Female migrants quit factory labour for sex work to survive and provide a better life for relatives back home. Clinging to her bag, she looks like any other bundled-up passer-by in the evening cold. But the year-old Chinese woman from the Zhejiang province, on the country's eastern coast, has been working as a prostitute for the past three years. She arrived in Italy in and, like many of her compatriots, initially found work in small clothes and footwear businesses.
With an estimated , Chinese nationals, Italy hosts the largest diaspora community in the European Union. Xiaoyan is gaunt but has a delicate ap pearance, with shoulder-length black hair and a short fringe.
She lived in Civitanova Marche, a central city, before heading north. I hardly slept. When orders arrived, I even worked up to 24 hours. I could not cope with that any longer. I wasn't able to keep the pace any more. In China , Xiaoyan was a stay-at-home mother, looking after her two children. But her family needed money, so she left.
People of rural origin in China have reported being denied basic rights and benefits. A household registration system known as hukou determines citizens' access to education and social welfare. Leaving the village becomes the only way for rural migrants to secure a better future.
After a challenging trip financed with loans from relatives and friends for a tourist visa, Xiaoyan eventually reached Italy. Hours upon hours of bad posture saw a doctor diagnose her with chronic body pain. Two years ago, Xiaoyan was unable to eat for several days when her face became partially paralysed from prolonged exposure to the cold.
