Sex workers seek a change

[reader]

From Reuters

Activists say Thailand's prostitution law, which criminalises sex work, does little to protect sex workers

By Nanchanok Wongsamuth

BANGKOK, Sept 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Sex workers in Thailand have launched a petition calling for prostitution to be decriminalised and urging authorities to remove all penalties for selling sex.

Empower Foundation, a Chiang Mai-based group that supports sex workers, said it hoped to collect 10,000 signatures and present the petition to parliament to help persuade lawmakers to consider changing the country's prostitution law.

"The law punishes sex workers - 80% of whom are mothers and the main breadwinner for the whole family," said Mai Junta, a representative from Empower.

"It turns us into criminals," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Tuesday.

More than 1,000 people had signed the petition since it was launched on Saturday.

Thailand is predominantly Buddhist and deeply conservative, but is home to an extensive sex industry, largely catering to Thai men.

Hordes of tourists also flock to the bright lights of go-go bars and massage parlours in the Thai capital Bangkok, and the country's main tourist towns.

Women and LGBT+ rights activists say the current law, which made prostitution illegal in 1960, does little to protect sex workers, while repeated arrests and fines for doing sex work has driven them further into poverty.

The women's affairs department at Thailand's Ministry of Social Development and Human Security said it was in the process of amending the prostitution law and would launch an online public hearing next year, without giving further details.

"We are aware of complaints regarding rights violations of sex workers due to this law... and we are not neglecting their suggestions (to repeal the law)," a spokesman said.

A 2014 report by the U.N. agency fighting AIDS estimated that there were 123,530 sex workers in Thailand but advocacy groups put the figure at more than twice that number and say it includes tens of thousands of migrants from neighbouring Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Prostitution is currently punishable by a fine of up to 40,000 baht ($1,274) or two years in prison, or both. People who pay for sex with underage workers can be jailed for up to six years.

More than 24,000 people were arrested, prosecuted and fined for sex work-related offences in Thailand last year, according to the Royal Thai Police.

Surang Janyam, director of the Service Workers in Group, a Thailand-based support organisation for sex workers, said the prostitution law should be repealed to allow sex workers to be protected under labour laws.

 

[Boy69]

3 hours ago, muscfair said:

This is a silly topic. If Thailand really made prostitution illegal , all the bars and massage shows would be closed by now.

Thailand isn't called sex capital of Asia for nothing. You can't find all these openly go-go gay shows in other East Asian countries as far as I know.

Try going to Malaysia or Singapore, you won't find anything like Silom there. It's more discreet there.

 

This is nuncess , In the contrary if prostitution become legal the sex secen will florish, sex workers won't be afraid of police raids and arrests .

[reader]

The sex workers are looking for acknowledgement that they are service providers and desire equal protection under the law. Those services attract a considerable share of tourism in any given year, bolstering the Thai economy.

That's your sociology and economics lessons for today. As always, there's no need to thank me.

 

[anddy]

12 hours ago, muscfair said:

It's only illegal on paper. If it is really illegal, it will be closed in one day like in Indonesia, Malaysia or Singapore where these naked shows aren't allowed.

Of course, being a Buddhist country , the government ain't going to say that selling sex is legal officially.

Seems you are missing the point ehre. Of course it is "really" illegal in Thailand. The question is, is that law (consistently) enforced? The answer to that is obvious, that the reason for that answers should be obvious, too (ie. tea money). The tea money issue might be the major roadblock in change the law, because both police and military will not be willing to give that up so easily, plus they often even own or have stakes in such establishments. 

As for being Buddhist, I don't know if that's a real reason for making it illegal. Thailand has always been Buddhist and according to the article prostitution was only made illegal in 1960. Why then and not before? I do not know, but being Buddhist hasn't changed before or after that year.

[spoon]

Making prostitution legal have huge impact to both the sex worker and their client. They can be protected under the employment act law, received benefits such as medical insurance, and i guess would require to pay tax and contribute to pension plan if there is any. They could also seek legal help if any of these rights are being abused or denied. Its not just for the sake of saying the act of prostitution itself happening in thailand or not...