Ngo from VNSW talks about violence faced by sex workers in Vietnam, and calls for areas where sex workers can work openly and safely.
Transcript:
At the moment, we know that there are still many sex
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workers who experience violence in Vietnam. For example, some sex workers get beaten up by brothel managers, drivers, or agents, and have to divide earnings up and share with others.
For now, sex work is still not recognised as a job in Vietnam. But luckily we succeeded in getting rid of Decree 05, which led to the imprisonment of sex workers, and now we only face administrative penalties.
But there are no rights for sex workers yet, so sex workers like us still suffer from sexual violence, including collective sexual violence from people who use crystal meth.
So firstly, some sex workers are managed by someone else, and secondly, they suffer collective violence. For example, when they negotiate to go out with one person, but when they arrive they must have sex with 5 or 6 people.
At the moment, sex workers in Vietnam only know how to suffer and share their stories within their network in order to help each other learn to protect themselves, and reduce risk of HIV and other STIs.
We are a group of people made vulnerable, and that is why we are calling on the Vietnamese community to open up an entertainment street where we can work openly, and where we can access healthcare and treatment openly. So what is now hidden can be revealed.
By doing this, sex workers can be confident, and all the stigma and discrimination in Vietnam will be reduced, because our job is also a job just like others.
That is all, thank you!
