Reforming prostitution law in Thailand

Submission note: A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Juridical Science to the School of Law, Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, La Trobe University, Bundoora.

Although prostitution has been illegal in Thailand since 1960, the sex industry has flourished. Sex entertainment venues exist openly mainly because of corruption. The current law has proven ineffective in bringing down the number of sex workers and the illegal status of sex workers makes them an easy target for violation and abuse. There is little legal protection for sex workers. In addition, the stigma attached to prostitution means that sex workers are often denied the basic rights of victims as Thai citizens. The case for law reform is compelling. The critical question, however, is what type of law reform is best for Thailand. There are four main regulatory approaches to prostitution on a global scale, namely: Criminalisation; Neo-Abolitionism; Legalisation and Decriminalisation. The laws applying in all states of the U.S.A (except Nevada), Sweden, the Australian state of Victoria and New Zealand are studied to provide insights into alternative models of regulation. The findings from this study are used as a basis to recommend prostitution law reform in Thailand.