Sex Work in Thailand

A bill sponsored by Thailand's recently banned Move Forward Party to legalise the adult entertainment industry and its products, including pornographic materials and sex toys, failed to clear its first reading in the House.

The bill was proposed by Bangkok MP Taopiphop Limjittrakorn early last month to amend Section 287 of the Criminal Code, which bans all types of adult materials, including pornographic images and sex toys.

Speaking in favour of the amendment, Move Forward MPs argued that banning the adult entertainment industry was akin to restricting people's freedom to choose their profession.

Sorapa Sriprat, a party MP for Saraburi, said that maintaining the current law means the country fails to accept reality and is a society built on hypocrisy. He argued the ban on sex toys forces some individuals to seek alternative ways to manage their sexual desires, which can sometimes lead to sexual violence.

Duangrit Benjathikulchairungruang, a list-MP for the United Thai Nation Party, part of the military controlled coalition government, argued the amendment could cause more harm than good if it fails to provide adequate legal protection for individuals vulnerable to sexual abuse.

The International Union of Sex Workers (IUSW) has revealed that Thailand is home to 250,000 sex workers, one of the highest numbers worldwide. Despite this, the profession remains illegal in the country and workers are lacking basic employment rights.

In a recent report titled Sex Worker Statistics by Country, Gender , the IUSW provided a breakdown of the worldwide sex industry. The findings suggest there are over 50 million sex workers globally, with 41.6 million female and 10.4 million male. They predict this number will rise over time due to the increasing options for offering sexual services.

The report also ranked the countries with the highest number of sex workers. Standing at the top is China, with 5 million workers, followed by India (3 million), the US (1 million), the Philippines (800,000), Mexico (500,000), Germany (400,000), Brazil (250,000), Thailand (250,000), Bangladesh (200,000), and South Korea (147,000).

A Thai government committee drafting a new law governing prostitution has agreed that voluntary sexual service without any criminal penalties should be allowed from sex workers of 20 years of age or greater.

Jintana Chanbamroong, head of the Department of Women's Affairs and Family Development at Social Development and Human Security Ministry, said after presiding over a meeting of the committee drafting the new law that public hearings both online and on-site were held in five cities including Bangkok, Chonburi and Hat Yai.

It is initially called the Draft Act for the Protection of Sexual Services B.E. 206 and is planned to replace the current Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act from 1996.

Sex workers will have rights and be entitled to welfare in the labour system without being identified as a sex worker. They will also have the right to fair compensation but must undergo health checks to ensure they are not infected with any contagious diseases. However prostitution that falls in the category of human trafficking, such as procurement or coercion, would still be a violation of the Human Trafficking Act.

Brothel operators will be required to not violate the conditions for protecting service providers who are their employees and only operate in specific zones, particularly not near educational institutions or places of worship. Also will be stipulated is that it is prohibited to engage in sexual relations with prostitutes under 20 years of age with those procuring and luring them into prostitution too being liable for criminal penalties.

This draft law is expected to be completed and will be tabled to the new government around August this year.

 

Update: Bill being drafted

16th March 2023. See article from thethaiger.com

The Thai government is now drafting a bill to legalise sex work to protect sex workers from exploitation. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) has proposed the bill, which will also limit the minimum age to provide or buy the service

According to Narong Jaihan, a lecturer from the Faculty of Law at Thammasat University, sex workers under 20 will not be penalised, but legal action will be taken against business operators who employ them underage, as well as their parents.

Chuwit Kamonwisit came to prominence as a nightclub and soapy massage parlour owner. He then became a politician and has now produced an academic paper estimating the extent of the Thai sex industry.

Chuwit pulled no punches about his assessment of sex for sale in Thailand. He said that there were a million women in the sex trade and it was financially bigger than illegal drugs.

Sex for sale in Thailand was everywhere he said. He listed:

Pubs, bars, beer bars, karaoke, Go-Go bars, lounges, soapy massage, traditional massage, fake spas, hotels, resorts, cafes, restaurants, barbers/salons acting as fronts for the business, girls on the end of the phone. These days there were sideline girls (those engaging in sex to pay for their studies or lifestyle in other areas) and pretties (promotional models).

He apologized if any of these were legitimately working outside the sex industry rather than just offering sex. He listed others that keep the nighttime entertainment business going and live from it such as waitresses and waiters, kitchen staff, salon workers, drivers, guides, cashiers, mamasans, taxi drivers, restaurants, shops, alcohol providers and the like.

He said that poor education was no obstacle to entering the sex trade and that for a woman aged 18-25 this was their golden years with some in top end Bangkok clubs able to earn 100,000 baht a month (£2400). After 26 things started to go downhill for many women, he said. When prostitutes were over 30 they went to sell themselves in Pattaya and Phuket or other places where there was a big sex industry.

Some went abroad to work in casinos or Thai massage in Asia, Europe or the US.

In Thailand he said the sex industry continues to grow that it was a multi 100 billion baht industry that eclipsed even the trade in illegal drugs.

Sex workers in Thailand have launched a petition calling for prostitution to be decriminalised and urging authorities to remove all penalties for selling and buying sex.

Empower Foundation, a group that supports sex workers, said it hoped to collect 10,000 signatures and present the petition to parliament to help persuade lawmakers.

Sex work is commonplace in Thailand and is generally tolerated but anti-prostitution laws are still on the law book and are occasionally revisited when the authorities fancy a crackdown or else the police fancy a donation.

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.

Thailand's extensive sex industry, largely caters to Thai men, but attracts international attention via go-go bars and massage parlours that cater for foreign visitors. 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.

Adult prostitution is currently punishable by a fine of up to 40,000 baht ($1,274) or two years in prison, or both. More than 24,000 people were arrested, prosecuted and fined for sex work-related offences in Thailand last year, according to the Thai Police.

Comment: This idiot amazed me.

15th August 2014. From DavidT

It's about this guy who pays for a physical, erotic experience at a place where the staff deal with scores of clients daily and probably do a good (blow-) job. The the stupid sod complains that lack of a sense of affection spoiled his enjoyment ! Maybe he should buy a dog or stay home and take care of his grandparents.