More than Gender: Looking at the Vulnerabilities and Resiliencies of Transgender Sex Workers in the Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Over the past 10 years, discussions on human trafficking and sexual exploitation have come along way. These discussions have given birth to a new understanding of vulnerability and resiliency among various cultural and social economic groups. However, research on sexual exploitation in Southeast Asia has predominantly focused on the plight of women and girls and work with such groups remains a central concern among NGOs and Anti-trafficking organizations. While these concerns remain central, MSM and transgender groups have largely been ignored. Among the studies that to exist, largely focus on sexual health and little research has been committed to looking at these groups holistically as persons. This session provides a discussion on two exploratory studies (conducted in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Bangkok, Thailand) focusing on transgender persons in the sex industry. The study provides a holistic baseline of data on transgender persons providing sexual services in these two cities, including analysis of their surrounding social and cultural contexts, looking at stigma, violence and potential alternatives to sex work. These studies attempt to uncover some of the present needs, vulnerabilities, and resiliencies of these young persons in order to provide a basis for understanding, program development, and future research