U.S. Will Pay $2.6 Million to Train Chinese Prostitutes to Drink Responsibly

[ilbob]

Why are chinese pimps called "gatekeepers"? why are they not pimps?


http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=47976

U.S. Will Pay $2.6 Million to Train Chinese Prostitutes to Drink Responsibly on the Job
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
By Edwin Mora

Flag of the People's Republic of China (CNSNews.com) -- The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will pay $2.6 million in U.S. tax dollars to train Chinese prostitutes to drink responsibly on the job.

Dr. Xiaoming Li, the researcher conducting the program, is director of the Prevention Research Center at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit.
 
The grant, made last November, refers to prostitutes as "female sex workers"--or FSW--and their handlers as "gatekeepers."

"Previous studies in Asia and Africa and our own data from FSWs [female sex workers] in China suggest that the social norms and institutional policy within commercial sex venues as well as agents overseeing the FSWs (i.e., the 'gatekeepers', defined as persons who manage the establishments and/or sex workers) are potentially of great importance in influencing alcohol use and sexual behavior among establishment-based FSWs," says the NIH grant abstract submitted by Dr. Li.

"Therefore, in this application, we propose to develop, implement, and evaluate a venue-based alcohol use and HIV risk reduction intervention focusing on both environmental and individual factors among venue-based FSWs in China," says the abstract.

The research will take place in the southern Chinese province of Guangxi.

Guangxi is ranked third in HIV rate among Chna's provinces--and is a place where the sex business is pervasive, Li said.

“The purpose of the project is to try and develop an intervention program targeting HIV risk and alcohol use,” Li told CNSNews.com. “So basically, it’s an alcohol and HIV risk reduction intervention project."

The researcher outlined three components of the intervention program in the abstract for the project:

“(1) gatekeeper training with a focus on changing or enhancing the protective social norms and policy/practice at the establishment level; (2) FSW (female sex workers) training with a focus on the acquisition of communication skills (negotiating, limit setting) and behavioral skills (e.g., condom use skills, consistent condom use); and (3) semi-annual boosters to reinforce both social norms within establishments and individual skills,” wrote Li.
 
The doctor said the heart of the study involves “a community-based cluster randomized controlled trial among 100 commercial sex venues in Beihai, a costal tourist city in Guangxi.”

"We anticipate that the venue-based intervention program will be culturally appropriate, feasible, effective and sustainable in alcohol use and sexual risk reduction among FSWs," says the NIH grant abstract.

Li said his study is being done in China rather than the U.S. because prostitution occurs with alcohol use in the United States like it does in China, Americans will be able to benefit from the project’s findings.

“We want to get some understanding of the fundamental role of alcohol use and HIV risk,” he said. “We use the population in China as our targeted population to look at the basic issues. I think the findings will benefit the American people, too.”

Li said minimal research has been conducted on the link between alcohol use and prostitution as it relates to HIV.

“Alcohol has been a part of the commerce of sex for many, many years. Unfortunately, both global-wise (and) in the United States, very few researchers are looking at the complex issue of the inter play between alcohol and the commerce of sex,” he told CNSNews.com.

The grant is one of several “international initiatives” sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

Ralph Hingson, director of epidemiology and prevention research at NIAA, told CNSNews.com, “There are many Americans who travel to China each year and they should be made aware of the HIV problem.”

Hingson said that Americans will be able to apply the studies findings to the American situation because 1.2 million Americans are currently living with HIV.

Li’s research includes exploration, development, implementation and evaluation. Currently, the project stands at the exploration stage, which the doctor expects to last 18 months.

“The first phase is kind of an exploratory study just trying to get a good understanding of the phenomena in the population of female sex workers in China. The second phase is the program development,” the professor told CNSNews.com.

Phase two will be based on the first year of the study and on “field observations,” he added. The third phase will be the implementation and evaluation of the program.

“Prostitution is illegal in China but it exists in China," Li told CNSNews.com, “but the Chinese government and the society’s attitude towards prostitution is complicated.”

According to Li, there may be as many as 10 million female prostitutes in China with the majority raging from teenagers to those in their 20s.

“We see a lot of governmental initiatives in China, like 100 percent condom distribution promotion programs, so they deliver condoms in those (prostitution) venues," he added.

“The global literature indicates an important role of alcohol use in facilitating HIV/AIDS transmission risk in commercial sex venues where elevated alcohol use/abuse and sexual risk behaviors frequently co-occur,” Li wrote when introducing the project last November.

"We expect that the intervention will improve protective normative beliefs and institutional support regarding alcohol use and HIV protection,” he added.

The NIH proposal hypothesizes that the program will decrease "problem drinking and alcohol-related sexual risk" among prostitutes that participate.
 
"We hypothesize that the venue-based intervention will change and enhance the protective social norms and institutional policies at the establishment level and such enhancement, accompanied by individual skill training among FSWs, will demonstrate a sustainable effect within commercial sex establishments in decreasing problem drinking and alcohol-related sexual risk, increasing consistent and correct condom use, and reducing rates of HIV/STD infection among FSWs," says the NIH abstract.

[Scout26]

Dr. Xiaoming Li, the researcher conducting the program,

is my freakin' hero.

Dear Uncle Sam,

Please send me $2.6 million to get drunk and hang out with hookers.

Thank you in advance.

Dr. Xi.

[Standing Wolf]

Nah, it's got to be satire.

[freedom lover]

Nah, it's got to be satire.

I hope it is. Helping foreign hookers is BS.

Why are chinese pimps called "gatekeepers"? why are they not pimps?

Maybe they function as doorkeepers to brothels. I don't know much about China but I've never heard of streetwalkers working there.

[RaspberrySurprise]

I really hope this isn't true, but with the amount being paid to foreign countries to help THEIR health care I think it is.

[Azrael256]

Ordinarily I would be outraged, but I find myself very much in favor of this.

Spending one millionth of the budget making sure Chinese prostitutes can work more efficiently makes far more sense than anything I've read in the news lately.  They're obviously in far more demand than GM cars, and they probably contribute more to their local economy than AIG ever will.  I can see where spending it on foreign prostitutes instead of hard working American ladies of the night might be a point of contention.

[Matthew Carberry]

We best be getting endorsements for this deal to build affection from Chinese johns who benefit, let them know who is their benefactor.

Maybe a tattoo on the prostitute or banners in the whorehouses.  Video ad on the jumbotron?

[vaskidmark]

I do not see why you are so allfired upset over this, while not a word has been said against the ~$400,000.00 that NIH is funding http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/08/government-funds-study-gay-sex-argentina-bars/ to determine if alcohol consumption in Argentine gay bars leads to unsafe sex practices, and what, if any, educational programs the owners/operators of said establishments are willing to use in attempts to reduce the frequency of unsafe sex practices amongst gay patrons.

Personally I am agahst that they would limit the targetting of educational programs to gay patrons, thus leaving any possible/potential heterosexual patrons totally unprotected and uninformed.

Seriously, if you had to choose between training hookers to drink responsibly and teaching gays how to avoid unsafe sex practices, which woulld you see as having the greater social and moral benefit?

stay safe.

skidmark

[Azrael256]

Skid, I think this is pretty clear.  The economic and societal benefits of sober, informed prostitutes far, far outweighs the benefits derived from most government programs, and this is no exception.  And really, where would you rather spend a million bucks?  A brothel full of educated hookers, or a Buenos Aires gay bar?

I share your outrage at this misappropriation of valuable taxpayer dollars.

[Fly320s]

Lou Dobbs is covering this tonight.

[vaskidmark]

Skid, I think this is pretty clear.  The economic and societal benefits of sober, informed prostitutes far, far outweighs the benefits derived from most government programs, and this is no exception.  And really, where would you rather spend a million bucks?  A brothel full of educated hookers, or a Buenos Aires gay bar?

I share your outrage at this misappropriation of valuable taxpayer dollars.

I beg to differ.  A drunk, ill- or uninformed hooker offers the potential for significant price negotiation, while an educated and informed Buenes Aries gay would know not to hit on me.  Thus, I posit that your thesis is, if you will pardon the potential pun, arse-backwards.

Further, I am not outraged as I do not see either as a misappropriation of taxpayer funds.  I am merely upset that, like most everything else, the work is being offshored.  American hookers and American gays first!

The whole thing reminds me of my uncle the entrepeneur (who was one before that term came into use).  Back in the 50's he whipped up some BUY USA lapel pins with sparkly red, white and blue colored stones, and handed them out like candy.  He bragged about the fact that he got them for about 17% cheaper in Tiwan than he could get from any American company - but he just never did see the irony of the situation.

stay safe.

skidmark

[De Selby]

This seems like legitimate work - when it comes to diseases, saying "it's their problem" doesn't cut it.

Maybe if we'd spent a few more bucks on AIDS and other diseases in these places 15 years ago we'd have fewer cases back home too.  HIV doesn't obey passport and visa requirements.

[Waitone]

Dear Fed.gov,

Keep it up.  Just keep going the direction you are headed.

Regards,
Waitone

[French G.]

Maybe a tattoo on the prostitute or banners in the whorehouses.  Video ad on the jumbotron?

USDA approved? 

[MicroBalrog]

Why are chinese pimps called "gatekeepers"? why are they not pimps?

Doesn't the word 'pimp' refer specifically to a subspecies of abusive 'businessmen' that beat their 'employees' and keep their pay to themselves? Aren't owners of brothels generally termed differently?

[HankB]

Hmmm . . . now I know why so many managers in my company make "business trips" to Red China.

[Seenterman]

This is from the freaking onion right?
Why are the news headlines starting to become indistinguishable from an Onion headline?
Strange times indeed. . .   

[Hawkmoon]

Seriously, if you had to choose between training hookers to drink responsibly and teaching gays how to avoid unsafe sex practices, which woulld you see as having the greater social and moral benefit?

To be honest, I don't see much to choose from between the two ripoffs programs. They are both boondoggles. I would be much happier to see my tax dollars spent on, for example, ensuring that veterans could get a colonoscopy in a VA hospital without incurring a chronic condition due to improperly sterilized equipment.

The Chinese prostitutes and Argentinean gays can find other sources of funding to study their drinking habits. Somebody in Washington seems to have lost sight of the fact that NIH is an acronym for "National" Institute of Health, not "International" ...

[seeker_two]

If they could drink (or use) "responsibly", would they even BE prostitutes?.....

Maybe the Feds should just fund the Dollhouse....they could get all the hookers, spys, and Obama voters they'd need.... 

[MicroBalrog]

If they could drink (or use) "responsibly", would they even BE prostitutes?.....

Wasn't there a call girl that went on to become a successful local legislator?

[stevelyn]

I think this is a good idea. The last thing I want to do is to pay good money for a hooker that turns out to be too intoxicated to perform and ends up pukin' on me. If I'm not allowed to drink on the job because it can interfere with my performance and judgement, they shouldn't be either.

[Hawkmoon]

I think this is a good idea. The last thing I want to do is to pay good money for a hooker that turns out to be too intoxicated to perform and ends up pukin' on me. If I'm not allowed to drink on the job because it can interfere with my performance and judgement, they shouldn't be either.

But then wouldn't it benefit you a lot more to fund such a program for hookers in Alaska, rather than China? Or do Chinese hookers make house calls in the Aleutians?

[gunsmith]

Well, there goes my plan for plying Chinese hookers with enough booze to make them forget to charge me...
Now, all I have to do is ... get a job... save enough...fly to China....sigh...whats the point.

[vaskidmark]

Wasn't there a call girl that went on to become a successful local legislator?

I hope you were not thinking about the Italian job - the socialist (when she turned to politics).

It was strange to see a hard-core capitalist suddenly decide to screw everybody for free.

stay safe.

skidmark

[MicroBalrog]

I hope you were not thinking about the Italian job - the socialist (when she turned to politics).

It was strange to see a hard-core capitalist suddenly decide to screw everybody for free.

stay safe.

skidmark

I believe there was a libertarian/Republican ex-prostitute in either Nevada or California. Someone smarter will surely know her name.