1. PROSTITUTION IN
BURMA

2. History
Prostitution banned in 1785, early Konbaung Dynasty period.
The Suppression of Prostitution Act, enacted in 1949, guarantees protection of
female children under 14 (with or without consent) from sexual abuse charged with
rape
The Child Law, enacted in 1993, raised the age of consensual sex to 16, no offence
for boys
The Great Depression in 1930’s, caused unemployment and displacement in British
Burma, women forced to serve clients mainly British troops and Indian sepoys

3. Overview
Illegal
Burma is major source of prostitutes (an estimate of 20,000 to 30,000) in Thailand
Majority of Burmese prostitution are from ethnic minorities, 60% under age of 18
Source of sex workers and forced labourers forChina, Bangladesh, Taiwan, India,
Malaysia, Macau and Japan
Internal trafficking of women for prostitution occurs from rural villages to urban
centres, military camps, border towns and fishing villages

4. Names
“fulfilling the rod’s hunger”
“blue mistress”, “blue” means pornography
“chicken”
“female pimp”
“female nat”
“fragrant flowers of the night”

5. HIV/AIDS
Burma is 3rd highest HIV prevalence in Asia after Cambodia and Thailand
Sex workers are particularly at risk, with 32% of prostitutes infected with the disease
In Yangon, 10, 000 sex workers mostly Burma's Bamar ethnic group, with between 70
to 90% having history of sexually transmitted infections and less than 25% having
been tested for HIV

6. -end-