Burmese male sex workers in Thailand face stigma and AIDS risks
Chai Sor, 29, is a male sex worker in one of Chiang Mai's many gay bars. He earns between 7,000 and 20,000 baht a month, depending on how many clients he gets.
Chai Sor is one of many Burmese who make up a significant number of male sex workers in Thailand.
There are no statistics on the exact number of Burmese migrants in the industry but Phongthorn Chanlearn, a project manager with Mplus+, said about 80 percent of gay-bar workers were from Burma's Shan, Kachin and Karen states.
Mplus+ runs sexual-health clinics for male sex workers in Thailand and aims to reduce the stigma surrounding the industry. Phongthorn said many men were forced into the industry due to their lack of legal status and work rights. "A lack of nationality and no identity cards pushes them automatic to engage in several gay bars and become male sex workers," Phongthorn said.
According to Phongthorn, some clients paid male prostitutes big money for unprotected sex, making it easier for them to contract sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS.
But Chai Sor said he refused clients who asked for sex without a condom and had a medical checkup every three months at the MSM clinic run by Mplus+.
"I am always aware of how to have safe sex."
Tin, 23, also a sex worker, said he used condoms when with his clients.
". . . I understand to have safe sex with any clients."
But Phongthorn said many male sex workers, some under the age of 18, were already infected with HIV/AIDS or STIs.
She said bar owners were scared to employ men under 18 and many were forced to work independently, searching for clients around Chiang Mai's night bazaar and Tha Phae gate late at night. While Thai HIV/AIDS prevention and education programs have met with considerable success, NGO workers said there were still many young men at risk of infection. Dr Kreang Sak of the Chiang Mai-provincial public Health Office, who works part time at the Mplus+ MSM clinic, said young male sex workers in Thailand faced a high risk of contracting STIs.
"There is another high risk groups including male sex workers and drugs addicts youngsters in Thailand," said Dr Kreang Sak. "Due to the high frequency of sex every day more than other normal people, they become high risk groups for HIV/AIDS," he said. According to a report by the Center Disease Control in Bangkok, many adolescents in Thailand have Gonorrhea and Chlamydia. "The country can face as the same situation of HIV/AIDS epidemic crisis as previous last 10-years, if there is less attention to such high risk groups," Dr Kreang Sak said. "Because of the social stigma on male sex workers by the society, it is still difficult to get in touch (through) Campaigners in our society," he said.
Dr Kreang Sak said there was a need for more clinics like the MSM clinic. Mplus+ has only two clinics – one in Chiang Mai and one in Phuket – and there is only one government-run clinic in Bangkok targeting male sex workers. Chiang Mai's MSM clinic was set up at the end of 2004 and treats an average of 10 patients a day. But Dr Kreang Sak said it was impossible for staff at the clinic to record data on the nationalities and ages of their patients as it was their policy not to ask patients for identification. "Every thing is free of charge and we avoid the social stigma by checking their nationalities," he said adding staff suspected many patients lied about their ages and were actually under 18.
He also said while more programs were needed to target young male sex workers, it was up to them to take responsibility for their health. "Every male sex workers has full responsibility and need to aware of their safer sex and so that they can stay away from infected of HIV/AIDS and STIs."
Source: UNDP, August 14, 2006
Chai Sor is one of many Burmese who make up a significant number of male sex workers in Thailand.
There are no statistics on the exact number of Burmese migrants in the industry but Phongthorn Chanlearn, a project manager with Mplus+, said about 80 percent of gay-bar workers were from Burma's Shan, Kachin and Karen states.
Mplus+ runs sexual-health clinics for male sex workers in Thailand and aims to reduce the stigma surrounding the industry. Phongthorn said many men were forced into the industry due to their lack of legal status and work rights. "A lack of nationality and no identity cards pushes them automatic to engage in several gay bars and become male sex workers," Phongthorn said.
According to Phongthorn, some clients paid male prostitutes big money for unprotected sex, making it easier for them to contract sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS.
But Chai Sor said he refused clients who asked for sex without a condom and had a medical checkup every three months at the MSM clinic run by Mplus+.
"I am always aware of how to have safe sex."
Tin, 23, also a sex worker, said he used condoms when with his clients.
". . . I understand to have safe sex with any clients."
But Phongthorn said many male sex workers, some under the age of 18, were already infected with HIV/AIDS or STIs.
She said bar owners were scared to employ men under 18 and many were forced to work independently, searching for clients around Chiang Mai's night bazaar and Tha Phae gate late at night. While Thai HIV/AIDS prevention and education programs have met with considerable success, NGO workers said there were still many young men at risk of infection. Dr Kreang Sak of the Chiang Mai-provincial public Health Office, who works part time at the Mplus+ MSM clinic, said young male sex workers in Thailand faced a high risk of contracting STIs.
"There is another high risk groups including male sex workers and drugs addicts youngsters in Thailand," said Dr Kreang Sak. "Due to the high frequency of sex every day more than other normal people, they become high risk groups for HIV/AIDS," he said. According to a report by the Center Disease Control in Bangkok, many adolescents in Thailand have Gonorrhea and Chlamydia. "The country can face as the same situation of HIV/AIDS epidemic crisis as previous last 10-years, if there is less attention to such high risk groups," Dr Kreang Sak said. "Because of the social stigma on male sex workers by the society, it is still difficult to get in touch (through) Campaigners in our society," he said.
Dr Kreang Sak said there was a need for more clinics like the MSM clinic. Mplus+ has only two clinics – one in Chiang Mai and one in Phuket – and there is only one government-run clinic in Bangkok targeting male sex workers. Chiang Mai's MSM clinic was set up at the end of 2004 and treats an average of 10 patients a day. But Dr Kreang Sak said it was impossible for staff at the clinic to record data on the nationalities and ages of their patients as it was their policy not to ask patients for identification. "Every thing is free of charge and we avoid the social stigma by checking their nationalities," he said adding staff suspected many patients lied about their ages and were actually under 18.
He also said while more programs were needed to target young male sex workers, it was up to them to take responsibility for their health. "Every male sex workers has full responsibility and need to aware of their safer sex and so that they can stay away from infected of HIV/AIDS and STIs."
Source: UNDP, August 14, 2006
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 4:27 pm
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