The Geylang show.

Abstract

Geylang is the only area in Singapore where prostitution is legal. Among all the red-light areas in Singapore, the prostitution activities there are also the most blatant. In the past decade, foreign sex workers have been flocking to the red-light area, boosting the sex industry there, as well as all side businesses that depend on it. This feature story focuses on the red-light area of Geylang, reflecting it for what it is, and discusses what it means for Singapore, a highly-regulated and conservative city state in the eyes of international media. I chose this topic because of my own interest to find out more about the underbelly of “squeaky clean” Singapore, what exactly has made Geylang what it is today, and the lives of the Geylang people so different from that of an average Singaporean. I also want to know the reasons behind the sex workers’ choice to come to Singapore, and how they are faring here.