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.”

 

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.”

 

“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.”

 

 

 

 

“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.

 

By Petch Petpailin

Photo via ThaiRath

 

Source: The Thaiger

-- 2024-10-02

 

 

17 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

This marked the third time the sex worker group has come

I always thought they were faking it.

Interesting that most photos are blurred.  This one isn't. 

 

On the outside chance that some of them are advocates, and not actual sex workers.

 

Let us hope they didn´t catch the elite on that photo. 🤣

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

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.”

Are you going to declare every baht you make and pay the relevant tax you owe?

28 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Are you going to declare every baht you make and pay the relevant tax you owe?

If so perhaps when they tax foreigner's income we can claim our expendeture to hookers as deductable expenses. 

1 hour ago, jippytum said:

If so perhaps when they tax foreigner's income we can claim our expendeture to hookers as deductable expenses. 

Demand an invoice from the hookers... so they can keep their accounts in order.

My god! Do you see the women holding the signs. I can understand why they are fighting for these things now. They have no future selling sex for sure unless they can find a VERY drunk foreigner who is half blind. So they need some kind of retirement package from the government. 

 

Sex workers should have legalization and social support: rights and respect for sex workers. But that won't happen, there is too much resistance from the people exploiting the workers i.e. operators who want to keep their profits high, paid / bribed politicians / law enforcement, customers who want to keep prices low, and social conservatives. As long as the "world's oldest profession" trade remains illegal, workers will be exploited and trafficked. Sex work should be legal, regulated, and licensed, with oversight by social workers to ensure all workers are doing it by choice and not coercion.

 

 

Lock them up! 

Voices suppressed for decades are  now heard in an open space.

Certainly a Landmark Move in Thai history.

Good Luck.

 

1 hour ago, ibjoe said:

 

Sex workers should have legalization and social support: rights and respect for sex workers. But that won't happen, there is too much resistance from the people exploiting the workers i.e. operators who want to keep their profits high, paid / bribed politicians / law enforcement, customers who want to keep prices low, and social conservatives. As long as the "world's oldest profession" trade remains illegal, workers will be exploited and trafficked. Sex work should be legal, regulated, and licensed, with oversight by social workers to ensure all workers are doing it by choice and not coercion.

 

 

 

Also good for the better transparency of the law enforcement here.

If cops can extort those in that industry, they are just like mobsters in uniform.

 

5 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Are you going to declare every baht you make and pay the relevant tax you owe?

Does anyone?

1 hour ago, Tropicalevo said:

Does anyone?

I can't see bar girls declaring their private income so they can pay more tax.

They will declare their bar salary only..

Is that Bob,  third from left.

Thought he went to Spain.

5 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

My god! Do you see the women holding the signs. I can understand why they are fighting for these things now. They have no future selling sex for sure unless they can find a VERY drunk foreigner who is half blind. So they need some kind of retirement package from the government. 

Judging from the photo at least one of them has a package already.😀

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Some critics opposed the idea, arguing that legalising sex work could lead to child exploitation and trafficking.

I thought that was already common in Thailand?

Legalization would mean the authorities would have to keep a closer watch in order to get their tax money.