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n°22 - Voices from Boten

Sexual risk and social judgement in and around a special economic zone in Laos

Couverture Note n°22Souvanxay PHETCHANPHENG and Pascale HANCART PETITET 
IRASEC, Bangkok
April 2026, 24 p.
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The urban migration of young people in Laos is often driven by the dual motivations of escaping poverty and seeking a different way of life. Previous research has demonstrated that rural-urban migration brings with it a mix of economic opportunities and heightened sexual risks. However, less attention has been given to sedentary populations residing in areas with significant migratory activity. While migration is often viewed in terms of economic opportunities, it also brings vulnerabilities, particularly in regions of rapid development like Special Economic Zones (SEZs). The presence of the SEZ has created an environment where sexual conducts and practices among local youth have become increasingly risky, yet these risks are often overlooked. Both migrants and local, sedentary populations are affected by shifting social norms and health risks, such as sexually transmitted infections. Furthermore, the stigma attached to sex workers, particularly from ethnic minorities like the Khmu, contributes to a broader social narrative that ignores the vulnerabilities of other groups, such as secondary school students, are at risk as well. Understanding migration requires attention to how both migrants and sedentary populations are implicated and impacted by these evolving patterns of interaction, risk, and social judgment.

 

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Souvanxay Phetchanpheng is an anthropologist, associate member of International Research Unit the International Unit TransVIHMI (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, INSERM, Université de Montpellier). Since 2005, his research focuses on the transmission of knowledge, migration of young people from rural areas to urban areas for educational purposes and the process of social mobility in Laos (https://www.researchgate.net/profil...).

Pascale Hancart Petitet is an anthropologist and permanent researcher at the International Unit TransVIHMI (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, INSERM, Université de Montpellier). Since 2013, her research in Laos work lies within the academic field, at the interface between public health and the arts, and at the intersection of the anthropology of human reproduction, vernacular knowledge and biomedical technologies, gender, migration and infectious diseases. She has developed a strong interest in the co-construction of transdisciplinary research (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7377-8038) and experiments with innovative approaches for scientific production (forum theatre, photo voice, collective intelligence) and arts and sciences initiatives (radio program, films, dance and theatre performance (https://anthroms.com/).