BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand’s sex trade is illegal but wide open. After an Australian killed a 17-year-old Thai, the safety of sex workers and nightlife’s economic role are back in the spotlight.
From Soi Cowboy in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit district to Pattaya’s Walking Street, nightspots still pull visitors from across the globe. More than 200,000 sex workers operate nationwide.
Swing director says most work in Bangkok and Pattaya
Surang Janyam, director of the Service Workers in Group Foundation, known as Swing, said Thailand has more than 200,000 sex workers. Most work in Bangkok and Pattaya.
Swing is a non-profit that fights for equal rights and provides education and healthcare to service-sector workers. In Pattaya alone, more than 50,000 sex workers are believed to be active.
The city’s night-time economy brings in an estimated 100 to 200 billion baht each year. The heart of the sex industry is Walking Street.
Pattaya courts families but cannot deny sex work
Thailand has long been linked to sex tourism, especially Pattaya. Tourism authorities try to distance themselves, instead pushing for high-spending travellers and a premium destination image.
Thanet Supornsahasrungsi, president of the Association of the Chonburi Tourism Federation, said Pattaya wants to market itself as family-friendly. At the same time, entertainment venues and massage shops secretly offer sexual services.
He said this grey area gives officials chances to demand bribes or blackmail workers.
Many switched to freelance after the pandemic
According to Swing, the industry did not slow down after the pandemic. Many entertainment venues closed, but some sex workers moved to freelance work and offered services through social media.
Swing said the workforce is becoming more gender-diverse. Sex workers are part of the tourism sector because their clients also visit other places in the city and use other services.
Fewer arrests for prostitution
Thai police data shows 19,648 people were arrested for prostitution law violations in 2023. In 2022, the figure was 38,139.
Since the Administrative Penalties Act of 2022, violations of Section 5 of the Prostitution Act are only punished with fines, not treated as crimes. Responsibility shifted from police to officials in the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.
In many cases, offenders can be ordered to do community service instead of jail time, according to Swing.
Organisation demands protection and decriminalisation
Surang criticised the illegal status, saying it effectively locks sex workers out of the regular job market and parts of the economy. That gives them almost no bargaining power over their livelihoods.
The law treats them merely as objects and not as people who have certain rights.
said Surang, director of Swing.
Swing calls for scrapping the 1996 law and decriminalising sex work for people aged 18 and over. Sex workers could then access labour rights, social security, state support, and pay taxes.
Anti-trafficking laws could still be enforced to protect minors and people forced into sex work. Surang said decriminalisation does not necessarily mean more people would enter the profession.
Murders and attacks put safety in the spotlight
Swing supports sex workers who are attacked or abused by clients and helps them work with police. The organisation also accompanied the family of a murdered and mutilated transgender woman through the trial and compensation order.
The family of the 17-year-old killed by the Australian also received support. Swing said police are now more aware of sex workers’ problems and social impact. They see them less as criminals and pursue fewer inflated charges.
In Pattaya, the organisation runs regular workshops that bring officials and sex workers together to improve understanding and reduce conflict.
Dispute over red-light zone and new rules
Swing wants a ministerial regulation guaranteeing fair wages, social support, and labour rights until the law is repealed. After decriminalisation, police and administrative officials would need training for the new system.
Thanet proposed a designated red-light district with zones and state control. That could protect visitors who want to avoid such services while boosting Pattaya’s safety and public image.
Surang rejected the idea, arguing that unclear rules outside the zone could encourage bribery and corruption.