From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia EMPOWER
EMPOWER
EMPOWER among sex workers; this was criticised by then Health
Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan.[7]
Formation 1985 Shortly after the tsunami of December 2004,
Type NGO EMPOWER opened their office in Patong Beach, Phuket
and published a report estimating that over 2,000 sex
Purpose/focus support of sex workers
workers had died and lamenting the lack of support for
Region served Thailand migrant sex workers affected by the flood.[8] In Septem-
ber 2005 they started a radio programme for sex workers
Founder and Chantawipa Apisuk[1]
Director in Phuket.[9]
In 2006 EMPOWER opened a worker-owned bar in
Website http://www.empowerfoundation.org/ Chiang Mai, named "Can Do". It is intended as a model
for exemplary working conditions in the industry, giving
EMPOWER ("Education Means Protection Of Women En- workers a day off per week and providing social security
gaged in Recreation"), also known as Centre for Sex benefits.[10][11]
Workers’ Protection or Moolniti Songserm Okard Pooy- EMPOWER publishes a Thai language newsletter
ing (Thai: ???????????????????????????), is a non-profit called "Bad Girls" which allows sex workers to express
organisation in Thailand that supports sex workers by of- themselves.[12]
fering free classes in language, health, law and pre-col- UNAIDS and UNDP announced at the XVII Interna-
lege education as well as individual counseling. The or- tional AIDS Conference, 2008 in Mexico City that
ganisation also lobbies the government to extend regular EMPOWER had received one of 25 Red Ribbon Awards.
labour protections to sex workers[1] and to legalize pros- This award, designed to celebrate community leadership
titution.[2] and action on AIDS, included a $5,000 stipend, allowing
EMPOWER was founded in 1985 by Chantawipa EMPOWER to participate at the conference.[13]
Apisuk; she still serves as the organisation’s director and
runs the head office in Nonthaburi Province. The organ-
isation maintains centers in Patpong (Bangkok), Chiang See also
Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Sai[3] and Patong Beach, Phuket.[2] • Prostitution in Thailand
Unlike most Thai organisations operating in this
field, EMPOWER takes a neutral stance towards sex work
and does not pressure people to leave the trade.[4] Partly References
because of this, EMPOWER receives little financial sup- [1] ^ Night workers must be protected by labour laws,
port from the Thai government; the bulk of the donations union and NHRC say, The Nation (Thailand), May 17,
come from abroad. 2006
In 2003 the organisation published a report stating [2] ^ Tunya Sukpanich, Empowering ’bad girls’ , The
that many anti-trafficking organisations failed to recog- Bangkok Post, March 11, 2007
nize the important difference between migrant sex [3] Report on EMPOWER, Untamed Travel Magazine,
workers and women forced to prostitute themselves August 2003
against their will. They documented a May 2003 "raid [4] A Wilson, When sex is a job. An interview with
and rescue" operation on a brothel in Chiang Mai that Chantawipa Apisuk of Empower. In: Learning about
was carried out by TRAFCORD with support by the In- sexuality: a practical beginning, edited by Sondra
ternational Justice Mission (IJM). The operation was car- Zeidenstein and Kirsten Moore. New York, New
ried out without the consent of the sex workers and re- York, Population Council, 1996. Pages 333-342.
sulted in numerous human rights violations.[5] IJM subse- [5] A report by Empower Chiang Mai on the human
quently ended its countertrafficking work in Thailand.[6] rights violations women are subjected to when
Chantawipa Apisuk has said that in her opinion these "rescued" by anti-trafficking groups who employ
raids and the following arrests and stigmatization only methods using deception, force and coercion, June
worsen the situation of most prostitutes.[2] 2003
At the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok in [6] Noy Thrupkaew, The Crusade Against Sex
2004, EMPOWER set up a mock go go bar complete with Trafficking, The Nation, September 16, 2009
a dancer to highlight efforts to increase condom use
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia EMPOWER
[7] XV International AIDS Conference: What they [12] Bad Girls archives.
say…, The Nation, 17 July 2004 [13] Red Ribbon Award winners 2008
[8] Empower: Update No. 2: Situation of Sex Workers
in South Thailand, January 18, 2005
[9] EMPOWERING SEX WORKERS: Phuket radio helps
External links
with rights, The Nation, 20 November 2005. • EMPOWER homepage
[10] Can Do, EMPOWER Foundation. Accessed 10 March • Photo report about a visit at EMPOWER Chiang Mai,
2008. March 2007. By Tim Matsui.
[11] Sex Work with Benefits: An “Experitainment”,
Triple Pundit, 28 April 2009
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=EMPOWER&oldid=447759931"
Categories:
• Organisations based in Thailand
• Thai society
• Politics of Thailand
• Sex worker organizations
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