Almost all are foreigners from China, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, said a study by three universities which has, for the first time, shed some light on the veiled world of freelance prostitutes in Geylang. The findings are based on face-to-face interviews with prostitutes over the last two years by three academics from the Nanyang Technological University NTU , Boston University and Fudan University.
The study is "an important contribution to the field of labour economics in general", said NTU assistant professor in economics Leong Kaiwen, one of the researchers. The freelancers are not based in brothels. Many come to Singapore as tourists; others moonlight while holding other jobs here.
Prostitution in itself is not an offence in Singapore, but it is against the law to solicit in public or for pimps to live off the earnings of prostitutes. One of the study's key findings is that prostitutes pick and choose their clients, charging some more and others less. Some prostitutes also prefer not to have Indian and Bangladeshi clients because of the negative associations that may come with darker skin tones. The work has been presented at conferences in countries such as China and the United States.
It will be presented in France soon. It has even piqued the interest of the local authorities. When contacted, the MHA confirmed that it had asked for a copy of the report but did not give further details. HPB declined comment. Prof Levitt's best-selling book, Freakonomics, applied economic principles to topics such as cheating in schools and drug dealing. The study shows the "survival strategies used by sex workers" in Geylang, said Ms Vanessa Ho, 26, an advocate for sex workers' rights and recently named Young Activist of the Year by gender equality advocacy group Aware.
But she added: "I do not find that the research helps us in solving issues such as sex trafficking or general labour exploitation in the industry. Dr Leong said the study did not ask the women if they were forced to work as sex workers as it was deemed too sensitive. Jiangsu native Gina has a dark secret. The year-old arrived in Singapore from China two weeks ago as a tourist, but she has not visited attractions like Sentosa or tried local dishes like laksa.
