But elsewhere, such as the crowded Mongkok district, women from China provide a steady stream of fresh flesh for triad-controlled brothels.
These gangsters usually arrange visas for the women and pay their passage to Hong Kong. The women must service over 20 men a day to pay off the debts before they can start earning money of their own, social workers say.
"They work very long hours, from 7am to as late as 10pm," said Lam, 36, a former prostitute from Hong Kong who now gives health advice and counselling to sex workers.
"If they earn a few tens of thousands of dollars, they can build a house and start a business back home."
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