Judy: In one of the world's most
well-known sex tourism
destinations, sex workers,
nonprofit organizations, and
politicians are part of a
growing movement to
decriminalize the industry.
From Thailand, newshour special
correspondent neha wadekar has
this report.
Neha: Every year, thousands of
tourists flock to pattaya city
in Thailand to enjoy its white
sands, gentle waves, and water
sports.
But at night, the city
transforms from a
family-friendly beach paradise
into a red light haven, tourists
looking for an x-rated good
time.
Massage parlors, go-go bars,
brothels, the infamous red light
district.
Although sex is everywhere, sex
work is still illegal, and sex
workers lack the basic rights
and protections enjoyed by
employees in other industries.
A local support group called
service workers in group, or
swing, seeks to fill that gap,
offering services to male,
female, and transgender sex
workers.
Today, swing's pattaya city
manager, Bobby, explains why his
organization has been so vital
for sex workers, especially
during covid.
>> When covid started, there
were no tourists, which meant no
customers.
The sex workers could not earn
any income because bars were
closed.
It was hard for them.
No money, no place to work.
Some of them had to go back home
to the countryside and wait
until pattaya got some tourists
back.
It's not just about money, but
also the effects on health.
Some of sex workers had stress
symptoms and anxiety attacks
around how to survive here.
It was a hard time.
Neha: Before covid, Bobby
estimates that swing pattaya
supported around 15,000 sex
workers.
Since the pandemic, that number
has dropped to just 4000.
During the pandemic, Thailand
closed its borders.
Bars, clubs, and massage parlors
took a two-year hit, shuttered
until July of this year.
To make it worse, sex workers
did not qualify for government
healthcare benefits or financial
support because the industry is
illegal.
38-year-old nuchada tasee is
volunteering at swing.
She usually offers her clients
"Special massages," a normal
massage, plus sexual benefits.
Tasee used to work in a factory
until a friend told her how much
more money she could make as a
special masseuse.
With two young sons and an aging
mother depending on her, tasee
needed the money.
>> I don't like this work that
much, but I earn so much more
money than working in the
factory.
This work comes with high risks,
especially diseases.
Condoms break or get lost.
Sometimes, a customer takes it
off.
I don't like it, but I can still
handle it.
With these kinds of incidents, I
need to take HIV prevention
medicine, which is quite
expensive.
Neha: Sex workers like tasee
face higher-than-average risks
of sexually transmitted
infections and unintended
pregnancies.
Swing provides them with
critical healthcare services.
The outreach program sets up a
mobile testing truck.
It parks in different parts of
the city and offers
consultations and hospital
referrals, as well as free
testing for HIV and syphilis.
A few hours later, another swing
truck sets up in the middle of
the red light district.
Anna, a 37-year-old transgender
sex worker, helps swing hand out
the pre-prepared food bags.
The line behind the truck grows
quickly.
And in just 15 minutes, the
volunteers hand out hundreds of
bags of food and rice.
It's a lifeline for sex workers
who are often not able to afford
even basic goods.
Later, it's time for Anna to go
to work.
She invites us back to her
apartment to chat as she gets
ready.
As a 15-year-old boy, Anna
worked a low-paying factory job.
After she transitioned, she
wanted to pursue her dream of
becoming a cabaret dancer.
She traveled to the red light
district, saw sex work
everywhere, and began doing it
herself to earn a living.
>> Because around the world call
Thailand.
Thailand is factory of sex
worker.
You know, when you go to
Thailand and you not see sex
worker, same as you go to kfc
and you never see fried chicken.
Neha: After years working in the
red light district, Anna knows
all about the risks and
challenges of sex work.
>> Sometimes customers steal my
money.
Sometimes I get some violence, I
-- when I go to police station
, they must help me.
And they not help me because my
job.
Because what I work.
Because I work illegal work here
in Thailand.
Neha: Anna is one of the people
fighting to legalize sex work.
To her, a sex worker is much the
same as a gig worker or a
construction worker, and
deserves the same rights and
protections.
>> If have a good economy,
nobody want to come into sex
worker life.
I want sex work become to like,
legal work.
I want work equality.
Human equality.
Gender equality.
Everyone is like a human, human
rights.
Neha: Pattaya isn't the only
city known for sex work.
It's also rampant in Thailand's
capital, Bangkok.
Sex work became illegal in
Thailand only in 1960, and
advocates believe legalizing it
again would give sex workers
access to government benefits,
legitimacy, and protection
against social stigma.
We're here in patpong, the heart
of Bangkok's red light district.
Sex is everywhere here, but it's
still illegal, which is why
politicians, activisits, and sex
workers are fighting so hard to
decriminalize the practice.
Here at the Thai parliament,
politicians are drafting
legislation for a vision of
legalized sex work based on
similar laws passed in countries
like Germany and the
Netherlands.
Tunyawaj kamolwongwat of the
move forward party is one of the
politicians fighting for this in
the halls of power.
His bill regulates the
registration, healthcare and
welfare of sex workers.
It also outlines how the
industry will be taxed, and
where it can be advertised.
>> It has to away from the
children.
The place for advertise.
Neha: Kamolwongwat's next step
is to get the bill through
committee.
It's no small feat in a country
with conservative politicians,
religious leaders, and citizens
opposed to the idea.
One of Thailand's most vocal
opponents is sanphasit
koompraphant.
He's the chairperson of the
Thailand anti-trafficking
alliance.
While koompraphant believes sex
work should be decriminalized,
he doesn't support legalization,
because he thinks it will
encourage prostitution and
embolden sex traffickers.
>> The sex worker business does
not create wealth.
It's consumption with nothing in
return.
The expenses paid out in
healthcare and welfare for
people in this industry are
high.
The ones who benefit most from
legalization are the customers.
It's sexual exploitation.
>> Everyone can work what they
want to work because my body, my
choice.
I can do what I want.
And I not disturb anyone, and I
not make anyone get hurt from my
work.
Neha: Anna meets up with her
friends in the red light
district.
Many of them are sex workers who
migrated illegally from
neighboring countries like
Cambodia or Laos.
They have even fewer protections
than Thai sex workers.
If abused by a client, or
harassed by the police, they
have nowhere to turn.
The battle to decriminalize or
even legalize sex work
continues.
For Anna, and so many other sex
workers, legalization will make
their work in the streets safer
and easier, helping them earn
they money they so desperately
need to improve their lives.
For the pbs newshour, I'm neha