Battles Pushing Myanmar Women into KTV Work

In the neon-lit corners of Myanmar's cities, a silent battle rages - not one of gunfire and explosions, but of survival and difficult choices. This is the world of KTV girls, women pushed by circumstance into a life they never imagined.

The Life of a KTV Girl

Her real name is Yin Yin Naung. But after coming to this place, the name everyone knows is Kay Thiri. Tonight, like every night, she waits for her "By Name" guest - a regular client in the parlance of this shadowy industry.

A KTV girl's job is to entertain and serve guests when they arrive. Especially male guests come to KTV to sing, drink, and eat. When they get to the room, the KTV girls have to serve alcohol and beer, help choose songs, and keep them company. Not all KTV girls do this, but some end up making connections with guests in the room and arranging to meet outside to provide sexual services.

Myanmar has been experiencing battles across the country since 2021. As a result, some families fleeing from rural areas have relocated to Yangon. While some have found various jobs, those without connections have ended up becoming KTV girls, even if they didn't want to.

After arriving in Yangon, some girls rent apartments together with other displaced people in the city. Some live with their families or in rented dormitories. Among the displaced people, some young people have fled to cities like Yangon, Mandalay, and some townships in the Ayeyarwady Region. Among them, attractive girls have become victims of KTVs and brothels.

Kay Thiri says that the KTV where she works provides free accommodation, so she doesn't have to spend money on living expenses, and whatever she earns is her net income.

For those who have come to Yangon from rural areas, the main challenges are finding a place to live and coping with the high cost of living. To overcome these challenges, finding a job is crucial. This is how they end up connecting with KTVs while searching for work.

Kay Thiri, who came to Yangon from northern Rakhine State where battles are taking place, explains:

"It's become difficult to make a living in our area. When we arrived in Yangon, we needed money. The jobs I could apply for with my degree didn't work out, and the salaries were very low. So, I came here through a connection from a friend. With my communication skills and appearance, I get 'By Name' guests, earning about 700,000 to 800,000 kyats per month."

For KTVs and brothels, the influx of girls from rural areas due to battles has provided them with cheap labor and the employees they want. After arranging free accommodation, these establishments can manage by paying these girls who need jobs due to being displaced by war a monthly salary between 200,000 and 250,000 kyats, according to someone close to the KTV industry.

"The base salary here is low. But if you get many sessions because guests call for you, it works out well. After you enter your room, if you can order large dishes, you get a percentage from that. If you order soft drinks, beverages, or drinks, you also get a percentage. Besides the session fee, if guests give you tip money, you get to keep that too. That's why those who have secured 'By Name' guests earn more. Some even make over 1 million kyats a month," explains Poe Lay, who works at a KTV.

She herself says that she doesn't have the ability to refuse this job at the moment because she needs money for living expenses and survival. Poe Htar Na Zaw, known as Poe Lay at the KTV, explains.

Although there is still a curfew in Myanmar, clubs, bars, and KTVs remain open until dawn. Some KTVs have even arranged with authorities to ensure safe passage home for their employees, just by saying they're returning from their establishment.

Some displaced girls arrive in Yangon and Mandalay not only for accommodation and food but also lured by the promise of security, ending up at KTVs without much choice, according to investigations in this market.

"Here, there are many girls from areas where battles are happening. Everyone who has come here has taken risks amid difficulties, so they tend to be closer. They understand each other more and support each other more. There are many girls who have moved from Sagaing, Magway, Rakhine, Chin, Shan, and Kayah and are now working in KTVs."

"There are some who came here not knowing what was going on, scared by talk of 'after 5 ' and told that nothing would happen if they worked at a KTV," says Mu Ya, who works as a KTV employee.

The domestic situation in Myanmar has completely reversed the course of life for Myanmar's youth. Countless young people who can't leave the country are struggling to choose a livelihood within the country for their survival.

In particular, some educated girls are working whatever jobs they can find domestically for meager salaries, while those who have fled due to battles and girls who have become unemployed due to factory closures (especially garment factories) have sunk into this quagmire unwillingly.

Currently, due to the large number of girls fleeing from battles, KTVs are experiencing changes every three or six months. Only girls who can secure many "By Name" guests remain at branches in big cities, while others are transferred to branches in smaller towns or other establishments.

As long as battles continue and the situation remains unstable, quite a number of girls will continue to enter the KTV market in various ways.

Moreover, there is also unfavorable treatment from the surrounding community towards the girls who work in this industry.

"About five girls from here who didn't want to stay anymore rented an apartment together to be more independent. But once the neighborhood found out they were from a KTV, they say it became difficult to live there. Since the five of them return home together around dawn, when people hear the sound of shoes on the stairs, they open their doors to see who it is. When they reach their room and start talking, preparing food and drinks, and making noise, other rooms become unfriendly. In the morning, they get called out. Who would want to stay in this job long-term? It's only because of the current situation that they have to stay. The need for money is increasing day by day," says Yamone.

Yamone confides that due to rising prices, life difficulties, the depreciation of the kyat, and the increasing need for money for living expenses, there will continue to be many girls entering the KTV world even if they don't want to.

In the flow of an era full of challenges, the struggle for survival for young Myanmar women has become more than just difficult. For girls who have fled battles, waving goodbye to their hometowns and moving to greener pastures, it's more than just "you can't become successful without changing villages" - it's like a desperate tiger entering a new forest.

"I also support my struggling relatives as much as I can with the money I earn. One day, I'll escape from this mire. Before, it was easier to save money and plan to escape at a certain time, but now it's not that easy anymore. Prices, living costs, and financial needs have increased. But I'm still thinking about going back home, back to my hometown," says Ma Yamone.

Amidst the flickering lights, joyful music is spreading. Yamone is thinking to herself, wondering if people know that there are lives that can't be happy and exhausted lives that can't be joyful in the midst of these happy songs.

"If things work out, I want to go back home one day, I want to go back to the town or village where I lived," she whispers softly.

Nway Oo Ywat War (Y3A)