From massage parlour to customer service: Helping Singapore's sex workers move to other careers

SINGAPORE - In February 2024, Nina – who is in her mid-40s – quit sex work. A month later, she started full-time work in customer service with the help of non-profit organisation Project X.

A former masseuse who provided “happy endings” to clients, the single mother joined the sex trade about 20 years ago to support her child, then a toddler.

Nina (not her real name) is one of those who have benefited from a Project X programme called The Next Step, which was set up in October 2023 to help sex workers looking to find alternative career pathways.

It is supported by funding administered by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS).

Such programmes aim to help vulnerable communities get out of a cycle of vulnerability and make better lives for themselves, said an NCSS spokesperson.

There are currently 17 sex workers in their 20s to 50s with the programme.

The Project X team on June 7 held a presentation on the programme at a social work conference organised by the National University of Singapore’s social work department.

The programme aims to reach out to 30 participants in its second year, and get more inclusive employers on board to provide job tasters and part-time job opportunities.

Project X social worker Tok Kheng Leng told The Straits Times that sex workers first undergo an interview to assess their suitability for the programme and to understand their motivations and challenges.

The type of sex work they do varies – some are sugar babies, while others are streetwalkers or work in brothels.

Through the programme, they receive career coaching and pick up skills such as financial literacy and resume writing.

They may also get small loans to set up home-based businesses.

In addition, Project X connects them with potential employers or recommends places to apply to.

The programme is free and anybody who does some form of sex work is eligible, although foreigners must have long-term residency in Singapore.

Ideally, people spend at least six months in the programme and, depending on their goals, end up either gaining a skill or finding a full-time job, said Ms Tok.

One participant has since completed the programme after finishing a barista course.

“There has always been demand from sex workers for job support,” said Project X executive director Vanessa Ho, adding that the organisation had helped workers find mainstream jobs on an ad hoc basis before The Next Step was formalised.

However, some sex workers may find it difficult to get a mainstream job because of the stigma against sex work, or because they have a criminal record.

While sex work is legal in Singapore, many peripheral activities such as pimping and soliciting are criminalised.

Masseuses, for example, may feel pressured into providing sexual services and subsequently get arrested, Ms Ho said, adding that this criminal record makes it difficult for them to return to providing lawful massages.

Ms Tok added that sex workers may also find it difficult to approach social services organisations for help because they might not be comfortable sharing what they do.

“Seeking help is not the most natural thing because they are fearful of, for example, contravening the law,” she said.

About 4,200 female sex workers in Singapore

According to a 2019 study by the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at NUS, there are about 4,200 female sex workers in Singapore at any one time, with less than 1,000 of them working in regulated brothels.

Nina quit her customer service job several months after she started due to chronic back pain, for which she had to undergo surgery.

She now has difficulty moving about and hopes to find work that allows her to work from home. The programme has been helping her with providing groceries for a smoother transition, and she is grateful for the support.

She has been appreciating the simple pleasures of life, from going to church to participating in social gatherings and other activities organised by the programme.

“When I started my new job, I was cooking for my son after work,” Nina said. “I missed all those normal daily-living lifestyle.” 

Nina, who has been in and out of prison for drug offences, said she will never return to sex work.

“In prison, I saw 70-year-olds still working as sex workers. It’s very depressing, you know. I don’t want to be like that,” she said. “I’m not discriminating against them, but I want to go back to a normal lifestyle.”

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.