The Thai women behind the first bar run entirely by a sex workers' collective

[webfact]

The Thai Women Behind the First Bar Run Entirely by a Sex Workers' Collective
by Charlotte England

Can Do in northern Thailand is probably the first—and only—completely sex worker-owned bar in the world

CHIANG MAI: -- Sitting outside her bar in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, Mai Janta tells me that she has regrets about sex work: She wishes she'd done it earlier. "I worked in a bakery, I worked in a restaurant, I ran a small business, I worked on a government nature reserve programme," she says, emphasising how much she hated the bakery in particular. "Sometimes I think I just wasted my time doing all these other jobs before I did sex work. I should have been doing it a long time before."

Malee Van Derburg, who has been a sex worker for decades, as well as a prolific activist and advocate for sex workers' rights, interjects. "In my career, I have built four houses, I've put three people through university, and I've got my two kids in expensive private school in Thailand," she says proudly. "I've done more to contribute to the infrastructure of my village and the basic needs of my family than any government, INGO [international non-governmental organization], or NGO ever has."

"It's not just the money," Janta adds, "you also have a lot of free time, you can study in the day time, you have more freedom than in other jobs. And we learn about human behavior. It's very interesting. We get to learn other languages, meet people from all over the world."

I ask Janta what she would change about sex work—"but what are the drawbacks?"—and she answers quickly. She wants sex work decriminalised in Thailand so that all sex workers are covered by existing labor laws, because that would be the end of exploitative working conditions in the industry. And she would like the customers to be more rich and more handsome.

Full story: https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/the-bar-owned-and-run-entirely-by-a-thai-sex-workers-collective

-- Broadly 2015-10-20

[piersbeckett]

Isn't that just 'freelance' as was in the beer garden, soi 5.5 in Nana?

[bristolgeoff]

that is in the boxing ring I have seen it many times.at the back of the ring

[fritzzz25]

"And she would like the customers to be more rich and more handsome."

Well, I can honestly say that after seeing her in the article, she would certainly be calling me "Cheap Charlie"......

[petermik]

If shoe,s could only be made to last as long as a femail,s private parts

[khwaibah]

The way the BIB are busting these bars at the moment in Chiang Mai she will not be in setting there much longer.

[ezzra]

Of all the professions in the world an ex sex worker choose to own a bar... as this is the best

the social welfare people can advise the girls to go for?

how long do you think before one of them get ' an offer she can't refuse' huh?

[Bakseeda]

So, whats new.... as sure as there are wives in this world there will always be prostitutes. A man has to get sex somewhere..! And for girls with no education and no idea what to do in life, opening their legs to some stranger is the easy option. Next comes theft, cheating and robbery. Oh, a hookers life is not an easy one. (sung to the tune from Pirates of Penzance, a policemans life)

And as for Mai Jantas excuses... a slut is always a slut and Kleenex will always sell... wiping up the stains of sleeze.... Put three people through University.... I find that hard to swallow... But what would we guys do without them....????

[lovelomsak]

She speaks up for sex workers I really like that. A smart woman in the business can do a lot with the money they make like she points out and with their free time develop themselves. Too bad most donot see that and get caught up in bad habits and abused by others.

On the same note I would like to mention men who marry the bargirls and take them out of the business should get better support too. I believe these guys get mote girls out of the business than INGO'S or NGO'S combined. And people give them a hard time for it. They ,make an honest woman out of them and get no respect.

[fritzzz25]

She speaks up for sex workers I really like that. A smart woman in the business can do a lot with the money they make like she points out and with their free time develop themselves. Too bad most donot see that and get caught up in bad habits and abused by others.

On the same note I would like to mention men who marry the bargirls and take them out of the business should get better support too. I believe these guys get mote girls out of the business than INGO'S or NGO'S combined. And people give them a hard time for it. They ,make an honest woman out of them and get no respect.

The problem is these "sex workers" only live for today. I would guesstimate the numbers at less than .1% of them actually save and invest in their future. They have 3000 baht today, so they share 500 with one "sister" and 300 with another "sister" and go make a payment on a loan to someone who is charging 20% interest monthly. Yes, they are sending money home for kids, parents, siblings, but just as you said "A smart woman in the business" - few and far between......

Legalize it, tax it, regulate it, give them safety, give them access to quality health care, take it away from the streets and into designated areas. These are ways to keep them from being "sold" by a destitute family, trafficked, pimped etc. It has gone on for thousands of years and will for thousands more.

[lovelomsak]

She speaks up for sex workers I really like that. A smart woman in the business can do a lot with the money they make like she points out and with their free time develop themselves. Too bad most donot see that and get caught up in bad habits and abused by others.

On the same note I would like to mention men who marry the bargirls and take them out of the business should get better support too. I believe these guys get mote girls out of the business than INGO'S or NGO'S combined. And people give them a hard time for it. They ,make an honest woman out of them and get no respect.

The problem is these "sex workers" only live for today. I would guesstimate the numbers at less than .1% of them actually save and invest in their future. They have 3000 baht today, so they share 500 with one "sister" and 300 with another "sister" and go make a payment on a loan to someone who is charging 20% interest monthly. Yes, they are sending money home for kids, parents, siblings, but just as you said "A smart woman in the business" - few and far between......

Legalize it, tax it, regulate it, give them safety, give them access to quality health care, take it away from the streets and into designated areas. These are ways to keep them from being "sold" by a destitute family, trafficked, pimped etc. It has gone on for thousands of years and will for thousands more.

Yes I am aware that sex workers live for today it seems to go with the job. But women like the ones this story is about can be examples to the rest and perhaps be role models for others.to change it for some at least.

What did you think of my men marrying them as being unsung hero's?

[LivinLOS]

Can Do in northern Thailand is probably the first—and only—completely sex worker-owned bar in the world.

erm.. hardly well researched from the very headline..

The can do bar used to be in chiang Mai Land.. Empower had one there.. So its not even the first 'can do' bar..

As to first sex worker owned.. We will just ignore the 1000s of other ex hooker mamasan owned bars shall we ??

[terminatorchiangmai]

The Can Do bar is still in CM land and whenever i pass it by the place looks empty and boring.

Don't understand how they can survive all these years.

[chicowoodduck]

Rich and handsome????

Oh my Buddha.....everytime I walk down the different Sois in Pattaya I'm always the hunsome man workout fail....?. And lucky me, rich like Mr. Trump....two out of two ain't bad, eh?????

[Rumblecat]

Can Do in northern Thailand is probably the first—and only—completely sex worker-owned bar in the world.

erm.. hardly well researched from the very headline..

The can do bar used to be in chiang Mai Land.. Empower had one there.. So its not even the first 'can do' bar..

As to first sex worker owned.. We will just ignore the 1000s of other ex hooker mamasan owned bars shall we ??

Yeah, the article isn't saying it's first ever Can Do bar. I don't think that's even relevant to the discussion.

And while the sub-headline might be a misleading (which is the editor's fault rather than the writer)- in the context of the article it's clear what it means. But I don't know a massive amount about these kind of bars- are there really thousands of bars where the workers also own the bar as part of a collective, are employed under Thai labour laws with paid sick leave and social security schemes?

If that was the case, then, yeah, seems odd they'd write an article about this one if it's common practice.

[ttthailand]

All the power to her and her kind. I think good idea to legalize the industry and provide all sex workers with an ID card and have them take monthly health checks and pay taxes. But by making it a legal business they should be willing to accept their profession and not lie about it and have it as public information. Also anyone busted for selling sex should be heavily fined with jail time. They should also require family to signoff knowing what her profession is as wives and husbands should not be engaged in the industry unless the family is advised. Basically any lady who is willing to be a sex worker should as long as she understands the rules and does not harm others in the process.

[steveyinasia]

Its not the first time nor the first location that an ex sex worker has established a business that goes about educating others. Give the woman a break, she is at least doing something positive.

[Nomyai]

"And she would like the customers to be more rich and more handsome."

Well, I can honestly say that after seeing her in the article, she would certainly be calling me "Cheap Charlie"......

Ohh my! And all this time im thinking i wish the girls way prettier! hahahahaha.

i guess the jokes on us.........................hahahahaha.

[Nomyai]

She speaks up for sex workers I really like that. A smart woman in the business can do a lot with the money they make like she points out and with their free time develop themselves. Too bad most donot see that and get caught up in bad habits and abused by others.

On the same note I would like to mention men who marry the bargirls and take them out of the business should get better support too. I believe these guys get mote girls out of the business than INGO'S or NGO'S combined. And people give them a hard time for it. They ,make an honest woman out of them and get no respect.

Guys get no respect because they dont deserve any. BEEjeesus the girls that marry them dont give em respect-they know the deal.

Wake up sir n smell the somtums!

[oneday]

And she would like the customers to be more rich and more handsome.

Good sense of humor.

[wombat]

I find that hard to swallow.

she didn't

[wombat]

unsung hero's?

bullshit....lucky sob's i call em....they are getting the benefit of everything she has been taught by the males that have employed her.

[Emster23]

"And as for Mai Jantas excuses... a slut is always a slut and Kleenex will always sell..."

Too bad there seems to be no equivalent term for a man who uses services of a 'slut". Rake, besides being archaic, doesn't quite resonate. Common term is "monger" but they don't have that right either. A monger is someone who sells a good or service, not the consumer.

Those women wouldn't be selling if men weren't buying, as simple as that. I personally figure it is the woman who should be allowed to decide. I get irritated when the holier than thou crowd puts all that "sin" on the woman.....

[Rumblecat]

All the power to her and her kind. I think good idea to legalize the industry and provide all sex workers with an ID card and have them take monthly health checks and pay taxes. But by making it a legal business they should be willing to accept their profession and not lie about it and have it as public information. Also anyone busted for selling sex should be heavily fined with jail time. They should also require family to signoff knowing what her profession is as wives and husbands should not be engaged in the industry unless the family is advised. Basically any lady who is willing to be a sex worker should as long as she understands the rules and does not harm others in the process.

Why should they have to do all these extra steps, like informing their family..? There's no legal requirement to inform your family about other avenues of employment. And why on earth should it be public information?

When you say "all power to her and her kind" what you're really talking about is trying to strip them of any power and force unnecessary legislation upon them. In fact the things you're talking about are the exact things that would push people away from a legalised industry and look to do it underground, out of sight- where you'd then have them heavily fined and jailed..!

Yeah. All power to them.

[thaiduncankk]

I wonder where all the 'customers' who contributed to the 4 houses are ?

I am sure the 2 kids in expensive private schools are so proud of mummy ?

Cannot print my real thoughts, don't want to get barred.

[seancbk]

"And she would like the customers to be more rich and more handsome."

At least she's honest.

[hakuho]

One day a group of sex workers in Chiang Mai said, 'Actually the government doesn't get it... We're going to have to build it ourselves.'

if she builds it...they will cum.

[georgemandm]

She needs to look in the mirror she is a dog and I would like to know how much money in come tax she has paid over the last 10 years not one bht .

Would be good to legalize it and get them all to pay income tax .

Like in my country and take them off the streets.

And get tested for STD every month like back home .

It will not happen but I wish it can happen.

[joebrown]

and she said if she had 2 pairs of legs, she'd be opening up in Korat as well!

[ttthailand]

All the power to her and her kind. I think good idea to legalize the industry and provide all sex workers with an ID card and have them take monthly health checks and pay taxes. But by making it a legal business they should be willing to accept their profession and not lie about it and have it as public information. Also anyone busted for selling sex should be heavily fined with jail time. They should also require family to signoff knowing what her profession is as wives and husbands should not be engaged in the industry unless the family is advised. Basically any lady who is willing to be a sex worker should as long as she understands the rules and does not harm others in the process.

Why should they have to do all these extra steps, like informing their family..? There's no legal requirement to inform your family about other avenues of employment. And why on earth should it be public information?

When you say "all power to her and her kind" what you're really talking about is trying to strip them of any power and force unnecessary legislation upon them. In fact the things you're talking about are the exact things that would push people away from a legalised industry and look to do it underground, out of sight- where you'd then have them heavily fined and jailed..!

Yeah. All power to them.

Because the law does not permit sex outside of marriage. It is a crime to screw someone else's wife. Believe it or not.

So if they want to screw around make it a legal profession and take the same steps others have to do in order to get a license. In the USA legal sex workers have to register and take health tests. It is also public information who is involved in the work, no hiding ! I think it is people like you who try to hide and do things in the dark who discredit the industry. Check out other countries with legal sex industries and you will find similar requirements. It is a true profession not a dirty secret act that you need to hide from. You are the one making it something dirty and wrong not me !!!