Sex Workers Bill will protect Thailand’s most-exploited

Many thousands of Thais – mostly women – work their whole lives in the sex industry without legal protection. With nothing to shield them, they are exploited both directly and indirectly. The Sex Workers Bill sets out to remedy some of that.

Operators use harsh methods to control their workers and ensure the money keeps rolling in. Owners of venues must pay huge “fees” to officials under the table, and prostitution, almost unbelievably, remains illegal in Thailand.

Girly bar owners fine sex workers if they fail to show up at work and rip them off for the commission they are supposed to make on drinks bought for them by customers. And since prostitution is illegal, venues are not registered and therefore not subject to regulations on health and safety. As a result, sex workers are vulnerable to disease and on-the-job injuries. If the bill is passed, prostitution will…