This research identifies factors that distinguish rural women who have migrated to Bangkok for the purpose of enhancing their economic wellbeing by engaging in the sex industry and those who have stayed in their rural communities and are not engaged in the sex industry. The research used primary data collected through interviews in the red light districts of Bangkok and Pattaya and in villages in rural provinces in Thailand. A total of 100 respondents provided information for the study: 55 percent from the red light districts and the remainder from the provinces.
This powerful research is proof that with the right support sex workers can conduct their own research and policy advocacy on topics that reflect their priorities. Se also Empowers video, Last Rescue in Siam.
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Heavy-handed comments have been thrown around labeling Thailand as the “brothel of the world,” or “Disneyland for men.” Of course, there are no official figures as to the total number of sex workers in Thailand, but a moderate figure from Thai analysts puts the number at 15,000-22,000 women (with a very small portion consisting of men.) As such, Thailand has a very strong reputation for being a nation with a massive amount of prostitution and sex trafficking.
Phuket Public Health officials joined about 150 police and local authorities in another crackdown on Patong bars and other venues on and around Soi Bangla last night. Bar staff and sex workers were required to produce documentation. Employees and staff were tested for drugs.
An article in AIDS 1998, 12:1851–1859.
Background: The male condom is the most effective barrier method available for protection against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV infection. There is an urgent need to develop and evaluate other prevention methods, such as the female condom. This study estimated the additional protection against STDs offered to sex workers by giving them the option of using the female condom when clients refused to use a male condom.
This study assessed the knowledge and attitudes among health care providers providing sexual health services to female sex workers in the border region of Thailand and Vietnam. Attitudes to sex workers were found to be very poor.
The following is an abstract about the potential benefits of a HIV vaccine. It mentions ‘risk compensation’ which means abandoning condoms. It points out that mathmatical modelling shows that a partially effective vaccine may lead to increased HIV among sex workers if sex workers are less able to persuade clients to use condoms. The same is true of Prep and microbicides.
An evaluation of the controvercial 100% Condom Use Programme.
An article in Sex Transm Inf 1998; 74: 54-58.
Objective: To evaluate a targeted HIV prevention programme among female commercial sex workers (CSWs) in the south of Thailand.
An article in Soc. Sci. Med. Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 199 213, 1997.
