Sex workers in Bangkok report feeling unsafe because they ca n’t report assault to the police without fear of being charged with prostitution.
In Thailand, according to the Criminal Code, people over the age of 16 who” relies on income as a girl” may be imprisoned for seven to 20 times and fined from 14, 000 ringgit to 40, 000 ringgit. Those who coerce some into performing prostitutes face life in prison.
Tanapat ( surname withheld ), a sex worker and employee of a Bangkok-based company that writes online sex content, claimed that many of his coworkers have been sexually assaulted while at work.
” Friends of mine in the industry have been punched and hit by users”, he said. ” Customers have also taken off contraception”.
Nevertheless, he said nothing of his classmates have reported the attack to authorities, fearing they would be arrested.
” I feel quite vulnerable”, he said.
Mr. Tanapat claimed that he has also been groped and offered his services when he is in common and recognized by those who have accessed his website content.
” People assume they can do anything because I’m a gender worker”, he said.
Online harassment and discrimination are even frequent, he said.
” I’ve had to have it normalized,” I said.
He claimed that another sex workers who are subject to abuse have turned to alcohol and drugs to deal with criticism.
According to Mr. Tanapat, sex workers should not be subject to police detention, and they should be given the same rights as other sexual staff when they report problems to the authorities without being detained.
” Sexual work is work”, he said.
The Labour Protection Act aims to safeguard the security of young employees while protecting workers from potential problems at work.
But, Thailand’s sexual employees are not governed by the law, so they face legal problems if they are assaulted or have an issue with the organization they work for.
Thanuch, or” Oscar” ( surname withheld ), a student and sex worker, said sex workers not only face the risk of being assaulted while working but can also be exploited if they work under an agency.
” An company I used to operate for withheld 75, 000 ringgit from me”, he said, adding he did not file a police statement as he feared he would get arrested for adultery.
Oscar said if adultery was decriminalised, there would be fewer cases of employees being exploited.
There would also be advantages for the market:” If sex workers were regarded as being subject to the labour rules, they would have to spend tax.”
After leaving the company, Oscar then uses the online system OnlyFans, where 20 % of profits go to OnlyFans, and the rest to him as a material father.
” Being able to make online material, I am much protected and treated properly by my clients”.
Noom, a personal coach and sexual contractor based in Bangkok, said the stigma around sex work persists in Thailand.
He claimed that using online sexual content allows people to fulfill their sexual needs and that sexual staff can keep themselves safe.
” I enjoy my job, as I love to have intercourse and make money at the same time”, he said.
Visit for decriminalising trafficking
Surang Janyam is the CEO of Thailand’s Service Workers IN Group, a non-profit organization that promotes better pay for sex employees.
” Decriminalising adultery is just one step in paving the way for social change, as the issue is complex”, she said.
Swing’s centres also advocate for general access to health services, including primary health care, HIV and sexual and reproductive health providers.
Ms. Surang said she is aware of numerous sex workers who have experienced workplace assault.
” If consumers pay cash, they think they can perform everything”, she said.
One day, she received a visit from a sex worker who was afraid to speak to the officers, fearing she would be arrested. A buyer “had put a glass vodka bottle inside her vagina.”
In 2023, according to the Public Health Ministry, 31, 866 cases of rape were reported.
But, Ms. Surang believes that the real figure is significantly higher because sex workers are unable to record assaults to the authorities.
Additionally, the characters do not include trans people and cases of rape against men.
Ms Surang said LGBTQIA men and transgender people are usually excluded from their societies and face a high level of discrimination, violence and discrimination. ” They are human beings. Why should they be treated diversely”?
She claimed that older persons were also vulnerable to being abused. While working, several meet clients in man rather than offering online services.
Because older sex workers lack the tools and resources to create online content,” we are mainly concerned about older sexual workers in Thailand, especially in rural places,” she said.
Being unable to produce content, according to Ms. Surang, increases the risk of being assaulted because they are meeting with clients they may not understand.
She claimed that a lack of career opportunities and low-paying wages are one of the factors in why so many people choose to engage in sex work. How many work can I get to help people and their household completely?
In 2008, the authorities estimated there were 250, 000 sex workers in Thailand.
Yet, Ms Surang believes the exact amount to be over 2 million. This range also includes tens of thousands of refugees from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Surang Janyam
Adultery is prohibited in public spaces and prostitution under the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act. Along with the Criminal Code, it classifies trafficking as illegitimate.
Penalties for citizens supervising sex employees, such as house masters, are higher, as this work is focused on preventing the abuse and abuse of children.
After passing its Prostitution Reform Act ( PRA ) in 2003, New Zealand became the first nation to decriminalize the sex industry.
Decriminalization has been successful in making the sexual economy safer and improving the rights of sexual workers, according to research conducted during the act’s review.
The work, according to studies, also had little impact on the number of persons employed in the sexual sector.
In 2023, a bill to create trafficking authorized in Thailand was proposed, nevertheless, it has yet to pass into law.
The bill grants the right to freely insert the intercourse industry for people over the age of 18. The Social Development and Human Security Minister did not respond to requests for comment.