Helping Singapore’s sex workers move to other careers

Project X’s tailored program provides services such as writing resumes and connecting sex workers to potential employers. PHOTO: COURTESY OF PROJECT X via The Straits Times/Asia News Network

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 organization 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 program called The Next Step, which was set up in October 2023 to help sex workers looking to find alternative career pathways.

READ: Of victims and saviors: Sex work amid the pandemic

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

Such programs 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 program.

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

The program 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.

READ: Trafficking victim forced to become sex worker safely returns to PH

Project X social worker Tok Kheng Leng told The Straits Times that sex workers first undergo an interview to assess their suitability for the program 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 program, 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 program is free and anybody who does some form of sex work is eligible, although foreigners must have long-term residency in Singapore.

READ: Of hustlers and divas: Monetizing bodies, going online for adult performances

Ideally, people spend at least six months in the program 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 program 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 organization had helped workers find mainstream jobs on an ad hoc basis before The Next Step was formalized.

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 criminalized.

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 organizations 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.

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 fewer 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 program 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 organized by the program.

“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 offenses, 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.”