I am a man living in Asia and I have, on my many lonely nights, reached out to sex workers who have invariably helped and made a difference to my life. I’ve always endeavoured to treat all with the greatest respect I can provide and I really want to help make a difference because I really respect their work. My question is how to get engaged in a drive for decriminalisation. It doesn’t matter where; I just think it should be legal and safe for whomever wants to engage in this line of work anywhere. I know I have been a huge beneficiary of their efforts and care and I really want to give something back if I can.
I believe that charity begins at home, and that your efforts would be best expended on the sex workers in your country. You don’t mention which Asian country you live in, but there are sex worker rights organizations in India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, South Korea, Hong Kong and a number of other parts of the continent. In fact, I’ve always admired the strength and courage of Asian sex worker organizations; Asian sex workers are my heroes, and if you can help them in any way, such as by donating money or helping through your profession, it would be invaluable to their struggle. And that doesn’t just affect your country, either: humans may be the smartest monkeys, but we’re still monkeys, and “monkey see, monkey do”. The Swedish model has spread because the monkeys in power get the idea from watching other boss monkeys impose it on their tribes, and the more countries decriminalize sex work the more likely it is that the monkeys in other trees will see and imitate that behavior, too. So to elaborate on my initial statement: charity does indeed begin at home, but the ripples spread out to affect the whole world.
(Have a question of your own? Please consult this page to see if I’ve answered it in a previous column, and if not just click here to ask me via email.)
off topic, Maggie, but I just noticed in the subtitle of your blog: “… from a retired call girl.” – wouldn’t “untiring” or something comparable do justice to this reborn call girl?
Seems to me it’s more like, “Monkey do, monkey forces everyone else to do the same”.
Dear Maggie,
Thanks for using my letter as part of your effort. Interestingly enough since you replied to me I¥’ve been trying to find a local support group to which I could put myself behind but much to my surprise, or perhaps due to my limited language skills outside of English, I haven¥’t been able to find one. I am in Japan, by the way, so if you know let me know please.
On a separate question I would like to ask for advice. What is one supposed to do if one happens to fall for a sex worker? This is one troubling and difficult thing I have to deal with but I am not sure how to manage it. Most certainly I do not want to disrespect nor offend but I am going through a lot of emotional pain myself. Anyway, any tips are most appreciated. Thank you.
C.
Sent from my iPhone
>