AIDS was first reported in Thailand in 1988. The first casualties were prostitutes and their male clients. Patronage of prostitution resulted in the rapid spread of the disease among young men and pregnant married women. The government responded by advocating for the use of condoms. Condom use campaigns targeted prostitutes and their male customers through mass commercial advertising. It was unlawful to violate the condom program or to employ children as prostitutes. With increased condom use, there was a decline in the number of sexually transmitted disease infections, in addition to fewer people testing HIV positive.
Prostitution in Thailand had been illegal since 1960. However, the government had not been completely successful in its eradication. The solution lay in control. Prostitutes in Thailand work in establishments such as brothels, bars, massage parlors, and restaurants. This made it easy for the government to maintain CSE (commercial sex establishments) records/rosters, unlike when prostitutes work freelance on the streets. This provided information on commercial sex trends such as the types of CSEs in existence, the number of sex workers, and the price of sex. Furthermore, it helped in the control of STDs. All CSEs were recorded, and all the prostitutes were documented as well. The findings were such that most CSEs were located in towns, though the rosters showed a higher number than was the case. However, in larger towns as Bangkok, the CSE and, by extension, the CSW was more. The major drawback lay in the enumeration of the sex workers. Sometimes, the numbers were overstated or understated. There is no reliable documentation on the sex prices. CSE’s were offering services either directly (brothels) or indirectly (night clubs). The upper northern area of Thailand had more reported cases of HIV primarily because of sex patronage and instances of low fee sex workers.
Ultimately, it was possible to document changes in prostitution. There was a decline in the numbers of CSW and CSE’s. This was attributed to fewer sex workers being hired, the direct CSE’s becoming indirect CSEs but nonetheless offering the same services, and the coming up of new CSE’s that charged higher prices in addition to relocating the sex services elsewhere. However, the decline in the number of sex workers was attributed to the fear of AIDS. With fewer women willing to become prostitutes, there was also less patronage of prostitutes by men. The government condom campaign served to discourage women from engaging in prostitution even more. The economy was doing well, offering more occupational choices to women. However, shortages in the labor industry resulted in foreign sex workers, especially from Myanmar. The successful family planning program carried out in the ’60s and ’70s had altered the demographics. It resulted in more young people in the ’90s, more so young women, some of whom ended up as prostitutes. Despite the growing economy, most prostitutes would still have ended up as unskilled laborers with very little pay. The consequence of this is that they chose to remain in prostitution.
With fewer CSWs, HIV and STDs were less transmitted. The condom campaign was indispensable. The challenge remains that of controlling the shift to indirect prostitution where there is less condom use but the high transmission of HIV and STDs. Moreover, there are more foreign prostitutes who need advice on condom use.
References
Hanenberg, R. & Rojanpithayakorn, W. (1998). Changes in prostitution and the AIDS epidemic in Thailand. AIDS Care. Vol 10(1) pp 69-79. 2008. Web.