INDEPENDENT MON NEWS AGENCY

FEATURE / June 2003

Sex for Survival in Moulmein

by Htana Htaw and Bop Htaw, 18 June 2003, Monland

A local young woman in inner suburb of Moulmein, capital city of Mon State married to two men as she is poor but took a risk to save children life. She kept two men at one home and one rides tri-shaw bike cycle at day -time while the later men cares a baby at home. She works independently on the corner of the street in late evening to take an order for herself. It is not food and drink order but it is an order for sex. “Waiting an order” is a term that commonly used in town to arrange sex for local prostitutes illegally in Moulmein city.

Both men knew her situation and she save money for selling her body to feed children. Two men ignored her private life. She only accept an order that makes her own deal through sex brokers and she does not behave like a sex worker.

“It is so amazing that one of her men rides trishaw bike and the later one cares baby at home while she does such thing,” a neighborhood said.

Most poor women who live in inner suburb in Moulmein such as Zeyarthiri, Tharyaraye, Thirimyaing and Myaingtharyar work as private prostitutes via local sex brokers.

Some of them work in local guest- houses to serve strangers- guests while many of them stay in a dark location in late evening while they are waiting for an order for selling the body. “Bi Eime” is also a common language that it is referred to “Sex House” in local suburb, Mr Nai Kun Kla said.

Women or girls who work under a sex broker is charged for Kyat 10000.00 at broker’s house and she earns only half of amount and broker took 50% of total cash. However, girls or women in the street do not fixed price as they rarely have customers. Mostly, customers don’t need to bargain for a sweet sleep in a dark place on the street. Most poor women make their own way for finding customers quietly through local friends and they offered sex with little cash. If there is no regular customer, they face financial hardship to feed children at home, local resident said.

“In late evening, they walk in the street in a couple and sometime when local headmen found them, they bribed them for illegal tax” he added.

Mr Naing Soe, a local headman of Zeyarthiri suburb knew venue of sex houses and he forced brokers and sex workers to pay him cash on hand for not reporting to local police officers and authority, according to a men who recent visited to Measot, a Thai-Burma border town.

When local special police (SB-known in local usage) seek for sex, he (Mr Soe) arranged them with women and they paid no fee to brokers and women. If for an ordinary man, a normal price is Kyat 5000.00. Mr. Kla Done, a local businessman from Moulmein said.

In Thirimangalar area, there are at lest 5-6 girls hang around in teashop. When men are talking about sex, they approach to them and offer them with win- win solution. “It is OK for sharing daily food and living cost,” most girls told to customers, Mr. Done added.

In Thirimyaing and New Town and Thirimingalar areas, there are about 5-6 girls under eighteen hang around in a particular location. An experienced man from Moulmein has been to the areas but he declined to explore detail story. Poor women and girl who work as hard workers only earn Kyat 300-400 lower than men. Both men and women could afford for living cost if they have work every day, if not they face burden for feeding children, a close watcher said.

“They exchange their own properties such as clothes or other personal things for cash on hand and they could not deposit on time, their properties are occupied by creditors, he added.

Women in rural areas have protection from husbands or parents for survivals while women in urban areas could not find protection like them. They could not borrow from each other like woman in rural areas do for helping hands. Many poor families in urban areas could not send kids to school while a few children from rural areas have enrolled to study in the city, a close watcher said.

As girls could no longer receive support from family for high school, they drop out before year eight. After young girls have no jobs for income then local sex brokers approached them for sex work with good money. When special police officers or military informers found them for doing illegal sex work, they have no choice but offered free sex to local officers to avoid a legal punishment.

Guiding Star, a Mon language Newspaper in Monland has covered regular women and children at risk in the country while they have no social welfare support from the government. Rich men and especially students from rural areas who live in the city have enjoyed cheap sex while poor women took a risk of HIV/AIDS.

Two men also took a risk while both of them share the burden of family. A young woman paid a heavy price for survival of children and family in town under a corrupt system of authority. (END)