• International Area Studies Review
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.275-296
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• 2010

This study aims to identify effective ways to prevent sexually transmitted diseases among sex workers as well as the general public in Korea by examining the case of Thailand, regarded as a model internationally in reducing prevalence rate of sexually transmitted diseases, under the circumstances in which the implementation of the new anti-sex-trade law causes confusion over the existing sexually transmitted disease control program. For the purpose, the study firstly assesses the anti-sex-trade law which has engendered recent debates over the relationship between sex trade and sexually transmitted diseases, and reviews a change of the sexually transmitted disease control system made by the anti-sex-trade law. The Thai case is explored with some special emphasis on relationship between socio-cultural, political and economic factors and sexually transmitted disease control policies. Comparing to the Thai case, the study proposes some suggestions to make the existing sexually transmitted disease control program more effective under the new anti-sex-trade law.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2006

Objectives : Since prostitution is multitraumatic phenomena, it is known that most women in prostitution have symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental illness. In Korea, new anti-prostitution law launched in the year of 2004 imposes protecting prostituted victims at government-supported shelter. The objective of this study was to compare the mental symptoms, especially PTSD features of women who escaped from prostitution with those of control subjects. Methods : We assessed 113 ex-prostituted women who live in shelter for 8 months on the average and 65 normal control subjects. Demographic data, questionnaire for sleep, physical illness, smoking, alcohol and drug use, Stress Response Inventory, Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS), Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) were used. Results : Ex-prostituted women had significantly higher scores of DTS, IES-R, stress related responses, sleep problems, smoking problems, and alcohol problems than control group. Age and duration of sex trade of the subjects were significantly correlated with the severity or frequency of PTSD symptoms. The degree of smoking, alcohol drinking and sleep problems were also significantly correlated with the PTSD symptoms. Conclusion : These results suggested mental symptoms did not disappear even after women escaped from prostitution.