Foreign sex workers in Singapore

Less than three months back in Singapore and I am confronted by a series of reports on foreign sex workers – first of the study ma ma (from China) and now the construction workers (from India).

About a month ago, Channel U invited a couple of study ma mas on for a special feature during a talk show program. The intent of the program – though considerably overwhelmed by the emotional overtures of one of the participating study ma mas – was to investigate the allegations against the practice of illegal sex trade amongst these newly settled residents in Singapore.

Just one month from the Channel U talk show, Channel News Asia (CNA) documentary program, Get Real! focuses on the illegal prostitution amongst (male) Indian construction workers in Little India.

There seemed to be a few consistent threads of development in these phenomena despite the apparent differences in nationality and gender:

1. Interviews with study ma mas and an indian construction worker – all have denied any involvement in the illegal sex trade (but, of course!) – seem to illustrate a need of legislation on foreign labour agencies. These ‘new migrants’ confessed to have been wrongfully deluded into paying substantial sums of monies for a promise of access to employment opportunities and stable source of income in their new homeland. Study ma mas are often dismayed to find their job opportunities limited in scope and prospects. Likewise, their Indian counterparts found it difficult to sustain an income from regular employment and were at times cheated of their wages.

2. Both CNA and Channel U have attempted to address point 1 in their programming. However, it appears from the sensational news reports on study ma ma moonlighting as illegal sex trade workers that this demographic is running into the risk of being typecast by the rest of Singapore population. Get Real! has (perhaps to suit the agenda of Singapore context) elected to climax on the probability of AIDs transmission through these illegal, and apparently bisexual Indian sex trade workers.

3. What of the Singaporeans who willingly participate in such illegal sex trade? The (middle-aged) Chinese client interviewed in Get Real! seemed to be fully aware of the ramifications – he’s the one who highlighted the bisexuality of Indian sex trade workers, alleging how some of them engaged in sex trade to support themselves and their girlfriends. Yet the role of these willing participants is often downplayed in any media coverage.

While we question the morality of these new migrants, I do think there is a need to reassess that of the incumbents. Afterall, it does take two hands to clap. It doesn’t help to only look at one side of the story without considering the other perspective.

Addendum: Yawning Bread provides an excellent critique of the CNA segment on the Indian sex workers or ‘Fifty-dollar men’ syndrome. Although I agree with him the segment is rather shallow in its analysis, I suspect this has to do with a practice of ‘self-censorship’ exercised amongst to the mainstream media to appropriate the contents of a controversial topic such that it would be ‘safe’ for general consumption.