes. In 2000, after the birth of her daughter, Lanlan turned to sex work to support her child and aging parents.

Founded in 2008 to work toward the decriminalization of the sex trade, and prevent violence and discrimination against sex workers, the organization, also provides violence prevention training, training  in persuading customers to use condoms, health, legal and human rights training, HIV/STI blood testing, and medical referrals.

Lanlan was motivated to start a sex worker support group when she began to feel, as she says, that “AIDS NGO staff could not relate to sex workers or their particular needs.” Today, Xin’ Ai conducts outreach to sex workers, providing them with occupational safety training, health training, and legal training. The mission, says Lanlan, is self-confidence, self-respect, and mutual support.

Lanlan wants to know more about overall international strategies for AIDS prevention as well as ways of international funding for AIDS prevention in China. At ICAAP Lanlan gave an oral presentation about her work at Xin’ Ai and took part in a roundtable discussion on female sex work and presented a video on sex work in the Asia Pacific Village.

This piece is the first in a series introducing you to the partners that Asia Catalyst is supporting through scholarships, strategy and translation to attend the 11th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific.  The Congress brought together over 4,000 delegates from 22 countries in the region in Bangkok this month.