Problem Of Sexual Service Boys Is Growing

Problem of sexual service boys in Pattaya is growing

PATTAYA: -- The number of young boy prostitutes in Pattaya is increasing fast, adding to the resort city’s unwelcome reputation as being the centre for child prostitution in Thailand.

A conference on problems and solutions in public health and quality of life was chaired at city hall on June 10 by Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh and Suwit Phothiracha of the Public Health Department at Nongbua Lamphoo Hospital. The meeting was attended by officers of the World Vision Foundation, the Fountain of Life Women’s Centre, and Pattaya Youth Activity Centre.

Ronakit said that Pattaya City has developed very fast, which has created a lot of problems. Society should not let children fall into situations where they can be sexually exploited, and cooperation from all official departments is needed to ensure that every person has the potential for a decent future.

The World Vision Foundation presented data on the child prostitute problem. The main centres are Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and Phuket. Previously, Phuket had the most child prostitutes but this problem decreased after the tsunami. Pattaya has now taken over, and the numbers are increasing.

The number of young boys involved in prostitution is growing for several reasons. One reason is that the number of tourists coming to Pattaya seeking sex with boys is increasing. Another reason is that because of the earlier focus on sex with young girls, that side of the business has become less visible. Young girls can be ordered by phone and an agent will deliver the girl to the buyer’s location. Less attention has been given to the problem of young boys selling themselves and so the number has been increasing.

Another problem of course is the number of children coming in from other provinces to live in Pattaya, where they often fall into a life of poverty that leads to the selling of themselves for sexual services.

The Pattaya Youth Activity Centre said that the solution to the child prostitution problem is always there. But it cannot succeed without cooperation from all departments. Children need to be shown how they can increase their income without selling sex. It is not only the wandering children who sell themselves for sexual service. Some students from other provinces come to Pattaya under their own accord, selling themselves because they need money to pay for their school terms. Others do it simply because they see easy money, with which they can cultivate a taste for good living which becomes difficult to control.

--Pattaya Mail 2005-06-24