Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Minister of Public Security, seeks to redefine a lap dance as an act of prostitution, according to the Times of Israel.
He said that strippers work in an “abusive and exploitative industry”, approaching the Justice Ministry and the State Prosecutor’s Office in his quest to have to law changed.
Erdan stated that “the State Prosecutor’s Office will examine the amendment of Directive 2.2, which among other things deals with the enforcement of prostitution-related crimes”.
If the law is amended, it will allow owners of strip clubs to be charged with pimping, simply for selling lap dances. While prostitution is legal in Israel, pimping and running brothels is illegal, which is what lap dances would fall under if Erdan’s requests are met.
Chaninat & Leeds’ Thailand Labor Law and Employment attorneys specialize in Thai and International cases with decades of experience.
He’s not the only one to speak out against strip clubs. The Tel Aviv District Court also took a stand against them recently, banning one establishment from the Diamond Exchange District. Judge Michal Agmon-Gonen ruled that these clubs “degrade and objectify women” and “violate their dignity as human beings”.
Prostitution and Strip Club Laws in Thailand
While the line between strip clubs and brothels may be clearly drawn in some countries, that’s not the case in Thailand.
Prostitution is illegal in Thailand under the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act 1996. However, it’s widely practiced and is a big contributor to the country’s booming tourism industry.
This is partly because the law is ambiguous in its definition of prostitution, which is as “any act done to gratify the sexual desire of another in exchange for money or any other benefit in a promiscuous manner”. What exactly constitutes “a promiscuous manner” is not strictly defined and is therefore open to interpretation. The penalty for violating this law is a prison term of up to 1 month and/or a fine of 1,000 THB.
Under the Act on Entertainment Places 1966, go-go bars are required to be licensed. This also applies to massage parlors and karaoke bars, which are often fronts for brothels. The giving and receiving of lap dances is entirely legal.
Image: Quinn Dombrowski
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