For all of us being a child means playing, laughing, eating ice cream, being surrounded with loving and caring parents. For many many children in Thailand, this is just a mere dream of the impossible.
Thousands of Thai children are tricked, drugged and then sold or abducted into prostitution. Some are sold away by financially desperate parents, on the promises that their children will have a better life, a job and a bright future.
Trafficking in human beings for the purpose of prostitution is described as “the modern day slavery”. As Orlando Patterson, a Sociologist at Harvard University defined it, “slavery is the permanent, violent domination of impoverished, alienated and generally dishonored persons”. It robs the individual of her honor, self respect and self consciousness.
For decades, THAILAND has been a well known destination country for migrant children and adults in search for better economic conditions. The true nature of this kind of Human trafficking in the "land of smiles" is often underestimated by the government and international non-governmental agencies.
WHY? We might ask, why would this modern form of slavery exist today? There are several factors: (1) it generates tremendous profit for the criminal organizations that perpetrate the sex trade; (2) poor parents sell their daughters and in some cases even young boys into prostitution, often unaware of what they have done; (3) debt bondage to afford basic necessities like food, land or tools.
It’s very simple and looks quite innocent; a well dressed Thai criminal playing a rich broker arrives in the small mountain village of northern Thailand to “hunt” for new fresh bodies, preferably young and innocent virgins because they bring higher price and pose less of a threat of exposure to STD’s. He lures parents into selling their daughters by bribing them with few hundreds dollars or pretends to represent a factory worker from far off a land who is not related to sex trade and who recruits new workers for his factory. The parents sign the debt agreement (with a mutual understanding that the daughter may only return once she has paid her debt through the labor). Many of the girls being sold believe that they are going to work as housemaids, in beauty salons, shops, bars, or restaurants.
In reality they are transported to a southern brothel usually in Bangkok, where they are introduced to prostitution forcefully by being beaten, raped, and put to work servicing 10 to 20 men a day. The immediate and forceful application of threats and terror is the first step in successful enslavement. Their abductors use a combination of physical and mental abuse, threats of revenge and even death. At first, the young girls try to resist sexual encounters, but are then badly beaten and some even killed. As a form of psychological control the girls are constantly raped to degrade, humiliate, and to break down their resistance by destroying one crucial thing, their sense of self worth.
Most of the brothels are surrounded by electrical fences making it impossible for the girls to escape. They have only a few days off a month, and a daily allowance of about $1.20, that must must pay for their food and all other expenses.
This harsh treatment causes a tremendous psychological trauma for those young children. Just within few hours of being brought into the brothel those girls are still in shock from the fears of being taken from their homes and families. The youngest of the children have little understanding of what is happening to them. The experience is overwhelming and causes horrible lifelong psychological trauma.
Another major reason why child prostitution in Thailand exists and flourishes is due to governmental corruption and a political system which enables the issue of sexual slavery to be ignored and minimized.
It is documented fact, that many high ranking Thai law enforcement officials are paid of by pimps and brothels’ owners and are themselves regular customers. Thus not only overlooking the social problem, but also supporting it by participation. Currently it is illegal under Thai law to have sex with girls less than fifteen years of age. Many Thai politicians and community leaders want the age limit raised to sixteen or eighteen and include boys as well since there is no mention of them in the law. However the pervasive corruption and financial return stands in the way of improving the conditions and punishing those responsible.
It should be noted that Thai culture regards sex not as sin but as a normal, every day “leisure” activity depicting women as sex objects for the pleasure of men. Wives often send their husbands to brothels because they view this unattached form of sex as not threatening to martial stability. In some parts of Thailand prostitution became a fastest and most convenient way of making good money and many are not willing to give that up even if it means hurting the innocent.
What are the statistics on child prostitution in Thailand? Thailand is currently known as a “Disneyland for pedophiles” and has up to 600,000 AIDS cases and a huge sex-for-sale industry that impacts the Thai economy to such an extent that government is not motivated to restrain its proliferation. The sex-trade is driven mostly by European and American tourists who come to “rent” what they want. It is estimated that the number of prostitutes in Thailand is more than 2 million. Among which 20% of Thailand prostitutes are 18 or younger.
It’s called SEX TOURISM. The Thai government has found that since tourism is a quick way to earn foreign dollars it cannot easily stop, (nor does it want to), this lucrative and degrading business. A beautiful country, beautiful women, and inexpensive living enable the sex industry to annually earn more money than any other economic segment of the Thai economy, including the drug trade, weapons sales, lotteries and sports gambling.
There are two parts to the Thai policy of promoting tourism: one is to sell the physical and cultural beauty of the country; the other is to promote the Thai people, which of course includes sex-related services. "Amazing Thailand," an ongoing tourism campaign, promotes to foreign men, to come and see Thailand’s beautiful women… and to enjoy the thriving sex industry.
The men arrive from Europe and the US, and often find a tour bus waiting at the airport to take them straight to the girls. All of this is organized through the Internet — and not only in Bangkok, but Chiang Mai and the other tourist cities of Thailand. There is an urgent need to control this trade. The men pay the girls $4, sometimes $5. After the pimp and brothel has taken their share, the girls are left with less than the price of a meal.
Child prostitution is a serious social problem in Thailand. Prostitution is a form of enslavement that currently involves more than 2 million; perhaps 800,000 of that number are children under the age of sixteen, bought and sold for profit.
The Thai culture has a long history of prostitution but the problem has never been as grave as it is at present. Prostitution has been a way of life in Thailand from time immemorial, and has not been considered an evil by Thai society. The blame can be found in the habits of Thai men, the government’s focus on foreign tourism, and in the inactivity and lack of concern by the minority Christian community and even Buddhist temples. The latter take the position of "Hear no evil; See no evil; Speak no evil," and do little or nothing to counter the evil of prostitution.
THE IMPACT of turning a blind eye.... Two girls who suffered and paid the ultimate price...
One is a girl named Nang Hom who was sold into prostitution by her father when she was just seven years old. The money from the transaction went into financing father’s heroin addiction. She was drugged and forced out of her home in neighboring Burma to one of Thailand’s brothels where she lived for five years. that would make her 12 or 13 years old. She was serving 20 men or more a day and engaging in various distorted sexual activities for no pay. She was finally rescued by police. However it was too late, she was tested HIV positive and some time later died.
Another Thai girl named Fon dropped out of school at the age of 12 because of her family had no money to provide uniforms and tuition. She was lured into a big city with promises of a job and a better life. She was imprisoned and forced to have sex in a local brothel with many different men every day. Her attempts to escape ended in severe beatings. Because of the severe beatings she became very sick and couldn’t perform daily sexual services, so the owner of the brothel seeing no profit from her, tossed her out on to the streets. Later, she had a baby who died of AIDS related illness at birth and she herself died a short time later.
Another Thai girl named Fon dropped out of school at the age of 12 because of her family had no money to provide uniforms and tuition. She was lured into a big city with promises of a job and a better life. She was imprisoned and forced to have sex in a local brothel with many different men every day. Her attempts to escape ended in severe beatings. Because of the severe beatings she became very sick and couldn’t perform daily sexual services, so the owner of the brothel seeing no profit from her, tossed her out on to the streets. Later, she had a baby who died of AIDS related illness at birth and she herself died a short time later.
THINK OF THE CHILDREN! Nobody worries about these kids, about their needs, about their hopes and their dreams. Virtually all of them experience some form of post traumatic stress disorder. They experience images of trauma like beating, rape or screaming ever day, crying in despair is the closest friend they have. These children constantly think of reasons why their parents sold them, why their pimps mistreat them and blame themselves for all the pain in their lives. “What is wrong with me?” is the question they ask.
These are the thoughts that haunt these lost and forgotten children of the sex-trade in Thailand and all across southeast Asia. These kids don’t think about bicycles or ice cream or going to school... they live every day in pain and darkness, with little hope for a future.
WHAT CAN BE DONE...?
Thailand focuses almost exclusively on the victims and doesn't addressed the demand side.
Adults are the end users of sexual exploitation. Foreign men from Europe and America. More needs to be done to educate people about the legislation that prevents such acts as well as the importance of the rights of the child in Thailand.
Focus on the quality of education in Thailand. Education is the key to countering the exploitation of people in the long-term, and benefits society as a whole – including the key players in modern-day slavery: from victims to perpetrators and communities, behaviors and attitudes are changed with education.
Experts concede that human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal activity in the world and one of the most lucrative. Overall the International Labor Organization estimated the human trafficking industry at over $51 billion per year. Some estimate that as many as 34 million people exist in slavery worldwide, more than twice the number of slaves transported during the entire Trans-Atlantic slave trade. The problem is clearly large and growing.
What does the Bible teach about human trafficking? This question cannot adequately be answered without a clear understanding of God’s value of human life. The Bible records that when God created humans, He created them in His image (Genesis 1:26). Every life is of infinite value and God loves all individuals.
How can people today practice these biblical principles of helping those in the bondage of slavery? First, we must pray for those in bondage. As James 5:16 notes, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” The enslavement of young girls and boys in Thailand the purposes of the sex-trade the sex is a clear need that requires God’s power for any adequate change to occur.
Second, we must speak out on behalf of those in need (Proverbs 31:8-9). Missionaries from all denominations serving in Thailand must begin to address this situation through educational and focus discussions among tribal peoples. Mission organizations that serve southeast Asia, especially Thailand, must begin to align with rescue organizations that literally invade brothels and snatch young girls to safety. Once safely away, these girls need to be brought into a nurturing and loving home-like environment to begin the long recovery process. Perhaps God is calling you to be one of the people who would speak out and help provide justice to those without a voice... in Thailand?
Third, we must act to help those in bondage. These actions can involve a variety of means, ranging from volunteering with anti-trafficking organizations to financial giving to teaching about the topic where you live.
A growing number of organizations have emerged in recent years that provide new opportunities for Christians to serve in this area. International Justice Mission (www.ijm.org) provides many international opportunities, while others, such at Mercy Movement (www.mercymovement.com) concentrate on addressing the issue in the United States, where many girls from Thailand end up working as prostitutes on the streets of America’s cities.
In summary, human trafficking is a gross indignity against men, women, and children who have been created in God’s image.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we have a responsibility to pray, to speak out against human trafficking and modern slavery, in thailand and anywhere it exists in the world, and to live in ways that help create change in the lives of those impacted by this tragic crime against our children.
