Prostitution in Thailand is not itself illegal, but public solicitation for prostitution is prohibited if it is carried out "openly and shamelessly" or "causes nuisance to the public".[1][2] Due to police corruption and an economic reliance on prostitution dating back to the Vietnam War, it remains a significant presence in the country.[3][4] It results from poverty, low levels of education and a lack of employment in rural areas. Prostitutes mostly come from the northeastern (Isan) region of Thailand, from ethnic minorities or from neighbouring countries, especially Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos.[5][6] In 2019, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimated the total population of sex workers in Thailand to be 43,000.[7]
- ^ "Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act, B.E. 2539 [1996]" (PDF).
- ^ Petch Petpailin (November 23, 2022). "36 sex workers in Pattaya arrested for prostitution". Thethaiger.
- ^ Atiya Achakulwisut (January 16, 2018). "Corruption is embedded in the sex trade". Bangkok Post. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
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- Schloenhardt, Andreas (August 2017). "Trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand" (PDF). United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
- The Experiences of Burmese Women in Thailand (PDF), The President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2013, retrieved February 27, 2021
- "How The Pandemic Has Upended The Lives Of Thailand's Sex Workers". NPR. February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- "Groups 'rescue' Thai sex workers, whether they want it or not". PRI's The World. October 17, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- Jasmina Yap (March 2, 2020). "Seven Women from Laos arrested in Phetchabun for Prostitution". The Laotian Times. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- "What About Sex & Girls In Koh Samui?". Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- Chris Lyttleton (February 2009), The Good People of Isan: Commercial Sex in Northeast Thailand, retrieved February 27, 2021
- "Prostitutes in Thailand: Their Lives, Motivations, Scams and Customers". Facts and Details. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- Nanchanok Wongsamuth (June 30, 2020). "Thailand's migrant sex workers fear for the future". Reuters. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- "Thai police raid a sex for sale hotel in Loei province staffed by Laotian women working as prostitutes". Thai Examiner. March 23, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
laoswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Sex Workers: Size Estimate". UNAIDS. Retrieved March 14, 2021.