Recently, we received the email from one postgraduate student in Taiwan. She was working on a research about the sex industry in Hong Kong. When she was doing the literature review, she found that little was done on this issue. Also, it seems that the scholars in Hong Kong are not interested in studying the issues about sex workers. She would like to know if there is special reason why there are few studies about Hong Kong sex workers. Is it because the issue of sex workers is much related to triad members or other organized groups?

It is true that there are not many works about local sex workers in the past 10 years. Based on our own experience, scholars or researchers who contact us for conducting researches about sex workers are mainly from foreign countries. It is rare to see local scholars.

To us, the reason why there are not many local researches probably because local researchers may think that studying on sex workers is not worth it. To the government, sex worker issue is neither an important issue, nor a ‘serious problem’ that needs to be solved immediately. That is to say, sex worker issue can be put aside. It is fine for the government to have no comment on the conclusion or recommendation of any sophisticated research. Facing the indifference of the government, except groups supporting sex workers, it is not surprising to see local scholars lose interests in conducting researches about sex worker issues.

The government always emphasizes that ‘no livelihood issue is too trivial. However, it appears to us that sex worker issues are trivial in the eyes of the government and scholars. Or the government and scholars simply think that sex workers are not essential in the society?