CLMV male migrant sex workers in Bangkok : livelihoods and social protection

Abstract

Due to the lucrative business of sex industry in Thailand, it welcomes not only Thai sex workers to engage in sex industry, but also migrant sex workers from neighboring countries including Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam. The high incomes of sex industry convince not only the female migrants, but also male migrants either heterosexual or homosexual identified to engage in sexual services. These migrant sex workers are experiencing more barriers that the local due to their migrants’ legal status. Because sex work is not considered a legitimate form of employment, these migrant sex workers are unable to exercise their rights and protections under Thai Labor Protection Act. They are subject to vulnerabilities facing triple legal barriers including labor, immigration, and sex-work laws.

The purpose of this research is thus to investigate to what extent does (il)legal status of CLMV male migrant sex workers affect their livelihoods, and to analyze how do they manage their coping strategies and their accessing to social protection. The concepts applied in this research are sustainable livelihood approach, coping strategies, and social protection. This research is in qualitative method conducted through the use of in-depth interviews with 14 CLMV male migrant sex workers, and 5 key informant interviews from government and NGOs. The research is also adopted non-participant observation to observe their activities and interaction amongst sex-work colleagues, captains, and clients in three types of establishments: go-go bars, massage/ spa shops, and beer bars.

From the study, it finds that CLMV male migrant sex workers’ livelihoods and their coping strategies of accessing to social protection in Thailand are confined by their (il)legal status from engaging in illegal sex industry, working using tourist visa, and carrying out work without a work permit or carrying out work differently specified in work permit.

With that, the paper concludes that (il)legal status of CLMV male migrant sex workers has the effects on their livelihoods and their coping strategies of accessing to social protection in Thailand in different degree. Migrant sex workers who depend on tourist visa are more vulnerable than ones who are employed. However, the degree of vulnerability depends on one’s capacity to cope. CLMV male migrant sex workers adopt loophole strategy (invisibility) and protective strategy as a response to their vulnerabilities. Their accessing to social protection is based on migrants’ employment status. Employment status allows migrant sex workers to get access to social protection. Visa tourist holders cannot get social protection in terms of state policies but can access to social protection through their social network from the community in the form of occupation support to maintain their sex-work career.