The Philippines and other Asian countries should decriminalize
sex-related jobs in order to provide sex workers access to basic rights and to
control the spread of sexually transmitted infections especially HIV, a new
United Nations report said.
"The legal recognition of sex work as an occupation enables
sex workers to claim benefits, to form or join unions and to access
work-related banking, insurance, transport and pension schemes," the
report dubbed "Sex Work and the Law in Asia and the Pacific" showed.
It added that "in decriminalized contexts, the sex industry
can be subject to the same general laws regarding workplace health and safety
and anti-discrimination protections as other industries."
Decriminalization, the report said, involves the repeal of laws criminalizing
sex work, being clients to sex workers or engaging in activities associated
with sex work.
