World P4P News

Amsterdam City Council have instigated a new campaign, dubbed Stay Away , targeting people considering a stag party or pub crawling trip to Amsterdam. however the publicity seems to have inadvertently led to increased bookings for stag do trips.

The city's Stay Away campaign is aimed to deter British lads aged 18-35 from visiting, via targeting people who search for terms including stag party, Amsterdam or pub crawl Amsterdam with supposedly off-putting online ads.

One company which organises boozy trips to the Dutch capital saw quotes for holidays rocket 649% in just a day after news of the anti-lad advertising campaign began to circulate.

The marketing effort comes as the city moves to make it harder for visitors to get their hands on psychoactive substances and hop between strip clubs. In order to tackle anti-social behaviour and keep things calm, the city council is making it illegal to smoke cannabis on the street in the Red Light District from later this year. From mid-May lighting up will be forbidden in public spaces in the inner city between 4pm and 1am from Thursday to Sunday, while a ban on take-away cannabis sale is also being considered.

Meanwhile Dutch sex workers are not impressed by the Amsterdam initiative. They say they plan to protest against earlier closing times and plans to move them from the city's red light district to large erotic centres on the outskirts of Amsterdam.

A Thai government committee drafting a new law governing prostitution has agreed that voluntary sexual service without any criminal penalties should be allowed from sex workers of 20 years of age or greater.

Jintana Chanbamroong, head of the Department of Women's Affairs and Family Development at Social Development and Human Security Ministry, said after presiding over a meeting of the committee drafting the new law that public hearings both online and on-site were held in five cities including Bangkok, Chonburi and Hat Yai.

It is initially called the Draft Act for the Protection of Sexual Services B.E. 206 and is planned to replace the current Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act from 1996.

Sex workers will have rights and be entitled to welfare in the labour system without being identified as a sex worker. They will also have the right to fair compensation but must undergo health checks to ensure they are not infected with any contagious diseases. However prostitution that falls in the category of human trafficking, such as procurement or coercion, would still be a violation of the Human Trafficking Act.

Brothel operators will be required to not violate the conditions for protecting service providers who are their employees and only operate in specific zones, particularly not near educational institutions or places of worship. Also will be stipulated is that it is prohibited to engage in sexual relations with prostitutes under 20 years of age with those procuring and luring them into prostitution too being liable for criminal penalties.

This draft law is expected to be completed and will be tabled to the new government around August this year.

 

Update: Bill being drafted

16th March 2023. See article from thethaiger.com

The Thai government is now drafting a bill to legalise sex work to protect sex workers from exploitation. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) has proposed the bill, which will also limit the minimum age to provide or buy the service

According to Narong Jaihan, a lecturer from the Faculty of Law at Thammasat University, sex workers under 20 will not be penalised, but legal action will be taken against business operators who employ them underage, as well as their parents.