I've received several emails and fundraising pleas and prayer letter updates over the years that refer to an estimated three million prostitutes in Thailand. For two significant reasons, I plead for anyone involved with these issues to be careful with the use of this dubious, unhelpful statistic.
First of all, it is not helpful to describe someone working in the sex industry as a prostitute, to reduce your description of them to merely this role in life. Though it is common to refer to someone by their job, I don't think we should do so when people are reduced to working in the sex industry. For most women in such work (yes, I know there are men and boys involved, but females make up the vast majority), this is not a profession chosen freely or willingly but one made under force or economic duress or because of a lack of other options. To reduce someone to an epithet is unfair and undemeaning. I think it is more helpful to use a term such as 'sex-worker' and be careful to be as hopeful and visionary and positive as possible when talking about this work. I'm not asking people to be pollyanhish about this. I just think that mature people can treat people caught in difficult circumstances with respect, and the term 'prostitute' to me is inherently degrading and ugly. We can do better.
