Prostitution Scandals in China: Policing, Media and Society

This book examines media coverage of prostitution-related scandals in the People'¬"s Republic of China (PRC) from the late 1990s until the present day. An examination of individual actions and events relating to prostitution that have become '¬Üscandals'¬" due to coverage by the media and resultant publicity demonstrates that prostitution is not only widely debated in present-day China, but also that these public discussions have ramifications for some of the key social, legal and political issues affecting citizens of the PRC. These issues include social vulnerability, sexual exploitation, child and youth protection, rule of law, sexual rights, civil rights, government corruption, policing abuses, and public health. More generally, Prostitution in China'¬"s Mediahighlights China'¬"s changing sexual behaviours and mores in the context of rapid social and economic change. It points to changes in the nature of the PRC'¬"s prostitution controls flowing from media exposure of policing and other abuses. It also illustrates the emergence of new and legally based conceptions of '¬Ürightful'¬" citizenship in China today, such as children'¬"s rights, the rights of adults to privacy, work, sex and health, and the rights of citizens to claim legal redress for losses and injuries experienced as the result of unlawful acts by state personnel exercising criminal jurisdiction and administrative powers.