"Pleasure Factory: Horrors of the Singapore Flesh Trade" by Dr Leong Kaiwen

This book review was originally written for another platform in July 2013 and hereby reproduced.

Some time ago, The New Paper ran an article on Dr. Leong Kaiwen and his new book. You can click here to read the news article. Prior to the article, I had never come across Dr. Leong and his writings or heard about his 10 years-long research into the flesh trade in Singapore. I am, however, deeply heartened and encouraged that there is finally someone who is taking an academic approach to this issue in Singapore. Dr. Leong is an Assistant Professor at the Division of Economics at the Nanyang Technological University's School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Considering NTU HSS was exactly where I graduated from, I wondered in me how many times I might have passed by Dr. Leong and the number of potential conversations that might have taken place.

I, of course, bought the book. I must admit that the book appeals to me for a simple reason: little is known about human trafficking and prostitution in Singapore. Firstly, there is little literature on it, and secondly, many think that such vices are minimal in this economically developed, first world cheerful-looking sunny little island. But that is far from the truth. The situation in Singapore is different from many other countries, where many enter the sex industry in their own country. Over here, the majority of them are foreigners. (Well, geographically speaking, it doesn't really make sense to traffick someone within Singapore when you can drive from one end to another in 40mins.) So far, the only contact I have had with them is the walk-throughs in Geylang with GBG. I have still yet to check out older streets such as Keong Siak Road or Desker Road, where according to Dr. Leong's book, rates can be about $10 cheaper on average because the sex workers there are usually older and not as attractive.

"Pleasure Factory" by Dr. Leong Kaiwen features stories of seven prostitutes in Singapore. The owners of these seven stories are all from different countries, different backgrounds, and of different ages ranging from a young 22 to a slighter older 43 years old. Each of these stories featured a different push factor to why the girls were in the trade. From paying off a family's debt to being betrayed by one's husband to marrying a Singaporean man, these stories track a history of unfortunate events leading up to them being in the flesh trade.

The narrative which left the deepest impression on me is that of Aby from Mongolia. I have met girls in the flesh trade from neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia and China, but hearing of Mongolia was a first for me. What makes it even more interesting was that Aby was a graduate and a degree holder, and she was not owned by a pimp. Aby had entered the trade willingly in order to provide for her daughter. It was a mother's love that drove her to make that move.

"Pleasure Factory" is written in a highly narrative and descriptive tone. It is a great gateway for readers who are strangers to this topic area to gain information and knowledgeable on the Singapore flesh trade. A word of caution though, if you are highly imaginative like me, "Pleasure Factory" might conjure up images of gang rape, crying women, and bloody chests with nipples sliced off.

There is one thing about "Pleasure Factory" which I appreciate: It overturns both the notion that women are forced into prostitution, and that prostitutes are women with no respect for their own body. The book puts voices and emotions to those many see as mere objects. With Singaporeans getting increasingly critical and judgemental of foreigners, this book is a reminder that the foreign faces we walk past are just facades and masks of the scars in them.