Udon Thani official calls for prostitution to be legalised

Udon Thani Industrial Council chairman Prayoon Homewong has called on the government to legalise prostitution.

"We can never get rid of it. So, I think we should pass laws to regulate it," Prayoon said at a meeting with relevant authorities in Udon Thani.

He described "prostitution" as an old profession, which many foreign countries have recognised legally.

Prayoon added that if the flesh trade were stamped out altogether, sex crimes would soar.

"If there were laws to regulate prostitution, sex workers would be eligible for legal protection and benefits, while the government would earn income from the tax," Prayoon said. "And it would be easier to control."

He added that red-light district zoning could be imposed once laws were passed, before urging MPs and ministers to seriously consider his proposal.

Register would stigmatise

Friends of Women Foundation director Thanavadee Thajeen agreed with imposing zoning and providing prostitutes with access to social security in line with other careers, but moves towards a prostitute-regulation system could only come after consultation with relevant groups.

"There are so many karaoke lounges and other night spots with covert prostitution and some are located near temples and schools. Zoning could help solve this problem," Thanavadee said.

"However, I don't agree with the registration system because it could adversely affect sex workers. Registration means a woman is willing to be stigmatised for the rest of her life as a prostitute, which may effect her chance of finding another other job in the future," she said.

Thanavadee urged relevant agencies to organise public forums in each region for prostitutes to discuss their problems with women's rights activists. Then it would become clear whether the prostitutes want regulation or not, she said.

Regardless of whether prostitution was legalised, she said the government should help prostitutes gain access to the social security system. Prostitutes' employers should be forced to register with their Social Security Office as employers, she said.

"Campaigns among men to deter them from buying sex from women should help - if there are no buyers, there won't be sellers," she said.

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