Sex workers left without any help

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BANGKOK POST 13/12/2005

TSUNAMI AFTERMATH FORGOTTEN VICTIMS

Sex workers left without any help


PENCHAN CHAROENSUTHIPAN

Phuket _ Lucrative nights at Patong beach resort are no longer what Maem, a sex worker whose life was devastated by the tsunami, expects to see again. The state financial assistance that poured into this resort island after the tragedy did not cover the sex workers, leaving them with no sources of help. Many said they did not even know how many of their friends and colleagues were killed by the waves.

``Some were taken off by guests and never came back. Some were killed by the waves and some were sucked out to sea but still managed to survive,'' said Maem, 35.

Leaving their homes in other provinces behind, Maem and many of her friends travelled to Patong beach from the provinces three years ago and developed a special bond with their new home.

However, after the Dec 26 tsunami, many of them lost almost everything, but they could not ask the government for help because they did not have the documents to prove they were from the provinces.

Just like Maem and her friends, businesses at Patong beach are struggling to recover.

``We have no work or money, but we still need to send money back to our families,'' said Maem, a mother of two.

Though tourist numbers are on the rise, the earnings of these women have dropped by half from the 5,000 baht a week they once earned. What worries them most is the high expense of health care.

Eliz Hilton of the Empower Foundation said around 80% of sex workers here have children who are being taken care of by their grandparents. The women need to send back money to their families every month and have not told them the money was coming from prostitution, which is unacceptable in Thai society, she said.

``The young girls have grown up with a burden and need to take care of their parents and pay off their debts. They don't have the education and the special skills to change things around for their families, so they are left with only one choice,'' said Ms Hilton, who formerly worked as a nurse in Australia.

Maem and around 200 of her friends have now become members of Empower, a non-governmental organisation working to promote the rights of sex workers.

They learn ways to take care of their health from the foundation, which also provides them with a meeting place to obtain useful advice.

Their free time is spent learning English and computers, and on spa and beauty courses. All hope to have their own business one day.

Empower Foundation director Chantawipa Apisuk has asked the government to treat sex workers the same way as other wave victims and give them the help they need. These women ``help liven up the tourism atmosphere'', she said.