Activists demand Parliament clean house on old prostitution law
A groundswell for change surged through Parliament today, as Naiyana Suphaphueng of the Service Workers’ Friends Foundation, flanked by activists and supporters, submitted a bold draft bill to scrap the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act B.E. 2539.
With over 13,000 signatures in tow, the proposal was formally handed over to Mr. Wan Muhammad Noor Matha, Speaker of the House of Representatives, with his spokesman, Mr. Kampee Dithakorn, receiving the document.
Naiyana, a passionate advocate for sex worker rights, decried the current law as blatantly discriminatory. She argued that the legislation, which morally condemns and seeks to control the provision of sexual services, has failed spectacularly in curbing the sex trade.
Instead, it has driven workers underground, robbing them of dignity, and exposing them to discrimination and exploitation at the hands of law enforcement and healthcare officials.
Despite government assertions that its measures fiercely protect the rights of those arrested, Ms. Naiyana’s camp is calling for the eradication of B.E. 2539.
The group’s underlying aim is to decriminalise consensual sex work, thereby ensuring that sex workers are recognised as legitimate members of the workforce with equal rights and human dignity akin to other professions.
Dithakorn, speaking on behalf of the House Speaker, expressed a willingness to review the draft bill meticulously through the legislative gauntlet, reported KhaoSod.
He promised to forward the proposal and its substantial supporter list to the House Speaker, aiming to secure equitable treatment for service providers. The campaign signals a pivotal moment in the fight for labour rights and societal respect for sex workers in Thailand.
Thai sex workers protested outside Parliament in October last year, to follow up on a protection act proposal in Thailand. This marked the third protest on the matter.
Workers from entertainment venues, massage parlours, karaoke venues, go-go bars, as well as freelance sex workers and members of the Empower Foundation, hosted the event called “I come to demand my laws. Sex work is work.”
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