I am a man living in Asia and I have, on my many lonely nights, reached out to sex workers who have invariably helped and made a difference to my life. I’ve always endeavoured to treat all with the greatest respect I can provide and I really want to help make a difference because I really respect their work. My question is how to get engaged in a drive for decriminalisation. It doesn’t matter where; I just think it should be legal and safe for whomever wants to engage in this line of work anywhere. I know I have been a huge beneficiary of their efforts and care and I really want to give something back if I can.
I believe that charity begins at home, and that your efforts would be best expended on the sex workers in your country. You don’t mention which Asian country you live in, but there are sex worker rights organizations in India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, South Korea, Hong Kong and a number of other parts of the continent. In fact, I’ve always admired the strength and courage of Asian sex worker organizations; Asian sex workers are my heroes, and if you can help them in any way, such as by donating money or helping through your profession, it would be invaluable to their struggle. And that doesn’t just affect your country, either: humans may be the smartest monkeys, but we’re still monkeys, and “monkey see, monkey do”. The Swedish model has spread because the monkeys in power get the idea from watching other boss monkeys impose it on their tribes, and the more countries decriminalize sex work the more likely it is that the monkeys in other trees will see and imitate that behavior, too. So to elaborate on my initial statement: charity does indeed begin at home, but the ripples spread out to affect the whole world.
(Have a question of your own? Please consult this page to see if I’ve answered it in a previous column, and if not just click here to ask me via email.)
