The legal status of prostitution in Hong Kong
I feel this post should be nearer to the beginning of this thread since it's a question many newbies ask. But it's better late than never.
YES, prostitution is legal in Hong Kong if the women is in the territory legally, works only for herself and plies her trade discretely. This is how most forms of prostitution work in the territory, including the type advertised on this 141 website.
However, the following activities commonly associated with prostitution are not legal:
- Organized prostitution (such as running a brothel or a call-girl ring)
- Pimping
- Street-level solicitation
- Human trafficking
The reason these activities are illegal is to prevent prostitution from being seen by the public, to curtail triad activities and to reduce illegal immigration. The government doesn't care about paid sex per se.
Besides, if you want to know if prostitution is legal, just look around. Notice this website is accessible by anybody, including the police. The countless 141 clusters and premises are open to the public with detailed maps and photos pointing the way. Many girls don’t even bother hiding their faces. Does that sound like the trade is illegal?!
In all the years I've mongered in Hong Kong and from reading forums such as this one, I've never heard a single punter get in trouble with the law for visiting a prostitute in the territory. Hong Kong has one of the most libertarian societies you'll ever encounter. People there don't care what you do as long as you don't bother someone else. Naturally, the Hong Kong government reflects the ideology of its people.
Technically, the walkup brothels in Mongkok constitute a form of pimping and should be illegal. But the cops mostly look the other way. Even if they get raided, the cops are just after illegal migrants or triad members. Patrons may be questioned but are left alone.
The only type of sexual activity that greatly disturbs the government is "compensated dating", which usually involves underage girls. If you're a foreigner or tourist, it's unlikely this forum of mongering will be available to you. But even if you encounter it, you should avoid it. You can get in serious trouble having sex with a minor. Hong Kong has one of the lowest crime rates anywhere in the world. That means, the cops and the city's legal system have plenty of time dealing with pedophiles.
The following paragraph is taken from an essay written by a professor at the University of Hong Kong. It sums up the legal status of prostitution quite nicely:
http://www.tpac.org.cn/misc.php? ... xpos=9&op=print
Dr Chu Yiu Kong (University of Hong Kong)
‘One-woman brothels’ are actually small flats in residential buildings in Hong Kong, each with a single female sex worker working in it. Although there is no law that specifically stipulates that prostitution is illegal in Hong Kong, virtually every activity connected with prostitution is regarded as an offence. Therefore, the Hong Kong Police are able to use relevant laws to tackle street sex workers, call-girl services, and different vice establishments such as villas (guest houses), massage parlours, nightclubs and karaoke bars which directly or indirectly provide sex services to their customers. Interesting enough, a lone sex worker who sells her body for money inside an apartment (one-woman brothel) is not technically committing any offences.
This Wikipedia page about Prostitution in Hong Kong is also quite helpful:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Hong_Kong
Now that the legality status of prostitution in Hong Kong is known, you can have fun without worrying about the cops busting down the door.