SEX WORK AND THE LAW - HIV/AIDS Data Hub

The current condom policies are very limited in terms of policy formulation and
implementation...[T]hough the 100% CUP is present, the corresponding regulations
to enact such policy are absent. 435
Migrant sex workers in Lao PDR
Lao PDR
The following extracts from an earlier study by Doussantousse and colleagues describe
the effect of law enforcement on Vietnamese women working in the border towns of
Sepone and Pakse:
Sepone is near the Vietnamese border. The venues are less sophisticated than those in
Pakse, and attract women who want to do sex-work. Despite a District Police campaign
against sex work, the activities persist. A few maintain the pretence of massage or
hair styling. But inevitably if the venue advertises karaoke they generally have lots of
bedrooms nearby. Places where women live are the places where they work…After
the police sweep and campaign, the numbers dropped dramatically then gradually
returned to normal. 436
There have been no campaigns like the ones in Sepone against [sex workers] in Pakse.
As long as they are legally registered [as residents] and pay taxes and fees, they can
carry out their trade and many have police as clients. The [sex workers] report that Lao
police are polite… 437
Sepone’s districts campaign against prostitution and other ‘anti-social behaviour’ such
as drinking; fighting focused on young illegal migrants and resulted in the capture of
least 11 Vietnamese women who were sent back home because of prostitution. These
women were turned over to Vietnamese officials and punished by Vietnamese law... 438
The situation is radically different between Laos and Vietnam as far as law enforcement
is concerned. Lao people and authorities turn a blind eye to the Vietnamese women as
long as there is no disturbance to the social environment...Lao officials are pragmatic,
believing that these women provide a service to the community and are merely
feeding their families and therefore looking after the welfare and future of children.
It seems that the only Lao campaign against [sex workers] was a face-saving activity
which was initiated after pressure from Vietnam when a police officer found his sister
had been ‘forced’ into [sex work]. No action was taken against a Lao [sex worker] at
the time or since. 439
The population of migrant sex workers is growing, particularly near the Thai border.
Souksavannh, Duangpraserth and Calabria studied the vulnerability of undocumented
sex workers in Lao PDR. They describe ‘beer bar girls’; some, but not all, beer bar girls
provide sexual services. 440 Drinking establishments are policed and may be closed if found
to be providing sexual services. They found that HIV risks faced by undocumented sex
workers are correlated with low education, limited access to information on HIV, STIs and
condoms, illegal status and inadequate treatment of STIs.
435 Calica C., et al (2008) Assessment of Condom Programming in Lao PDR, Vientiane: Ministry of Health and
UNFPA, p.62.
436 Doussantousse S. et al. (2006) Accidents of Life: A study of Vietnamese women in Lao PDR, Nordic
Assistance to Lao, p.9.
437 Ibid., p.26.
438 Ibid., p.14.
439 Ibid., pp.14-15.
440 Souksavannh O., Duangpraserth S., Calabria M. (2000) Hidden sex workers in Lao PDR, Int Conf AIDS. Jul
9-14, 2000; 13: abstract no. WeOrE585.
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