Learning to love

Otherwise inexperienced in being loved and valued, Wu and others like her are being taught how to build sincere relationships with one another, and how to believe in themselves and those around them.

"Most feel like they owe their parents because they're girls," one of the center's counsellors said. "There is something deep in the culture in the countryside that makes them believe that because they are girls, their parents had to pay money to take care of them and now they must give that money back. These are women who have been treated badly and left with no self-esteem."

Seeing their bodies as their only valuable asset, these girls suffer through sexual exploitation as a means of earning money for themselves and their families, in the hopes of gaining some sense of validity and belonging.

In a study carried out in nine countries with over 800 sex workers, Melissa Farley, a renowned US clinical psychologist and researcher of prostitution, trafficking and sexual violence, found that 68 percent of current or ex-prostitutes were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Disorders such as this means women exposed to the lifestyle have built up strong defensive behaviors and emotional baggage that make them incredibly difficult to help. So ashamed, angry or full of self-loathing, it is an immense struggle for them to confront the hardships of their pasts and receive the intensive counseling needed in order to reintegrate into society.

Learning to trust

Stephannie Tebow, a professional counsellor and trainer from the Agape Center, a counseling facility for locals and expats in Beijing said that the only way for a girl to heal is by someone taking the time to build a trusting relationship with them and help re-establish a sense of self-worth. In her estimation, groups like Xi's are an unconventional but effective approach.

"These types of girls have guards up," says Tebow. "They don't believe someone can truly care about them without wanting something from them. But if someone takes the time to love them and show them that they have value, they have a chance to heal."

She admits that building this type of relationship is difficult as those coming in to offer assistance must keep an open mind and not create any preconceptions about the girls. Each case is different and has unique hardships and abuses to work through, and this takes time.

In a study released in 2008 by the International Journal of Nursing Studies also agreed. The study found that local medical and community personnel need to focus on establishing productive relationships between sex workers, their overseers, health agencies and municipal authorities in order to effectively offer assistance and support.

Despite the periodic crackdowns, it is estimated that nearly all the women will eventually return to the trade. Without long-term programs for rehabilitation and training, like those started by Xi Shumin, there are few other ways for these women to survive. "This is the life we were born into," one girl told the Times. "It could have just as easily been you, or your daughter or your sister."