Plea for equal treatment of sex workers
Sex workers should be treated in the same way as workers in other industries.
They should have access to the same public services and their safety should be ensured in the same way. This is what Chalidaporn Songsamphan, researcher at Thammasat University, says in a report on the sex industry. The report, based on media reports and government information since 1978 and interviews, was published yesterday.
The report makes a plea to take anti-trafficking legislation seriously, as many sex workers are victims of it. Chalidaporn's research showed that public opinion on prostitution is divided into three: opponents, who want to eliminate prostitution by outlawing it; proponents of regulation and proponents of legalization.
Chuvit Kamolvisit, a former owner of three luxury massage parlors on Ratchadapisek Road, says most workers work there out of desperation because they need money. 'They can earn at least 8.000 baht a day [as sex workers] and most of them come from poor families.'
According to Chuvit, the Entertainment Places Act of 2003 contains loopholes that allow government officials to exploit sex workers and allow illegal businesses to continue operating. The zoning of entertainment zones, such as on Ratchadapisek, Patpong and New Phetchaburi, he says, facilitates these corrupt practices.
The report also pays attention to unwanted pregnancies and illegal abortions: 'To solve unplanned pregnancies, first we must accept sex as a natural part of human behaviour. The association of sex with shame means some people are too embarrassed to buy contraceptive aids or to seek medical advice about pregnancy and other sexual-related concerns.'
Nattaya Boonpakdee, manager ภาษาไทย Healthy Sexuality Program, finds that Thailand's anti-abortion legislation is failing to eradicate illegal abortions. Performing an illegal abortion can lead to deaths and imprisonment for pregnant women. The Guttmacher Institute has calculated that 800.000 women worldwide die each year from an unsafe abortion.