Legal Implications of Being a Prostitute Amid COVID-19: A Gender-Based Research in Thailand
Abstract
Prostitution is illegal under Thai law. However, the sex industry has been a critical part of the Thai economy for many years, such that sex workers have become an integral part of Thai society. Despite its status as illegal conduct, prostitution prevails across the country. Thailand is notorious for its nightlife and the drastically high number of sex workers. These sex workers have been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This paper aims to explore the legal implications regarding the rights of sex workers in Thailand amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The research is based on a qualitative methodology using key informant interviews and case studies of sex workers in Thailand. The collected data were analyzed through a SWOT analysis and thematic content analysis. The findings revealed that during the Covid- 19 pandemic, sex workers have experienced a loss of income, physical abuse, mental trauma, a lack of accessibility to policymakers and financial institutions, and inadequate risk perception of Covid-19. These factors have adversely affected their livelihoods and limited opportunities to earn a living during 2020.
References
Ananya, R. G. (2017). Prostitution in Thailand. International Journal of Engineering and Management Research, 1-5.
Azam, A., Adriaenssens, S., & Hendrickx, J. (2021). (2021). How Covid-19 affects prostitution markets in the Netherlands and Belgium: dynamics and vulnerabilities under a lockdown. . European Societies, 23, S478-S494.
Baffie, J. (2017). From Ying Nakhon Sopheni to Sao Borikan: Banality and Originality in the Development of Prostitution in Thailand. Moussons. Recherche en sciences humaines sur l’Asie du Sud-Est, (29), 143-186. Moussons. Recherche en sciences humaines sur l’Asie du Sud-Est, 29, 143-186. Retrieved from http://moussons.revues.org/3787
Burgos, C. R., & Del Pino, F. J. (2021). Business can't stop.’Women engaged in prostitution during the COVID-19 pandemic in southern Spain: A qualitative study. Women's Studies International Forum (p. 102477). Pergamon.
Chew, N. W., Cheong, C., Kong, G., Phua, K., Ngiam, J. N., Tan, B. Y., & .... Sharma, V. K. (2021). An Asia-Pacific study on healthcare workers’ perceptions of, and willingness to receive, the COVID-19 vaccination. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 106, 52-60.
Cianfarani, M. (2012). Integrating Diversity into Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR): A Literature Review. International Association of Emergency Managers Bulletin 29:, pp. 26-27.
Constitution Drafting Commission. (2021, 03 25). https://cdc.parliament.go.th/draftconstitution2/main.php?filename=index. Retrieved from https://cdc.parliament.go.th/draftconstitution2/ewt_dl_link.php?nid=1460&filename=index&fbclid=IwAR3f8xDHcqEsRphlWJ4f32cbTUMTrRrKfufmtDKea9JE3Ckw6-OFP4HYjvk
Farley, M. (2020). Prostitution, the Sex Trade, and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Logos, 19(1). Retrieved from https://www.prostitutionresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020 /07/Farley-Prostitution-Sex-Trade-COVID-19-pandemic.pdf
Gaillard, J. C., Gorman-Murray, A., & Fordham, M. (2017). Sexual and gender minorities in disaster. Gender, Place & Culture, 24(1), 18-26.
Gallagher, R. (2005). Shifting market, shifting risks: male and transgender tourist-oriented sex work in South-East Asia. Sexualities, Genders and Rights in Asia: The first International Conference of Queer Studies,. Bangkok.
García Guerrero, J. E., Rueda López, R., Luque González, A., & Ceular-Villamandos, N. (2021). Indigenous Peoples, Exclusion and Precarious Work: Design of Strategies to Address Poverty in Indigenous and Peasant Populations in Ecuador through the SWOT-AHP Methodology. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(2), 570.
Health-iv. (2021). https://www.health -iv.com/. Retrieved from https://www.health-iv.com/
Hennessy, A. (2011, 09 16). Current Legal Framework: Prostitution in Thailand. Retrieved 03 31, 2016, from Impowr website: www.impowr.org/content/current-legal-framework-prostitution-thailand
Janyam, S., Phuengsamran, D., Pangnongyang, J., Saripra, W., Jitwattanapataya, L., Songsamphan, C., & Gopinath, D. (2020). Protecting sex workers in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic: opportunities to build back better. WHO South-East Asia journal of public health, 9(2), 100-103. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/334191
Khruakham, S., & Lawton, B. A. (2012). Assessing the impact of the 1996 Thai prostitution law: A study of police arrest data. Asian Journal of Criminology, 7(1), 23-36. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11417-010-9100-9.pdf
Kipling, R. (1899). Soldiers three (Vol. 3). Century Company.
Krisdika. (2021). Retrieved from http://web.krisdika.go.th/data/law/law2/%CA10/%CA10-20-9999-update.pdf
Kutner, B., Scheibe, A., Lane, T., & Daniels, J. (2017). A SWOT analysis of health service access by men who have sex with men in South Africa: Lessons for higher education institutions. . South African Journal of Higher Education, 31(4), 219-233.
Lam, E., Shih, E., Chin, K., & Zen, K. (2021). The Double-Edged Sword of Health and Safety: COVID-19 and the Policing and Exclusion of Migrant Asian Massage Workers in North America. Social Sciences, 10(5), 157.
Mensendiek, M. (1997). Women, migration and prostitution in Thailand. International Social Work, 40(2), 163-176.
Ministry of Labor. (2021). Project "M33 We love each other". Retrieved from https://www.xn--33-nqia4jubqa0kcg0o.com/?fbclid=IwAR0FKT0f8Z4x2xsBnZnIWFtwigzFpcLwgEZVnPjr 4RD7j93OxQd5Z65OrJk
Nuttavuthisit, K. (2006). Branding Thailand: Correcting the negative image of sex tourism. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 3(1), 21-30.
Prior, A. (2021). Paying for sex during COVID-19 pandemic: The experiences of Israeli men. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 1-13.
Reyes, R. V. (2021). " S* CK. F*# K. Test. Repeat" A scoping review of HIV testing among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) in Thailand. (Master's thesis).
Selfe, D. W., & Burke, V. (2012). Prostitution: Social and Theoretical Perspectives. In Perspectives on Sex Crime & Society (pp. 215-242). Routledge.
Thailand Penal code. (2021). Retrieved from samuiforsale: https://www.samuiforsale.com/law-texts/thailand-penal-code.html
Thinthalang, K. (2021, 03 31). Hiearchy of law. (The Excise Department) Retrieved from https://www.excise.go.th/: https://www.excise.go.th/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dwnt/mzm1/~edisp/uatucm335523.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1l6WZK61LVyTf9wC31GBgxF_RdpFPG3CjRhpyhX8llK_rWL4C7vVm--Y0
Yusawat, S. (2019). The Content of the 27th Revision of Criminal Code: Study on Rape. Naresuan University Law Journal, 12(1), 53-63.