Walking Street, a red-light district in Pattaya.Prostitution by legal status in Asia
Legalization – legal and regulated
Abolitionism – legal and not regulated; organized activities such as brothels and pimping illegal
Neo-abolitionism illegal to buy sex and for 3rd party involvement, legal to sell sex
Prohibitionism – illegal
Varies with local laws
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, 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.
^Cite error: The named reference legal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^
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 laos was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Sex Workers: Size Estimate". UNAIDS. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
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