Myanmar’s war has forced doctors and nurses into prostitution

by SUI-LEE WEE
December 17, 2024

After seven years of medical school in Myanmar, May finally achieved her goal of becoming a doctor. But a month after she graduated and found a job, her dreams started unraveling.

In February 2021, Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup, and the country’s economy, already hammered by the COVID-19 pandemic, started to buckle. Prices soared, and May’s paycheck, the equivalent of $415 a month, evaporated even faster. With her father suffering from kidney disease, she grew more and more desperate.

Then, she met "date girls,” who were making twice as much as her. The money was enticing — even if it involved sex with men.