Organizing for Sex Worker Rights in Hong Kong
The Global-Local Interaction
Adelyn Lim
215 x 140 mm , 30pp ISBN / ISSN : 978-962-441-184-3
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US$2.50
This paper illustrates the global-local interaction within the Hong Kong women's movement. This interaction is especially compelling, because of the concerted efforts of Hong Kong NGOs to localize priorities and activities in reaction to China's resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong. Despite this emphasis on localization, it is evident that cross-border issues are central to the concerns of several Hong Kong women's NGOs. In this paper, I examine the initiatives of Action for REACH OUT and Zi Teng, two women's NGOs organizing for sex worker rights in Hong Kong. I argue that organizing for sex worker rights broadens the scope of issues within the Hong Kong women's movement, as women's NGOs go beyond the concerns of Hong Kong women to address the concerns of mainland Chinese women. I also discuss how organizing for sex worker rights forces Hong Kong activists to question the traditional feminist analysis of sex work.