Prostitution in Lhasa

In January 2009 I interviewed Dr. B. Tsering Yeshi, President of the Tibetan Women's Association, in Dharamsala, India. An issue that we had not covered earlier in the interview, but one that she considered important to discuss, was that of prostitution in Lhasa.

The situation of women in Tibet, one thing is the lack of educational facilities for them, especially in the rural areas. And with the influx of Chinese into Tibet, after the railway this economic boom is going on. And this is leading Tibetan women into a trade that is very untraditional, and that is flesh trade – prostitution. So that is a big concern, at least for us, that they want to have the money, the economic boom that is going on, but they don’t have the education, they don’t know any skills. They come into the cities, into the urban areas…. and the only way to earn money is prostitution.

In 1998, according to Amnesty International, Lhasa alone had 658 brothels. And at that time, most of the prostitutes were Chinese, brought by the Peoples Liberation Army to Tibet. And now more and more Tibetans are also getting into it.

And in 2005, according to the information I have, there were 1,600 brothels. And in 2004, it was said that Lhasa has the highest number of brothels in the world. So that makes us feel very sad because Lhasa means ‘land of god.’ And that land has now the highest number of brothels. I have obtained pictures where there are rows like in a mall. They are run in the back of teashops, saloons, and massage centers. In the back there is always an extra room that supplies girls.

In the peak season, the tourist season, they have tents pitched outside in Lhasa. And in Shigatse. Some of the tents have pink lights which indicate that we also provide girls. So the number is that big. And without any education on HIV AIDs or any sexually transmitted diseases. No awareness education is given to the public.

Then you can understand the risks of these girls being infected with HIV. And that is the greatest risks for Tibetans both inside Tibet and outside Tibet. Because many of these girls are 13 and 14 year old. I have pictures of them. And these girls, maybe they do this prostitution for a few years, earn enough money to pay somebody to bring them to India. So they could be bringing these problems into the exile community as well. Of course they are innocent victims.

They, without knowing it, are maybe transmitting it to other exile community members. So this is a great concern for Tibetans both inside and outside Tibet. Inside Tibet, those who come out say, "Oh it is very untraditional. Our women are very unethical. They do this and they do that."

But then we must know WHY they are doing this. The Chinese government must address this.

Recently one young man, a Tibetan man by the name of Wangdue who used to create awareness of HIV AIDS disappeared. So he was doing something very, very good for the people. If China really means that Tibet is a part of China and Tibetans are Chinese citizens then they should welcome anybody doing something good for the citizens. He disappeared.

[Wangdue, in his 40's and a former monk, was arrested in 2008. On October 27, 2008, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and deprivation of political rights for life on charges of 'endangering state security.' Several other Tibetans were also sentenced in Lhasa in October and November. One was Yeshi Choedon, a retired health worker in her 50's. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison and deprivation of political rights for five years on charges of 'endangering state security.']