Follow UK Immigration and listen to the voices of UK Immigration; stories are unfolding: According to reports from Taiwanese media, a female journalist from Taiwan spent two months last year going undercover at a brothel in London. In addition to enduring harsh working conditions, she was frequently pressured by the madam to engage in prostitution. Despite the hellish ordeal, she persevered and successfully completed her mission, exposing the ugly reality of pimps forcing and exploiting illegal immigrants into prostitution. Bai Xiaohong's father is Bai Hsiu-hsiung, former Deputy Mayor of Taipei and current Chairman of the Taipei Fubon Bank Charity Foundation. Bai Hsiu-hsiung stated yesterday (21st), "I am proud of my daughter!"
Bai Xiaohong (44) went to the UK for studies after graduating from Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan. A former reporter for The Guardian who has long focused on the plight of illegal immigrants, she is now an independent journalist. From July to early September last year, she collaborated with director Nick Broomfield to work as a domestic helper at a massage parlor (brothel) in London, conducting undercover filming and audio recording for evidence. However, the madam repeatedly pressured her to take on side work as a prostitute. Despite being insulted and pressured, and even fired at one point, she begged the madam to rehire her in order to complete her documentary, taking about two months in total to achieve her goal.
Bai Xiaohong applied for a job as a domestic helper at a brothel in the Finchley area of suburban London. She lied, claiming to be a single mother with an expired "visa" who desperately needed money. The foul-mouthed madam, Mary (a pseudonym), was also an illegal immigrant who operated several massage parlors; the madam and her Middle Eastern boyfriend frequently humiliated the sex workers.
Bai Xiaohong worked as a cleaner and cook at the brothel, starting at dawn and finishing at 2:00 AM the next day. The madam suggested she take on prostitution from the beginning, which she politely declined. However, the madam did not give up, insulting her every time she refused and deliberately making things difficult for her by denying her rest. The madam eventually gave her an ultimatum: engage in prostitution or get out.
Bai Xiaohong said that during her undercover work, she was worried and afraid every day. What disturbed her most was the madam's constant pressure to engage in prostitution, with the madam repeatedly persuading her: "You came to the UK to make money. If you don't sacrifice a little more for your family, are you even a good mother?" The madam would also have clients and other women try to lure her into prostitution. She felt isolated and depressed, sometimes unable to stop herself from crying in the bathroom. However, the madam "would not even give her time to use the bathroom," constantly knocking on the door to force her out if she stayed too long. Furthermore, the madam's boyfriend was physically imposing, and she was also concerned about the threat of violence.
Regarding the sex workers she encountered, Bai Xiaohong lamented that they were a group without a voice or rights. Most of them did not understand English, and their meetings with British clients were their only connection to British society. What left the deepest impression on her was one woman from a rural area who did not even know Chinese and was illiterate; the only English she knew was: "50 pounds for half an hour (about 2,400 TWD), 90 pounds for an hour (about 4,300 TWD)." They could not even take sick leave to see a doctor, let alone seek help from any social welfare agency, which she found heartbreaking.
Regarding her ability to authentically document the hardships of these illegal sex workers, she said: "That is the most direct and powerful way to report. Seeing their experiences from their perspective is what I have always wanted to do."
Bai Xiaohong revealed that she used glasses with hidden cameras for her undercover filming. Because the glasses frequently needed charging, she prepared about 20 pairs of specially made hidden-camera glasses, carefully hiding them each time they were charging to avoid detection. However, the audio quality of the glasses was not ideal, so she also had to use an iPhone to secretly record audio. Once, her iPhone accidentally fell out of her pocket, and the madam questioned her about how she could have such an expensive smartphone, suspecting she had stolen it from a client. She had to explain herself at length to resolve the crisis.
Bai Xiaohong said that she often takes risks for undercover reporting and rarely discusses it with her family beforehand, only informing close friends that she will be out of contact for a while. She prepares thoroughly, ensuring she has sufficient knowledge of the environment before reporting to conduct in-depth investigative journalism.
Bai Xiaohong said she does not want to mention her family background because she "does not want to ride on her father's coattails." Bai Hsiu-hsiung said yesterday that as a parent, it is inevitable to worry about his daughter's safety, but he is moved by her concern for sex workers.
Bai Xiaohong is currently working as a freelance independent journalist. She says she has to fight alone. Although the film company producing the documentary provides assistance, she often worried while undercover that even if she needed to call for help, rescue personnel might arrive too late, so she had to be careful. As for whether she will return to Taiwan to work in the media in the future, she laughed and said she has been away from Taiwan for too long, "I don't know if I have become disconnected from Taiwanese society!"