On its surface, Can Do Bar seems like your average after-hours watering hole. Shelves of liquor bottles shimmer under neon signage, and the latest pop chart-toppers drift out from the loudspeakers. Despite its comfortingly nondescript appearance, it is the only bar of its kind in Chiang Mai: it’s run entirely by sex workers.
 
 

Decriminalization can have a major impact on the lives of sex workers by giving them the freedoms they deserve. "We are people," Sashumi says, "but the law does not see us as a people." "Because the law does not recognize sexual labor as work, we have no freedom. We do not have rights. The law states that sex work does not work, and it contributes to the realization that sex workers are deplorable victims. We do not want to feel pity; we want justice."

While its uniqueness is noticeable, the women who own and work in the bar ultimately hope to see more institutions like him, because the space they created is safe, and is run by society and administered fairly. They also want to make it clear that their work as sex workers at Can Do Bar is their choice. And they make the rules.This is a paragraph. To edit this paragraph, highlight the text and replace it with your own fresh content. Moving this text widget is no problem. Simply drag and drop the widget to your area of choice.

Another issue inevitably emerges in our discussion on sexual work: human trafficking. The sex industry is large in Thailand: the 2014 joint UNSAID report estimated 123,530 sex workers inside the country. However, there is little difference in the way the government handles these issues; sweeping raids of the places where sex workers work involve arresting all of those present, even those who work consensually.

Resources designed to educate people about the reality of sexual action take many different forms in the bar. Upstairs there is a room with a bed, a sofa, and a small number of seats arranged for the public. This is Reality Theater, designed as a space for educational performance to display written and executed graphics by Can Do Bar staff about the mundane, comic, frustrating, or comical experiences they have on the job.


There is also a bookshelf that contains texts about sex work, including a dictionary that contains definitions of frequently used words - and their misuse - when sex work is publicly discussed. For example, as a comment on how sex workers are arrested for their work, the definition of the term "victim" is, "The community sees sex workers as victims, and the community has no place for victims outside the cage."


“Here, women are not forced to wear certain clothes,” says Nina, a long-time employee of Cannes-d e-Barre. “We are not forced to drink.” Can Do Bar rules apply as precautions against the unfair treatment workers are often subjected to. Sex when assigned to other places Other bars require that sex workers consume alcohol during work, require them to maintain a certain weight, and have a number of additional strict policies that exploit them.

Sashumi and Nina stress that human trafficking should not be confused with all sex work. By their account, they have made this career decision actively, and say they are better off for him.

They found a useful support network of like-minded women in Can Do Bar, and within the organization that founded them: The Empowerment Foundation. Empower describes itself as an organization dedicated to improving the lives of sex workers through advocacy, education and personal counseling. During thirty years they have been active, Empower has developed a wide range of programs in Thai cities about sex workers, including English and Thai lessons. These women often struggle to provide English lessons provided through the traditional language program, and many of them have faced discriminatory treatment in these environments. They told the story of a woman who was prevented from going to the bathroom during class when someone there discovered her job.

The organization also provides legal services. "Women have the opportunity to come here and learn about the law and their legal rights." They cannot do this easily elsewhere, "says Amornprapa Seechana, Empower's legal volunteer.

 
Sachumi Mayeo, another woman who works at Can Do Bar, explains that in many karaoke places, massages and bars employing sex workers, "every minute you're late, your salary is reduced. Every time you wear the wrong uniform pieces, your salary is reduced." In other industries, labor laws protect employees from these unlawful policies, but because of the criminalization of sex in Thailand, women like Sachumi are subject to harassing employers.
Criminalization of sex can hate these women to feel trapped in dangerous situations without adequate legal resources. "If the customer does not pay us or treat us badly, we cannot go to the police," Sashumi says. "If the president forces us to drink but we refuse, where can we go?"


This is why Empower, the organization behind Can Do Bar, is prioritizing sexual activity. Sachumi makes an important distinction: "We don't want legalization, we want to criminalize. We don't want more regulation. We just want to work the same way as other workers."

All women at Can Do Bar are well aware of the general stigma surrounding their decriminalization and the accompanying fear.

A lot of people fear it will be chaos," Sashumi says.

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