Ah Man, a 39-year-old woman who has been a prostitute for five years, said she is always living under immense pressure and in fear.

Even before the death of four prostitutes suspected to be murdered by a serial killer in the past days, Ah Man is already scared of customers with unreasonable demands.

"A drunk man once pressed me down and choked me. I pushed him away and screamed for help," she said.

Ah Man and the other prostitutes working in the same building do not hire body guards. Her only protection is her peers..

"I will call the other prostitutes, telling them that I have a customer. Then they will call me back to see if I am fine in 20 minutes," she said.

But the pressure still exists, especially when she is on her own when the other prostitutes are taking a rest.

"There was one time I was extremely terrified. I heard that there were cases of robbery in other buildings and I decided to stop taking in customers," she said.

Ah Man said she and other prostitutes will not accept young and muscular clients. "It affects business, but it is more important to protect our lives," she said.

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by non-governmental organization Action for Reach Out revealed that a majority of prostitutes suffered various kinds of abuse from customers.

Nearly 80 percent of the 113 prostitutes interviewed said some customers refused to use condoms.

Nearly 20 percent of them said they had had customers who refused to pay after their services.

About one-fourth of the respondents said they were forced to have undesirable sexual behavior, including having customers' fingers inserted in their anuses.

Nearly 90 percent of them would not report to police after being abused as they feared that it might harm their business.

The group suggested the legalization of "two-women brothels", meaning two prostitutes working on the same premises, so that it is easier for them to look after each other.

(HK Edition 03/18/2008 page1)