Transcript Prostitution in thailand

PROSTITUTION IN THAILAND
Sex Trade
 The sex industry is lucrative and it has
expanded rapidly in Thailand within
the past few decades.
 Prostitution provides a way for people
of low education to earn a high
income.
Big Contribution!
 In December of 2003, the sex trade
was reported to be a $4.3 billion peryear industry.
 Approximately 60% of the country’s
National income comes from tourism,
and sex tourism encompasses a large
part of Thailand’s tourism industry.
Social Costs
 Only within the past decade has the
government given much attention to
the social costs i.e. growth in HIV and
sex trafficking.
Growing Demand for Sex
 In 1960s, the Thai government
secured a contract with the United
States to provide rest and relaxation
services for American troops in
Vietnam.
Industrialization
 In the 1970s, the entertainment sector
played a major role in the rapid
industrialization of Thailand’s
economy.
 Since 1982, tourism has been the
country’s largest earner of foreign
exchange.
Thai Tourism
 It is estimated that approximately
60% of the tourists who visit Thailand
are males, and of those, 70% come
specifically for sex.
Local Demand
 Visiting prostitutes is seen as a male
bonding experience, and many Thai
men think it natural to entertain
business clients and friends by taking
them to brothels.
Thai University Tradition!
 A study at Chiang Mai University
found that, Thai boys begin to buy
women when they are around 13
years old.
 50% of 16-year-old boys and 90% of
university students go to brothels.
Go Prostitute = Go Funeral
Supply Side
 Not only men, the supply side of the
sex industry is predominantly
composed of young women or minors
from poorer, rural areas in Thailand
and neighboring countries.
Foreign Prostitute
 Eastern European (i.e. Russia in
Pattaya) and Filipina prostitutes also
work in Thailand, which reflects the
increasing globalization of the
industry.
Contributing Factors
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Poverty
Greed
Consumerism
Western influence
Low value on Thai women
(gender/sexual discrimination)
Sexual Exploitation
 Poor girls once sold (around $2,000),
bar or brothel owner can fine a worker
for being late, refusing to please a
customer, not meeting their quota,
etc.
Survey in 1996
 Ministry of Public Health conducted a
survey that recorded 7,318 sex
establishments all over Thailand,
including: brothels, massage parlors,
karaoke bars, discotheques, night
clubs, bars, and restaurants.
 Now, also salons and online!
Local Brothels
 Local brothels are more oppressive to
the women who work there than
areas that service the international
sex industry.
 Girls are required to serve a higher
number of clients per day and receive
less money than girls who work in
bars that cater to foreign tourists.
4 Types of Sex Workers(Chula)
 Low income earners with some
restraint
 Economic compulsion to support
dependants
 Young women looking for economic
incentive
 Work part-time to supplement
income
Effects of Prostitution
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Physical damage
Sexually transmitted diseases (STD)
Higher risk of contracting HIV/AIDS
Psychological harm
Low self-esteem and self-value
Self-blame and guilt
Depression
Suicidal tendencies
Red-Shirt Mob increased Job!
 Guess how many client per day?
 http://forum.gayterday.com/index.php?topic
=665.0
Some Personal Stories
 Fon
 Super Queen
How many people are
involved in the sex trade?
 Estimates of the number of people
involved in prostitution in Thailand
range from 70,000 to 2.8 million.
 Choowit Kamolwisit, a politician who
owns many parlors said currently
Thailand has around 1-2 million of sex
workers!
Prostitution and Thai Law
 The Anti-Prostitution Law of 1960
made procurers and prostitutes
subject to a fine or jail sentence, but
did not impose a penalty on
customers.
A Better Law?
 The 1996 Prostitution Prevention and
Suppression Act re-oriented Thai law
from emphasizing punishment of
prostitutes towards punishing pimps,
procurers, brothel owners, and certain
customers.
Poor Law Enforcement
 Thai police and public officials are
often involved with mafia who run
drug and sex trafficking operations.
 Establishment owners pay regular
protection fees to the police.
Vicious Circle
 The combination of the widespread
corruption among public officials and
the lax enforcement of laws
pertaining to the sex industry mean
that sex workers are often doubly
exploited by their employers and by
the police.
Coalition Against Trafficking
in Women International (CATW)
 Legalization/decriminalization of prostitution
and the sex industry:
 promotes sex trafficking
 increases child prostitution
 does not protect the women in
prostitution and women’s health
 does not control the sex industry
 boosts the motivation of men to buy
women for sex in a much wider
Legalizing Prostitution?
 Women in systems of prostitution do
not want the sex industry legalized or
decriminalized.
 Girlfriend for Sale (6 Parts)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STCp
KDAmKSs&feature=bf_prev&list=PL23C
66F2D8E3E26EE
Resources
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Friends of Women Foundation
Global Alliance Against (GAATW)
EMPOWER
Foundation for Women
Foundation for Women, Law and Rural
Development (FORWARD)
 Women’s Studies Center (WSC)
 Development and Education Program for
Daughters and Communities (DEPDC)
 Rahab Ministries Thailand
Sex Trafficking of Children
 http://ecpat.net/EI/Publications/Trafficking/F
actsheet_Thailand.pdf