The Sex Industry
in Thailand
Thailand has had a long and complex relationship with prostitution that
persists today. It is also an international sex-tourism destination, a desig-
nation that began around the time of the Vietnam War. The industry
targeted to foreigners is very visible with red-light districts in Bangkok,
Phuket and Pattaya, but there is also a more clandestine domestic sex
industry and myriad informal channels of sex-for-hire.
Prostitution is technically illegal in Thailand. However, laws against
prostitution are often ambiguous and unenforced, and economic mo-
tivations provide a steady supply of workers. Some analysts argue that
the high demand for sexual services in Thailand means that there is
litle likelihood of the industry being curtailed; however, limiting abu-
sive practices within the industry is the goal of activists and government
agencies.
It is diffi cult to determine the number of sex workers in Thailand, the
demographics of the industry or its economic strength. This is because
there are many indirect forms of prostitution, because the illegality of
the industry makes research diffi cult, and because diff erent organisa-
tions use diff erent approaches to collect data. In 2003 measures to le-
galise prostitution cited the Thai sex industry as being worth $US4.3
billion (about 3% of GDP), employing roughly 200,000 sex workers. A
study conducted in the same year by Thailand’s Chulalongkorn Univer-
sity estimated 2.8 million sex workers, of which 1.98 million were adult
women, 20 ,000 were adult men and 800,000 were children, defi ned as
any person under the age of 18.History & Cultural Attitudes
Prostitution has been widespread in Thailand since long before the
country gained a reputation among international sex tourists. Through-
out Thai history the practice was accepted and common among many
sectors of the society, though it has not always been respected by the
society as a whole.
Due to international pressure from the United Nations, prostitution
was declared illegal in 1960, though entertainment places (go-go bars,
beer bars, massage parlours, karaoke bars and bath houses) are governed
by a separate law passed in 1966. These establishments are licensed and
can legally provide nonsexual services (such as dancing, massage, a
drinking buddy); sexual services occur through these venues but they
are not technically the businesses’ primary purpose.
With the arrival of the US military forces in Southeast Asia during
the Vietnam War era, enterprising businesspeople adapted the exist-
ing framework to suit foreigners, in turn creating an international sex-
tourism industry that persists today.Created by a
sex-workers’
advocacy group,
This is Us:
EMPOWER Foun-
dation National
Museum (% 0
2526 8311; 57/60
Th Tiwanon,
Nonthaburi; open
weekdays) leads
visitors through
the history and
working condi-
tions of sex work-
ers in Thailand.