Violence Against Sex Workers in Australia and Thailand

By Hayley Gleeson

Topic: Sex Work

On Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 4:41 am

On Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 5:35 am

A new inquiry into violence against sex workers started after a Thai teenager was murdered.

In short:

A new inquiry will hear from sex worker groups about their experiences and ideas for legal changes.

The inquiry organizers say that stigma is a big reason for violence against sex workers.

What's next?

The inquiry findings will help review Victoria's sex work laws and support a campaign for decriminalization in Thailand.

The United Nations made a mistake in 2024 when it asked for input on a report about violence against women and girls.

Instead of responding, thousands of sex workers and their supporters signed a petition against the report's premise.

The petitioners did not like the term 'prostitution' because it confused sex work with sex trafficking.

The petition helped start an inquiry into violence against sex workers in Australia and Thailand.

The inquiry will hear from sex worker groups about how laws affect their lives and what they want to change.

Thailand is trying to stop child sexual exploitation, which is a hidden problem.

In Australia, decriminalizing sex work has helped, but many problems remain, especially for Asian migrant sex workers.

Stigma is still a big issue, even after decriminalization, says Debolina Dutta.

Sex workers often hide their work because of stigma, which makes them more vulnerable to violence.

ABF raids are a major focus for some sex workers and anti-violence campaigners.

A man killed two women in Melbourne in 2022, and his sentence was seen as too low by many.

Xiaozheng Lin will spend more time in prison after his sentence was increased on appeal.

Mish Pony, chief executive of Scarlet Alliance, says ABF raids are aggressive and intimidatory.

The raids detect very few cases of visa non-compliance and almost no exploitation of migrant workers.

Mish Pony is the chief executive of Scarlet Alliance.

Raids are not the answer to exploitation; instead, workers need rights-based responses to report exploitation safely.

Raids make migrant workers fearful of authorities and less likely to report exploitation.

Scarlet Alliance is concerned that sex workers are not being consulted on the development of the Second Action Plan.

Laws mark street sex workers as a threat.

Gia Green, manager of Vixen, says her group has provided submissions on ABF raids and street-based sex workers.

In Victoria, street-based sex work near schools and places of worship is a crime between 6 am and 7 pm.

Vixen wants sex work to be fully decriminalized to reduce stigma and violence.

Gia Green is the manager of Vixen.

Recent law changes in Port Phillip empower the council to seize personal belongings in encampments.

These changes affect street-based sex workers who experience homelessness and housing insecurity.

When people's belongings are impounded, it affects their health, wellbeing, and safety.

Violence and victim blaming

The inquiry is being heard by a panel of experts, including former judge Marcia Neave and Thai feminist lawyer Pranom Somwong.

The panellists will produce a report with recommendations for law and policy reform.

The inquiry aims to make noise about the right issues and provide tools for campaigns.

Panellist Fiona Patten says the inquiry should examine both the benefits and shortfalls of decriminalization.

Decriminalization is not a 'silver bullet' for stigma and discrimination, says Fiona Patten.

Fiona Patten is a former Victorian MP and former sex worker.

The case of Heros Hakopian, who kidnapped and assaulted a sex worker, shows that stigma affects how sex workers are treated.

A judge said that because the victim was a sex worker, the attack's psychological effect was 'much less a factor'.

Fiona Patten fears that this opinion still exists in the community, that violence against sex workers is seen as less serious.

The inquiry is an opportunity to understand what needs to be done to keep sex workers safe.

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