Sex Work as a Career in Thailand

Could you imagine asking a little girl what she dreams to be when she grows up and her response being, “A sex worker?”  Imagine the shock, confusion, and even uncomfortable feelings that is likely to arise as a result of such a conversation.  In the United States and other western locales, many subscribe to the perception of a person choosing to enter the field of sex work as absurd.  They, in fact, view sex work as forced regardless of the circumstances and void of agency on the part of the worker.  If we challenge ourselves to delve into a deeper analysis of the dynamics in countries where sex work is more acceptable and even visible, such as Thailand, we will notice that women are choosing to enter sex work for a number of reasons and are not always doing so under the constraints of sex trafficking.  Sex trafficking is recruiting and/or transporting a person using threats, violence, coercion, abuse of authority, and the like.  For example, common in forced sex trafficking is the threat to harm one’s family, rape, and physical harm if they do not comply with the rules.  This is very distinct from the chosen path of prostitution or sex work.  Voluntary sex workers make decisions to enter sex work, many times under the pressure of barriers preventing them from providing using other methods.

Sex work is very much a viable option for many women seeking ways to finance their family’s stability and well-being…. and while there may not be girls who claim sex work as their future career choice, there is an awareness of unrestricted job availability for women in the arena in Thailand.  The fact remains that in Thailand, because of a lack of employment choices for women and livable wages, women’s role in the family, and a market made possible by the Thai government and other global networks, women are willingly entering sex work.  Thailand’s sex industry is technically illegal, but would not appear as such if one visited areas concentrated with bars and massage parlors where these women work.  One reason it has become such a big business is the economic dependency the society has on the flow of monies into the area as a result of their flow of tourism, not to mention the government turning the other cheek and failing to enforce laws associated with the industry.  According to the International Labor Organization, it is estimated that, conservatively, it generates 7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. There is no mystery why Thailand, for years, have ignored the illegal business and are being pressured by the United Nations and other global organizations to be proactive in combating sex slavery, to no avail thus far.  Another ILO report from the late 1990s says sex workers sent home $300 million a year to rural areas, “more than any government development project.”  Imagine what those numbers would look like today.

While the focus is often on sex workers as victims, there are variables that promotes acceptability of women who choose to enter the field in Thailand.  The history of sex work dates back to the Vietnam War.  During this period, Thailand became a hub for military affiliated persons to recuperate during wartime.  A significant number of men temporarily housed in the area indulged in sex with local Thai women.  After the war ended, the sex industry remained and grew larger and more durable as the years progressed.  Nowadays, it is not only foreign men that indulge in women sex workers, but local Thai men as well.  Another significant factor that stabilizes sex tourism in Thailand is religious beliefs.  In Thailand, the primary and predominant religion is Theravada Buddhism, which highlights concepts that can be linked to the acceptance of sex work.  One is inequalities between men and women that form gendered hierarchies that value men over women.  The source of this belief is the notion that men can achieve religious enlightenment while women cannot.  This automatically places a higher value on men and allow them more power and control in Thai societies.  This can be connected with the lessened value of women’s bodies and their responsibility to serve and please men.  Another concept linked to religion is a sense of reckoning with karmic actions.  This means that one is predestined for the life they lead because of their previous lives.  As it relates to sex work, people who subscribe to these religious beliefs may feel sex work is retribution for past transgressions.  Finally, the roles of family is also significant to how sex work is interpreted and influences the decision women are constantly charged with making in regards to entering sex work.  Once they enter adulthood, women are expected to take care of their parents and provide for them financially.  Additionally, a large number of sex workers have children and other family members to care for.  Because women in the sex industry can make up to 10 times or more the income selling sex than they would working in other areas of employment offered in Thailand, this option is a common avenue to relieve economic pressures placed on the women there.

Founder of Empower

It is difficult to imagine a system so deeply rooted as fixable, but sex workers are challenging individuals and organizations who fail to see the contributions they make to the society.  Empower, which stands for Education Means Protections of Women Engaged in Recreation, is an organization centrally located in Bangkok that advocates for the rights and recognition of sex workers as active citizens involved in every sector of Thailand, including politics, the economy, and the environment.  Some services they provide include classes teaching sex workers the English language and practical job skills, counseling, health screenings, and trainings on how to be safe while working with clients.  Additionally, Empower is politically active, lobbying for the rights of sex workers and legalization of sex work.  They also support anti-trafficking legislation and seek to combat it, but make a clear distinction between those who are forced into prostitution and those who chose the work.  Visit their website for more information at http://www.empowerfoundation.org/index_en.html.

Another interesting group of sex workers are fighting for improved working conditions and the same employment rights as legal workers in Thailand.  These women have joined together in ownership of the “Can Do Bar” to be able to set their own hours and prices, teach skills to those seeking to leave the industry, and motivate them to improve their lives during and after employment in the sex industry.  See video below entitled Sex Work Revolution in Thailand for more information:

In conclusion, the agency of women to enter and remain in sex work cannot be conflated with women enslaved in sex trafficking.  There are extremely harmful repercussions of this lumping of women into one category of oppressed women who have no choice in the direction of their lives.  One is that women in sex work are devalued and classified as women who are in need of saving and are void of the agency required to make their own decisions.  When speaking about sex work, the most important perspectives are those who are actually working in the industry.  Thai women have responded to socio-economic, political, and structural pressures that puts them in positions to make these difficult decisions by doing what many should be: promoting safe work environments that decreases the chances of pregnancy and STI’s, equipping women with skills that will translate into other forms of work when they exit sex work, and challenging the government to recognize them as real workers who contribute to the economy in substantial proportions.  The fact is, until entrenched societal and institutional structures are questioned and challenged, Thailand will continue to be a hub for sex tourism to thrive.

Bibliography

Guidi, R. (2014, January 3). In Thailand, U.S. Evangelicals Work to End Prostitution. Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://www.religionnews.com/2014/01/03/thailand-us-evangelicals-work-end-prostitution/

McGeown, K. (2007, February 22). Life as a Thai worker. Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6360603.stm

Quach, A., & Vejar, C. (2013). Sex Slavery in Thailand. Social Development Issues, 35(2), 105-123.

Lawrence, T. (2014).  Sex Work Revolution Thailand [Film].

Short, P. (2010, August 3). 25 Years in Thailand’s Sex Industry. Retrieved from http://travel.cnn.com/bangkok/life/25-years-thailands-sex-industry-233135