Voyeuristic Chinese Men Pay to Watch Girls Do Meth

A report by Vice exposed Chinese men paying to watch working girls do meth. But the problem runs much deeper than that.

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According to a report on Vice.com, some men in China are paying to watch working girls smoke meth on webcam. A police internet sting operation caught Jingjing, a meth cam girl, when she showed up to have paid sex with a man who turned out to be an undercover officer.

Before authorities cracked down, North Korea flooded the Chinese Northeast with meth. Soon, the drug became a phenomenon in China itself; the country is full of open, rural spaces where the stuff could be produced for blue-collar workers looking for a smokable stimulant to work long hours and get overtime pay.

Certain "karaoke" bars in China also offer something called an "ice-skating" package, which includes meth and an escort to do it with, as the drug is believed to heighten sexual arousal and sensitivity. Some managers of these disguised brothels also charge men to simply watch the girls do meth. But despite the risks involved in both prostitution and long-term meth use, these meth girls are severely underpaid.

Jingjing, a country girl seeking a life in the city, landed a job at a legitimate massage parlor in Shanghai. She didn't make enough to keep up with her bills, so she worked nights as a karaoke hostess. Soon, the manager made her into a meth girl, where she made a meager ¥350 (less than $60) for each "ice-skating" job with a client.

As she fell deeper into addiction, she began sleeping with clients for more meth money. After the drug began taking its toll on her physical appearance, her manager fired her for losing too much weight too quickly. “What man would want you?” he asked.

Jingjing didn't want to return home in her addicted, emaciated state so she began working as a camgirl, where she accepted payments on the net to smoke meth on cam before she was arrested by authorities.

The drug has likely taken such a strong hold in China because drug education is nearly non-existent in the nation. The Department of Propaganda prints "Drugs are bad" banners on the same red cloths that have slogans such as “Park in a civilized manner” or “One child is enough.”

Jingjing herself admitted she had no idea what meth could do to her body, since any questions about drugs were met with responses like, “Don't ask about bad things.” China's government isn't known for its compassion towards addicts. The country previously used drug addicts as free labor under a "reform through labor" program, but has since turned those into forced rehab camps.