The Myths Versus The Reality Of Sex Tourism And Prostitution In Thailand
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WHAT IS PROSTITUTION ?
Before we begin to discuss the topic of prostitution in Thailand, let
us first discuss the criteria for determining who is a prostitute. The
dictionary definition of a prostitute is as follows: "One who solicits
and accepts payment for sex acts". Now it could
be suggested that any woman or man that sells his or her body to profit
is prostituting them self. If you look at Pop music today you will see
plenty of women and men selling sex. Promoting themselves with their
body and their sexuality. The reality is .. sex sells! Apparently it is
the world's oldest profession so it has been selling for quite some
time.
Now if you live in the United States, Europe, England, Australia etc., you might think it is simple? Hookers stand on street corners, work in strip clubs or at escort agencies. They offer sex for cold hard cash upfront and it is very cut and dry! Well in Thailand this is not the case, it is just not that simple. There are bars where the girls wear numbers and the customers can simply order by number. This is an example of prostitution as you know it, very similar to your own country. There are also a lot of grey areas, there are women who work in restaurants, hotels and have a normal job, yet they go out to clubs at night looking to " hook up" preferably with a guy who has money. Now this to me sounds a lot like your average girl in any country ?
I would like to suggest that before you label somebody as a prostitute, you give it some thought. If you are a woman, can you honestly say that money is a non factor when you are looking for a mate? If you answered no.. then you are almost surely lying! Remember that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Let us try to avoid labeling others, and first worry about our own faults.
More On Thailand's Sex Trade
- Soi Cowboy On Sukhumvit Soi 23, Bangkok, Thailand
SOI COWBOY Soi Cowboy, along with Nana Plaza and Patpong, is one of the most popular nightlife districts in Bangkok Thailand. There are also several restaurants at Soi Cowboy, including what is perhaps... - Behind The Scenes Of The Thailand Sex Trade
ABOUT ME I'm a 34 year old male and I have been living in Thailand since 1999. I am from Vancouver B.C. in Canada. I am Fluent in both English and Thai! I have worked as a teacher in Thailand for a... - Nana Plaza, Sukhumvit Soi 4, Bangkok, Thailand
NANA PLAZA Nana Plaza, along with Soi Cowboy and Patpong, is one of the most popular red light districts in Bangkok Thailand. The plaza is built in a square, with 3 levels. Originally this was a restaurant... - Film Review For The CBC Documentary "Bangkok Girl" (2005)
BANGKOK GIRL The film "Bangkok Girl", was featured on the CBC Canadian Television program "The Lens" in November of 2005. The film is the story of a Thai prostitute by the name of "Pla". The film is a... - The True Story Of A Thailand Sex Trade Worker (Phuket Girl)
PHUKET GIRL After watching the film "Bangkok Girl", a CBC Canadian television documentary, I decided to begin writing a series of articles about sex trade workers in Thailand. The reason the film inspired me... - The True Story Of Sex, Lies, Greed & Deceit (Phuket Girl 2)
PHUKET GIRL(2) After watching the film "Bangkok Girl", a CBC Canadian television documentary, I decided to begin writing a series of articles about sex trade workers in Thailand. The reason the film...
THE MYTHS
Myth # 1 : Thai Prostitutes mainly cater to western men. Many people blame western men as the cause of the prostitution in Thailand. I have heard people suggest that it all started when the American soldiers came to Bangkok during the war in Vietnam. This could not be further from the truth. Prostitution has always been very active in Thailand long before the Vietnam war. Western men only account for a small percentage of the john's in Thailand. Most of the prostitution that occurs has nothing to do with tourists. Every city in Thailand has a booming sex industry, and aside from the major tourist areas, these are catering to Thai clientele.
Myth # 2 : The girls are forced into prostitution because of extreme poverty. Now many people will not like to hear this, but I am going to say it anyway. For the most part, these girls do have choices. The bottom line is that they can have jobs in restaurants and hotels earning a decent living and enough to get by. The salary for your average unskilled worker is anywhere from $100-300USD per month. Now when you compare that to a western salary it may sound like very little. The reality is that many people in Thailand live happily on these low salaries, and some of them even send half of that salary to help their family. The average bar girl can make more in 1 day than most people do in 1 month, so it is not surprising that some find it tempting. Another thing to consider is that in rural Thai society, this is not looked at in the same way you might view it. A girl going back to her village telling stories of sleeping with middle aged men for large sums of money, does not get ostracised and ridiculed. In contrast she might be treated like a hero, a pioneer.
Myth # 3 : My girlfriend is a good girl, she is different! This is a common theme with guys that pick up Thai girls in bars and clubs. After reading all about the common scams and tricks, they feel that they are smarter than all the other men who have become victims to these scams. They are normally sadly mistaken, especially if they are dating women that are half their age.
Myth # 4 : Thai women want to get married to western men so they can have a ticket out of Thailand. Now this is one of the myths that is the most laughable. The idea that Thai women are looking for a way out of Thailand? Thai women from poor backgrounds with little education would be frightened at the idea of going to the USA, or Europe! Also, they do not look at Thailand as a third world country and USA and Europe are the lands of opportunity. Most uneducated Thais view Thailand as a Global economic super power. They believe Thailand is one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world. When you compare Thailand to Burma, Laos and Cambodia, it is easy to see how they get that idea.The idea that Thai women are looking for a way out of Thailand is absurd!
Myth # 5 : They hate what they are doing, they are looking for a way out. They want to be saved from their desperate situation. As I already said above, in most cases this is a choice, and nobody forced them into it. Now I am not saying that nobody has been forced into prostitution in Thailand. What I am saying is that this is not the norm. In the 10 years I have been here I have met thousands of girls who work in bars, I have gotten to know their family and friends and I know that they have chosen their occupation.
Myth # 6 : Prostitution is legal in Thailand. Prostitution is not legal in Thailand. I would like to suggest that it is socially acceptable and is viewed completely different than the way it is viewed in the West. I think that the evidence of this is obvious when you see the open availability of sex for hire all over the country. While prostitution is illegal, it would seem that the authorities turn a blind eye to it. Often the owners of the clubs and brothels are high ranking police officers. When you hear of somebody getting arrested for prostitution related crimes, the first thing that comes to mind is that they have pissed off the wrong people and this is their payback .
Myth # 7 : You should be afraid of getting AIDS.
Now when I tell people that I have been to Thailand and living in Thailand, I often hear "aren't you afraid of getting AIDS?". Some of the working girls in Thailand use drugs, but not nearly as many as you would think. Many of them barely drink and don't smoke, and from what I understand, almost all of them practice safer sex using condoms. I think as long as you aren't using drugs, you have very little to worry about!
Myth # 8 : If they can just come up with $500 per month, they would not have to work in the bar. This is a common scam to con unsuspecting john's out of money! Often the girls will spend 2-3 weeks with a customer, and tell the man that they have fallen for him. They will say that they no longer want to work in the bar, they only want to be with him. They will explain that they need to come up with enough money to send home to their family and if they can do that, then they won't have to work in the bar. The men often feel good, feel loved and wanted, and have had their ego fed. They feel like they are saving someone, and they agree to this until they can come back next year and possibly marry the girl. The girls can have dozens of these "sponsors" all sending monthly payments. Now it is not totally impossible that a bar girl might actually want to marry a customer, and in that case, if she is serious about it, she will go back home to the rice fields and wait for her love to return. This will not require large sums of money as living in the village costs next to nothing. I have known many couples that have gone on to have what seems to be successful relationships after meeting in a bar, but this is the exception, not the rule!
Myth # 9 : Thai men beat their women, that is why the girls like foreigners. I often hear this from men who are dating bar girls. The girls tell them that they are no longer interested in Thai men because Thai men beat their women. Now the men find it convenient to believe this nonsense, it makes them feel better about themselves. The reality is that low class Thai men beat their women as often as low class white men beat their women. The idea that Thai women are scared and subservient is completely false. Thai women are every bit as independent as Western women. Many of the girls that are telling their customers they don't like Thai men, are likely sleeping with taxi drivers in their spare time!
Myth # 10 : Thai women with Western men are all prostitutes. This is a common problem for inter racial couples in Thailand. It is common for both Thais and foreigners to assume that the woman is a prostitute and the couple must have met in a bar. While this is often the case, it is ignorant that people generalize and label people without knowing anything about them.
REALITY
The reality of the situation is that the way prostitution is viewed in the West, in comparison to the way it is viewed in Thailand is very different. Without an intimate knowledge of Thai culture and an understanding of Thai language, you may not be able to begin to understand the way things work and exactly everything that is going on behind the scenes. It is my opinion that many people are not comfortable believing that women would choose to be prostitutes unless they had been forced or had no other options. I think that people tend to paint the girl as the victim because that is what they want to believe. I do not advocate prostitution, I am not trying to justify anything, I simply want to let people know that a lot of what they hear and what they read is completely false. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, however those of you who have been to Thailand on holiday a few times, or maybe you know somebody who has, or maybe you saw a National Geographic special on TV about it, well please don't tell me your opinion. Please do not speak about it and proclaim that you know anything about it. I am disgusted by some of the things I see and read in the media. I have seen numerous books and TV programs that have been written by people that have no clue what goes on in Thailand, and have no business trying to pass themselves off as the authority on the subject.
FACTS
Fact # 1 : Only a small percentage of Thailand's prostitutes cater to foreigners.
Fact # 2 : Employment opportunities for unskilled labor are plentiful in Thailand.
Fact # 3 : The divorce rate in Thailand is almost half what it is in the United States.
Fact # 4 : There are almost 3 million sex trade workers in Thailand.
Fact # 5 : Many people that write about this subject have only spent a few weeks on holiday in Thailand, they do not speak the language and have no credibility whatsoever.
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Interesting Hub,
Not only do we here in the United States view prostitution completely different than most other countries around the world, we view so many other aspects of culture, religion, politics etc. so much differently.
Congratulations on your Nomination & Good Luck!
Thanks for debunking these popular myths with your 'insider's' view. Interesting. Welcome to hubpages and congratulations on your nomination.
Ripplemaker,
Thank you so much for the comments. I will certainly check out the links you have provided. I am grateful to be nominated. If you found this article interesting, you should check out the film review for the movie "Bangkok Girl", and the series of articles I have written in reply to the film:
Film Review: http://hubpages.com/hub/Film-Review-For-The-CBC-Do
Phuket Girl: http://hubpages.com/hub/Phuket-Girl
Phuket Girl (2): http://hubpages.com/hub/Phuket-Girl-2
Alternative Prime,
Americans, Canadians, Brits, Aussies, Europeans and others are all exposed to propaganda in the media regarding this subject. I was horrified by the film "Bangkok Girl" which was broadcast live on national television in my home country of Canada. You should check out my film review!
Thanks for the comments!
Denise,
Thank you! I am glad you found the hub interesting.
As I mentioned to everyone esle, you will want to check out my film review and the series of articles written in response to the film.
Sex trade is really proliferating in Thailand or I may say, in the Philippines, too! These two nations have parallel economic situations that can only measure by the visible effects of poverty...and that is prostitution.
Travel_man1971 ..
I am not sure if you read the article, perhaps you should go back and read it again. The sex trade in Thailand is unique to Thailand, and can not be compared to the Philippines. Poverty may be a factor, but you have certainly overstated it! Surrounding countries such as Myanmar and Laos are much poorer, and prostitution is far less common. I have never lived in the Philippines, I have only visited on vacation, so I recognize that I am not qualified to speak about the political issues of a country I have never lived in ( I certainly wish others would recognize this as well ). I can tell you that I do not think it is fair to compare Thailand to the Philippines.
Interesting hub and thanks for clearing up some of the myths. Many times the only thing people know about a country is what the media portrays; which can be obscured. Congrats on being selected as a nominee for this week's HubNuggets Wannabe Contest. Good luck to you! :)
Money Glitch,
Thanks, I am glad you took the time to read my hub.
I think the Rafken will win the hubnuggets contest.
But I am flattered to be nominated.
Good Hub. Congrats for Hubnugget Wannabe nomination !
Thanks Sandun81
lol wierd! Im also from vancouver and spent almost 7 years in the land of smiles.....Good to see a hub like this actually, there is definitly a huge misconception in the western world about prostitution in thailand and you covered alot of the big points! I often felt more sorry for the punters chasing the girls ( and learning she didnt love him after he had already spent his life savings on a house) than i did for the girls working the trade. But that said, it does have its dark side, although i think that it caters to a different market than most holidaymakers will ever see.
I always thought that prostitution should be legal not because I am interested in par taking but because I always thought it was hypocritical with the amount of women that will go only for rich men to get stuff paid for them. Why do the men pay their things? hmm doubt it's because they like the talks that they have with them.
Haha I like how the the ladyboy picture is more attractive (at least in my opinion) than the other two pictures.
Alex,
The ladyboys can be very attractive. It is often said that the best looking women in Thailand are the men! So keep this in mind if you ever visit Thailand.
Great hub people can be soo ignorant!
You give a fact to us that the prostitution is real in Thailand. I thought the Government didn't close their eyes, because the biggest income for their country is came from tourism, including this one. Nice report from you. Rating up.
Prasetio
very useful hub
:)
about sex knowledge
Well written. Its true that much of the media tends to look at only "news-worthy" subjects and fails to show all sides of issues. The backstreet lifestyle stories sell papers while the the mainstream lives of Thai's only make for good travel guides. This of course perpetuates the myths and provides fodder to the ignorance of many North Americans with respect to how other cultures function. You cannot judge a man until you have walked in his shoes and this applies to societies as well. Thanks for the hub.
thanks for your valuable contribution to hub readers. i would like to asked you that "do thai people can have any betta occupation rather than prostitution"? your veiws on this regards will be always indepted. thanking you
The prostitutes in the touristy red light zones (Patpong, Cowboy, Nana, Pattay and Phuket) are not sex slaves but most of those catering to Thai clients are. And, as another who has a Thai wife, I do sometimes feel the urge to tell people that my wife has never been a prostitute because Thailand is so famous for that.
Gary,
Thanks for the comments, I agree with most of what you have said. However I would not say that most red light zones catering to Thai clients are filled with sex slaves, I would say that most of them are filled with young Thai women that just don't like work. That being said, there are plenty of places in evey town in Thailand that may have sex slaves (many of them are burmese not Thai).
You're right, I have no way of knowing if it's 'most' or not, how about 'plenty'?
I have always thought that prostitution shoul never be legal.Is not this so-called "profession" humiliating to human elementary dignity?! Okay,we all know that most women do it because of poverty,we know also that they don't enjoy it at all,but hEY,DO I HAVE TO LIE TO STRANGERS TO GAIN MONEY?! are not there different,alternative ways to earn something for your life? working hard for example? I dunno,but in my opinion,there are much nobler and better ways.You know,I will no anything to save any member of my family from poverty or hunger,anything,but NOT SELLING MY OWN BODY.what the hell my kids would say,if they knew one day,that their mum was a harlot?! I won't do it for ANYTHING,and ANYONE,I prefer do die with hunger in the streets,rather than to live shamefully,my dignity stolen and taken away by lustful pigs!!!! I won't satisfy others' desires for anything.These are my morals,I don't care what you think,or what are your arguments.
Prostitution is a serious PROBLEM,there is nothing amusing or funny about it,this has nothing to do with gaining life,I feel sorry for prostitutes,but I will NEVER tolerate the PROSTITUTION ITSELF.What the hell is done for their rehabilitation?! absolutely nothing!!!!! DO THE GOVERNMENTS AND SOCIETY offer another ways to poor women,rather than selling their bodies?! No!!! everything is done for satisfying sex-obssessed filthy males' libidos,prostitution is legal only for this: to humiliate,to make fun,to make a sexual object a woman,who had no choice but to go in that wrong,despicable way!!!!! I don't care at all if it's an oldest profession or not,for me,it's an exploitation!!! we shoul think SAERIOUSLY about it....
Norah,
Thank you for your passionate comments. Please understand that this article is not to promote prostitution in any way. This article is written to help people get a better understanding of how prostitution works in Thailand, and how it is different than the west. Perhaps you should read the article again, and then make a new comment (maybe use spell check).
Millions of USA government dollars are being spent to fight a crime that is extremely rare. The US government assumes that all prostitutes on Earth are sex trafficked slaves.
Forced into it against their will. This is NOT true of MOST women.
I have included in my post some very important links and information about this, that you should read. It is important to let the truth be told. The lying people get all the press. It is time for the people who tell the truth to get the press.
The numbers of sex trafficking sex slaves:
There is a lot of controversy over the numbers of adult woman who are forced sex slaves. The real factual answer is that no one knows. There is hard evidence that the sex slavery/sex trafficking issue continues to report false information and is greatly exaggerated by politicians, the media, and aid groups, feminist and religious organizations that receive funds from the government, The estimate of adult women who become new sex slaves ranges anywhere from 40 million a year to 5,000 per year all of which appear to be much too high. They have no evidence to back up these numbers, and no one questions them about it. Their sources have no sources, and are made up numbers. In fact if some of these numbers are to believed which have either not changed or have been increased each year for the past twenty years, all woman on earth would currently be sex slaves. Yet, very few real forced against their will sex slaves have been found.
“If media reports on sex trafficking in Nepal are to be believed, there would be no young girls left in Nepal at this time”
It is not easy for criminals to engage in this acitvity:
Sex trafficking is illegal and the pentities are very severe. It is very difficult to force someone to be a sex slave, they would have to have 24 hour guards posted and be watched 365 days a year, 24 hours per day. Have the threat of violence if they refused, and have no one notice and complain to the authorities or police. They would need to hide from the general public yet still manage to see customers from the general public. They would need to provide them with medical care, food, shelter, and have all their basic needs met. They would need to have the sex slaves put on a fake front that they enjoyed what they were doing, act flirtatious and do their job well. They would have to deal with the authorities looking for the missing women, and hide any money they may make, since it comes from illegal activity. They must do all of this while constantly trying to prevent the sex slaves from escaping and reporting them to the police. This is extremely difficult to do, which makes this activity rare. These criminals would be breaking dozens of major laws not just one. Kidnapping itself is a serious crime. There are many laws against sex trafficking, sex slavery, kidnapping, sex abuse, rape, sexual harassment etc. If someone is behind it, they will be breaking many serious laws, be in big trouble, and will go to jail for many long years.
While there are some women who may be true victims. And it is possible for this to happen in rare situations. This is a small rare group of people and that the numbers and scale of this crime is exaggerated. The very nature of someone pulling off a kidnapping and forced sex for profit appears to be very difficult. Since it would be difficult this makes this crime rare. Not impossible, but extremely rare.
A key point is that on the sidelines the prostitutes themselves are not being listened to. They oppose laws against prostitution. But no one wants to listen to the prostitutes themselves. Only to the self appointed experts that make up numbers and stories many of which have never met a real forced sex slave or if they did it was only a few. The media and government never ask the prostitutes themselves what would help them in terms of laws.
Many women in the sex business are independent workers. They don’t have a pimp.
They work for themselves, advertise themselves, and keep all the money for themselves. No one forces them, because there isn’t anyone to force them. They go out and find their own customers, set their own prices, and arrange everything by themselves. Sometimes they may employ others to help them, but these are not pimps. If for example, she hires an internet web design company to make a website for her, does that make the web design company a pimp? If she pays a phone company for a phone to do business, does this make the phone company a pimp? If she puts an ad in the paper, does this make the editor a pimp? If she puts the money she makes into a bank account does this make the bank a pimp?
A lot of anti prostitution groups would say yes. Everyone and everybody is a pimp.
They say this because these group are not rational, and cannot think in a logical way. Instead they make up lies, and false statistics that no one bothers to check. A big reason they do this is because it provides high paying jobs for them. They get big donations, and grants from the government, charity, churches, etc. to have these groups, and pay these workers.
The Sex Trafficking/Slavery idea is used to outlaw all prostitution around the world by saying that all women are victims even if they do it willing. This hurts any real victims because it labels all sex workers as victims. Everything I heard about this problem was Americans complaining about it, but I never heard from the so-called victims themselves complaining about it. Why is that? Many of the self appointed experts complaining about this have never even met or seen a real forced against their will victim.
The problems I see with the sex traffic idea is that suppose some of the women were not forced into this type of prostitution, but were willing and wanted to do this type of work, and went out of their way to do this type of work. (It is a lot of fast easy money, they don’t need a degree, or a green card.)
All they have to do is lie and say that someone forced them into it. When perhaps, no one did.
If a illegal allien for example is the victim all they have to do is lie and here are their benefits based on the USA anti-traffic prostitution laws:
1. They don’t have to go to jail or be arrested.
2. They get to stay and live in America, and become U.S. citizens
3. The U.S. Government will provide them with housing, food, education and will cater to them since they will be considered victims. . They will be considered victimed refugees, and can become American citizens.
The way I see it is that this USA government system will encourage people to lie in order to receive all the benefits listed above.
While there are some women who may be true victims. This is a small rare group of people.
What hard evidence does the police have that these women were forced slaves? Were all the women that the police saw in fact slaves? Did the police prove without a doubt due to hard concrete evidence that the women were victims of being slaves and forced against their will? Did they account for all the benefits they would receive if they lied?
I find it very hard to believe that most women in this business are forced against their will to do it. It would just be too difficult. There may be some exceptions but, I believe this is an attempt to over inflate an issue in order to get more government money to these organizations. As a tax payer, voter, and resident I don’t want the government to mislead me.
== In the United Kingdom ==
In October, 2009 - The biggest ever investigation of sex trafficking failed to find a single person who had forced anybody into prostitution in spite of hundreds of raids on sex workers in a six-month campaign by government departments, specialist agencies and every police force in the country. The failure has been disclosed by a Guardian investigation which also suggests that the scale of and nature of sex trafficking into the UK has been exaggerated by politicians and media.
Nick Davis of the Guardian newspaper writes:
Current and former ministers have claimed that thousands of women have been imported into the UK and forced to work as sex slaves, but most of these stateme
Sorry dude... you have no clue. You're just another one of those "I've been in Thailand for 2 years and now I know it all". All your views are stupid stereotypes you heat from your average John with no experience, no brain and no communications skillz. Sorry. Try writing a new piece in 5 years time. You might have a clue by then. If you care to actually talk to the girls. Doubt it though..
@Isann Dude, Thank you for enlightening us. However you really did not offer any information. If you disagree so strongly, why don't you tell us exactly what it is that you disagree with? I have been in Thailand for over a decade and I speak the language fluently, I think it is more than likely that you are the tourist that claims to know all.
Interesting hub with hot pics,thanks for sharing.
Interesting experience.
TravelinAsia, you are an idiot! You talk about all these hookers like you know what you are talking about. I know a lot more about hookers than you do, I sleep with them all the time. And I know that they don't like what they do, they hate it when I touch them. They hate me, so I treat them like garbage and then give them their money. You don't know anything man, you probably never even been with a hooker!
i live in Thailand and believe this article is spot on ~
Isann Dude, to say you treat them like garbage is why they don't want you to touch them and it's sickening.
The Thai woman is the most wonderful woman on earth ~ she becomes your friend, Lover, tour guide, translator, ticket to discounts and so much more for a little compensation for her family ~ I've found they Love the party life and making Farangs happy ~ no where on earth can a man go and find a woman who immediately cares for his well being and treats him so well in a foreign land ~ Thank You ThaiLand and Thank the Divine for Thai Ladies ~
lol 700,000 hiv victims in thailand,thanks to a condom splitting im now hiv positive,yet i bear no grudges
I must say, if you actually were infected from one isolated incident of sex with a prostitute using a condom (even if it broke) you must be the most unlucky soul on this planet!
Take a look at my HUBs on this subject - with more to come. I live in Thailand and do not speak Thai, but I have unique international experience. The hyperbole about trafficking is outrageous and dangerous. More people should speak up.
3,000,000 sex workers in Thailand? Really? The world bank puts the population at 67,000,000 so that would mean nearly 5% of the population are prostitutes. Cut that in half because they are men, then cut out the people too old or too young to work as prostitutes and the figure would start being up around 20-25%. I know some people have bandied around figures like 2 or 3 million, but the World Health Organisation estimated it at 7-800,000 in 2001, and they are not known for under reporting.
@Facts,
The first flaw in your logic is when you say "Cut that in half because they are men". In Thailand men work in the sex trade catering to homosexuals, or they grow their hair long and wear women's clothing, until they can get breast implants and gender reassignment surgery.
The World Health Organization would probably have based their figures on information gathered in co-operation with the Thai government. Prostitution is illegal in Thailand, yet the police and government officials make large sums of money from it, so if you think that they will help you get accurate information .. you are mistaken!
@facts,
Here is some information from a study done at a Thai university 7 years ago : A 2004 estimate by Dr. Nitet Tinnakul from Chulalongkorn University gives a total of 2.8 million sex workers, including 2 million women, 20,000 adult males and 800,000 minors under the age of 18.
Wow, you can read wikipedia? Doesn't that figure also cut your previous argument about men working in the field down as it only says 20,000?
@facts,
You asked a question, and I answered it. I am sorry if you didn't get the answer that you wanted. My point was that men also work in the sex trade, not that half of all sex trade workers are men. It is also quite possible that the figure of 20,000 adult males doesn't include trans gender or katoeys.
No, but it still leaves 2.8 million prostitutes according to your 'facts', which is based on one study. Many other studies however have arrived at vastly different numbers. If we go by your numbers, over 10% of thai women are prostitutes, which is excessively high
@facts,
I am not sure what you are getting at? I am suggesting that any figures with vastly different numbers would be flawed due to co-operation with a corrupt Thai government that profits from prostitution, and has an interest in downplaying the size of the industry.
I am not sure if you are aware that "Chuwit Kamolvisit", one of Thailand's most powerful politicians, is also well known to be the countries biggest PIMP, who owned several giant massage parlor (brothels) in the country's capital.
Chuwit is now claiming to be reformed, as one of the most influential political figures in Thai politics. He recently uncovered an underground gambling ring, that he claimed was "harmful to Thai society". I can only imagine what the bookies thought, being busted by the Pimp? Maybe he was a losing player?
So with people like this running the show, do you really think you are going to get any accurate information? Of course not. Why do you wish to dispute my estimate anyways, what are you trying to say?
Do you disagree with my point of view, so you wish to dispute the facts in order to damage my credibility? If that is your goal, I would encourage you to write your own article, detailing your own point of view, and include the facts as you believe them to be.
No, but putting forth as facts things which are not facts is misleading. Plus it makes it look like you are saying a huge proportion of thai women are prostitutes, which from reading other articles of yours I don't think is your opinion
@facts,
It is my opinion that the study done by the Bangkok university is the most accurate, non biased analysis of the number of sex trade workers in Thailand. I have no problem quoting the study as "fact". I am not alone, if you do a search online you will find several other writers also use these numbers. Some incorrectly suggest that the number of 2.8 million sex trade workers are catering to foreigners, when in fact only a small percentage of them are involved with tourists.
So you think over 10% of thai women are prostitutes?
No I don't think that 2.8 million sex trade workers in Thailand translates to 10% of Thai women being prostitutes. Perhaps I disagree with how you come to this conclusion.
70% of females are between the ages of 15-64 this comes out at just under 24 million females according to the 2011 statistics on Thailand's demographic splits. You are saying that over 10% of people between this age group are prostitutes? This does not seem slightly high to you?
I think that you are underestimating the amount of men working in the sex trade, as well as the amount of trans gender sex trade workers.
The amount of me I am going off is from your statistics, which is the most accurate you said no?
I am sorry, I didn't make much sense out of your last comment, and I don't think there is any sense in continuing this debate. I believe that the study at Chulalongkorn University is the most accurate information that is available. What percentage of Thai women are prostitutes? I don't know.
The amount of men I am going off is from your statistics, which is the most accurate you said no?
You are wrong about the numbers, you don't know what you are talkin about. I worked in a bar and sold my body, so I know what it is like! I am not proud of what I did in my past, but I don't want to think this is what all Thai women do. I don't think you should write about the sex trade unless you know more about it. If you work as a prostitute or if you have sex with many prostitutes maybe you know something, but I don't think you know nothing!
@facts
That is enough, I won't be publishing anymore of your comments!
The last comments about working in a bar where not by me. I am simply saying that you have put it as a major point, and a fact, that over 3 million women are working as prostitutes when you have stated in your replies afterwards that you don't know how many are. Stating such a large number paints thai society poorly and is disingenuous on your part. It is not a fact it is a guesstimate
@facts,
If you would comment using your real name, or your hubpages identity, there would be less confusion.
The reason I make a point of emphasizing the large amount of sex trade workers, is simply to show people that sex tourism, is only a small part of the sex trade in Thailand.
Your statement that claims I said there are MORE than 3 million sex trade workers is false, as what I actually said was there are ALMOST 3 million.
I never suggested that I was unsure of the total amount of sex trade workers, simply that I am unsure how many of them are female, male, gay or trans gender.
Again, the point was not to suggest that Thai people have loose morals, the point was to suggest that western people for the most part play a very minor role in Thailand's sex trade.
You are hardly in a position to debate this with me, you don't even have the nuts to use your real identity when posting, you pay very little attention to detail, and you go on like a broken record!
AFTER GOING THROUGH ALL THE ABOVE MYTHS THEN FACTS THEN CRITISISM AND THEN LOGIG EVEN THOUGH BEING DAMN AGAINST PROSTITUTION I FOUND THE POINTS RAISED BY AUTHER ARE THOUGHT PROVOKING AND SOME EWRE DOWN UNDER HE IS DEAD RIGHT BY SAYING WATEVER THE HYPOCRITE WESTERN WORLD THINKS WOMEN FROM NO OTHER COUNTRY CAN BEAT THE HOSPITALITY AND WARMTH SHOWN BY THAI WOMEN BE IT A COMMON HOUSE WIFE , STUDENT, TEACHER, SHOPKEEPER, BAR MAID, TRANSLATOR OR LASTLY A PROSTIYUTE BEING A GLOBE TROTTER MYSELF I CAN SAY THAI WOMEN ARE BEST MATES ANY WAY THEY MAY BE WITH YOU.
Thai women can be good wife, provided they are not from the sex industry. If they are, they are only interested in Money and not love. I had personally seen few true cases happened. Without money, don't expect them to love you and take care of you.
ripplemaker Level 6 Commenter 18 months ago
It is great to read an inside info from someone who has lived in that country for many years. Congratulations on your Hubnuggets nomination.
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