Thai sex workers rally at Parliament for protection act

Photo via ThaiRath

Thai sex workers protested outside Parliament today, October 2, 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.”

Advertisements

Each protester was seen holding signs with various messages calling for their rights and equality. The messages on the signs stated…

“Laws protect workers in every industry, except us.”

Related news

“Blacklist for 100 years, for who? It’s for us.”

“Sex workers really exist. Stop acting like we are absent.”

“New laws to protect everyone in the entertainment industry. No more illegal prostitution. Not only help us but help everyone.”

Advertisements

“We are working to take care of our families but all we get are imprisonment and fines.”

“Victims are not the same as workers who willingly offer sex services. Stop the stereotype.”

The group also placed a turtle sculpture with its mouth taped shut outside Parliament to symbolise how the protection of sex workers and other workers in the nightlife industry is progressing very slowly.

They submitted a formal request to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and a representative came to receive the letter on the sex workers’ behalf.

This marked the third time the sex worker group has come forward to seek justice and equal treatment, like other workers. They expressed that they did not want to protest a fourth time, hoping the laws would come into effect soon.

The Department of Women’s Affairs and Family Development, which oversees the legislation, told ThaiRath that the laws were on hold due to changes in the government committee. The department promised to follow up on the legislation for the protest group.

In a related report, PM Paetongtarn sparked controversy with her plan to develop an entertainment complex that would allow sex workers to legally offer services and require them to pay taxes, just like other occupations.

Some critics opposed the idea, arguing that legalising sex work could lead to child exploitation and trafficking. As a result, both the entertainment complex plan and the decriminalisation of sex work remain under debate.

Politics NewsThailand News

Petch Petpailin

Petpailin, or Petch, is a Thai translator and writer for The Thaiger who focuses on translating breakingThai news stories into English. With a background in field journalism, Petch brings several years of experience to the English News desk at The Thaiger. Before joining The Thaiger, Petch worked as a content writer for several known blogging sites in Bangkok, including Happio and The Smart Local. Her articles have been syndicated by many big publishers in Thailand and internationally, including the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Bangkok Post. She is a news writer who stops reading news on the weekends to spend more time cafe hopping and petting dwarf shrimp! But during office hours, you can find Petch on LinkedIn and you can reach her by email at petch@thethaiger.com.

Related Articles

Check Also
Close