2014 crackdown on prostitution in Dongguan

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On February 9, 2014, prostitution in Dongguan, China was exposed by the media and led to a large-scale crackdown on prostitution in entertainment venues by the authorities. The anti-prostitution operation was launched on the afternoon of February 9, 2014, by the Dongguan Municipal Government, the Dongguan Municipal Party Committee and the Dongguan Public Security Bureau after being exposed by a reporter from China Central Television (CCTV). A total of 6,525 police officers were mobilized. After the news of the anti-prostitution operation was reported, public opinion was in uproar. This incident has attracted much attention from the public and has caused great controversy. The issues of public security and privacy, entertainment economy and other benefits and disadvantages involved in the incident are very extensive and complex, and supporters and opponents were polarized.

Contents

Following the crackdown on prostitution in Dongguan, China banned brothels nationwide. Taking Guangdong as an example, on February 10, Guangdong Proviordered public security organs throughout the province to organize a three-month crackdown on prostitution to completely eliminate prostitution-related activities in entertainment venues. Among them, Guangzhou arrested 98 suspects of various illegal and criminal activities.

Background

Located in the Pearl River Delta region of China, with a high degree of openness to the outside world, a large floating population, and good climate conditions, Dongguan has a developed economy, especially the service industry. [1] Dongguan was also famous for its "Dongguan-style service". Hotels, bars, guesthouses, KTVs and other entertainment venues are gathered here, and they receive a wide range of tourists from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and overseas. Since the reform and opening up of mainland China, the sex industry in Dongguan entertainment venues has existed and developed for many years. [2] Its sex industry has also developed due to the development of the service industry, and most entertainment venues provide sex services. Since the Chinese laws explicitly prohibit prostitution, Dongguan entertainment venues have been raided and inspected many times. Dongguan's sex industry mainly relies on the protection and support of the government and public security authorities to develop. It is said[ by whom? – Discuss ] that this operation has cracked down on the service industry business of no less than 10 billion yuan, and the economic growth was greatly impacted. [3] Dongguan was ridiculed by Chinese netizens as the "sex capital" because of its developed sex industry. [4] [5]

Investigation

On the morning of February 9, 2014, the China Central Television (CCTV) spent several tens of minutes broadcasting footage of more than 10 entertainment venues in Dongguan that the station's reporters had secretly filmed.The report and explanation were detailed. [6] [7] The CCTV report attracted widespread attention as soon as it was broadcast. That afternoon, Hu Chunhua, secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, issued an instruction, requiring a comprehensive investigation of the entire city of Dongguan, and said, "First treat the symptoms, then the root cause." [8]

Subsequently, the Dongguan authorities dispatched 6,525 police officers to conduct the first round of investigations. In the first round of investigations, the Dongguan Municipal Public Security Bureau and five branch bureaus established special task forces to investigate and rectify 12 entertainment venues in five towns exposed by CCTV at 3 pm that day. [9] The Dongguan Municipal Party Committee also issued warnings to the main leaders and leaders in charge of the five towns of Zhongtang, Huangjiang, Humen, Fenggang and Houjie. The first round of investigations continued until the early morning of the next day. The police carried out a carpet search and arrested many customers and prostitutes. In this investigation, the police arrested a total of 67 people. This attracted widespread attention from the media and netizens. [10]

Ministry of Public Security

On February 10, 2014, according to publicly available information from the Chinese government, the Ministry of Public Security dispatched a supervisory team led by the director of the Public Security Administration Bureau and including personnel from the Supervision and Inspection Departments to Guangdong Province to guide and supervise the handling of cases, rectification of problems, and accountability. [11] This resulted in the suspension of several officials, and the Ministry of Public Security ordered the investigation of local public security officials and a thorough investigation of the supporters and protectors behind the sex industry in Dongguan. Many entertainment venues were temporarily shut down. [12]

Aftermath

After the police crackdown, the sex industry in Dongguan came to a standstill, and all aspects of Dongguan were affected to varying degrees. Many media outlets, including CCTV, conducted follow-up visits. According to Ta Kung Pao , the authorities' crackdown on prostitution caused the sex industry chain to break down, affecting employment. 200,000 people may have to find other ways to make a living. [13] After the incident, Dongguan's economy was generally considered to have been severely impacted. Caixin reported that after the crackdown, Dongguan's hotel industry had been severely affected. [14] After this crackdown, many officials who went to Dongguan to solicit prostitutes were gradually exposed by the media. According to Jiangxi.com, on February 10, the Fifth Engineering Company of China Railway Bridge Bureau Group reported on the situation of the Audi car "Gan GA4389" that had been followed by the media and attracted much attention. The car involved was a public vehicle of the company's Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Project Section 1 Engineering Office in Zhuhai. The people involved were investigated and dealt with. In addition, Apple Daily published a report on its front page on February 12 entitled “A group of police officers seeking pleasure ran into police officers who were arrested during a crackdown on prostitution”, stating that at least one active-duty Hong Kong police officer had been administratively detained by the authorities. [15] The Hong Kong Police Force issued a statement on the same day, stating that the title and content of the above report were inconsistent with the facts. The Police Force stated that it had responded to Apple Daily’s inquiry on February 11, pointing out that after checking with the relevant authorities in Dongguan, it was confirmed that no Hong Kong police officers were arrested in the operation, nor had it received any reports of Hong Kong police officers being arrested in Dongguan. [16] [17]

On February 10, 2014, a computer virus falsely claimed to contain videos of pornographic services in Dongguan on the Chinese mainland Internet, and fraudulent text messages also appeared frequently. [18] On February 14, the Chinese government announced that the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee had decided to remove Yan Xiaokang from his positions as Vice Mayor of Dongguan and Director of the Dongguan Public Security Bureau, and to handle the matter in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. The government said that this had caused a bad influence at home and abroad. [19]

On July 29, 2014, 80% of entertainment venues in Dongguan had resumed business in accordance with the law. At present, there are 1,134 venues of the three types that have resumed business, including 465 KTVs and 631 foot massage parlors. The resumption rate of KTVs and foot massage parlors reached 80%. There were originally 198 saunas, but only 38 have resumed business. During the five-month anti-prostitution campaign, the city's public security organs cracked down on 281 criminal cases involving prostitution, investigated and dealt with 530 public security cases involving prostitution, arrested 700 criminal suspects, and dealt with 1,552 people who violated regulations. [20] On the same day, the governments of 32 towns and streets in Dongguan, as well as the management committees of Songshan Lake and Ecological Park, and the actual operators of 2,684 saunas, karaoke bars, foot massage parlors, and hotels held a warning talk meeting on cracking down on prostitution issues at the local public security bureaus. At the meeting, the "strictest ever" ten regulations were announced to eliminate ten types of prostitution-related hidden dangers in the three types of venues: [21]

  1. Rooms: Enclosed suites are not allowed within the premises.
  2. Bed: Massage beds must not be placed in the room where you can enjoy foot baths, beauty treatments, or body treatments.
  3. Locks: No door locks, bolts, or other devices that would impede the free entry and exit of others are permitted in the room.
  4. Lighting: Adjustable brightness lighting is not allowed in rooms and private booths, and it must not be turned off during business hours.
  5. Windows: The height and dimensions of transparent doors and windows installed on the doors of rooms and private rooms must meet the requirements and must not be obstructed.
  6. Bells: No signal lights, bells, or other remote-controlled devices or equipment shall be installed in the premises for the purpose of evading or obstructing routine inspections.
  7. Video surveillance is installed at entrances and exits, reception halls, cash registers, etc., and connected to the public security backend.
  8. Personnel: Employees should dress neatly and appropriately, and should not be indecent. Employees should be registered and managed under their real names.
  9. Note: Entertainment venues need to obtain a business license from the industry and commerce department.
  10. License: Venues must obtain a public place hygiene license and other relevant permits in accordance with relevant laws and regulations before they can operate.

Furthermore, if an entertainment venue is found to be involved in prostitution, it will be dealt with severely and will be "immediately and decisively eliminated." [21]

On February 4, 2016, Liu Zhigeng, the former secretary of the CCP Dongguan Municipal Committee, was dismissed from his post. According to media reports, the crackdown on prostitution in Dongguan was related to the investigation by relevant departments into Liu Zhigeng’s violations of discipline and law in Dongguan. [22]

Reactions

The incident has attracted widespread attention from the public, including netizens, local media, Beijing official media, and even international media. Some media outlets reported that the Chinese government may be taking this opportunity to expose the corrupt officials behind the scenes, while overseas Chinese media pointed out that this corrupt official is likely Zhou Yongkang and his oil clique. [23] Media person Yang Qinglin believes that "Dongguan's crackdown on prostitution is ostensibly aimed at arresting prostitutes and their clients, but in reality, it is aimed at cracking down on the protective umbrella of the political and legal system behind them." [24] [25] He also declared: "A nationwide campaign to rectify the protective umbrella of the political and legal system under the guise of cracking down on prostitution is about to begin!" [26]

References

  1. ↑ "东莞的迷茫". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  2. ↑ "东莞涉黄业发展史:95年前后出名 97年渐成"性都"". Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ "東莞「掃黃」行動". Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  4. ↑ 身无半亩心忧天下 (March 6, 2021). "为什么东莞会成为 " 性都 "". 网易新闻. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  5. ↑ 乔磊 (February 11, 2014). "东莞色情业为何一石激起千层浪". 新浪专栏. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  6. ↑ "东莞部分五星酒店现"裸舞选秀" 拉次帘换批小姐". Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  7. ↑ "屡扫不绝的东莞"黄流"". Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  8. ↑ "东莞雷霆扫黄 胡春华批示绝不手软". February 11, 2014. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  9. ↑ "东莞出动6525名警力查封12家涉黄娱乐场所". Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  10. ↑ "东莞6525名警察检查娱乐场所 查封12家 抓获67人". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  11. ↑ "广东开展3个月扫黄工作 公安部督导组督办". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  12. ↑ "央视所曝东莞涉黄娱乐场所被查封 辖区派出所长被停职". Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  13. ↑ "东莞扫黄致色情产业链断裂 20万人另谋生计". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  14. ↑ "广东东莞扫黄酒店受影响严重 东莞将成空城？". Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  15. ↑ "中铁下属公司公车出入东莞娱乐场所5人受处理". Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  16. ↑ "香港：东莞扫黄行动中无香港警务人员被捕". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  17. ↑ "澄清 ／ 回應傳媒查詢或報道". Archived from the original on August 31, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  18. ↑ "广东两市扫黄抓108人 骗子利用"东莞热"诈骗". Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  19. ↑ "东莞市副市长、市公安局局长严小康被免职". Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  20. ↑ "广东东莞娱乐场所已有80%依法恢复营业". Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  21. 1 2 "东莞出台"史上最严"规定 娱乐场所涉黄股东一律严办". Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  22. ↑ "广东省副省长刘志庚落马 两年前东莞扫黄是预兆". 财新网. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  23. ↑ "东莞扫黄或是高层领导主导的打虎前奏". February 12, 2014. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  24. ↑ "东莞色变牵出周永康案中央下猛药清洗政法". Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  25. ↑ "中央政法委通报违法违纪案". Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  26. ↑ "霍月伟：东莞 性都扫黄". 联合早报. February 15, 2014. Archived from the original on February 15, 2014.
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