The Child Prostitution Problem In Thailand

[WinnieTheKhwai]

As I said before, I have never seen girls even close to that young doing sex work in Thailand.

Would 14 be close enough? Would you also agree that a lot of the non-Thai boys and girls who sell flowers on the street all night and are around 10 years old are at severe risk? If yes then HAVE seen it, it just didn't register.

This "article" was written and posted on "Saturday, December 9, 2006". This isn't really any thing new that hasn't been discussed already. It is an inflammatory news article just based on the numbers presented. True there is a problem, but a bigger problem is in Cambodia as reported by John Walsh of "Americas Most Wanted" last year.

I think we can agree that the link quoted in the OP constitutes a big fat troll, not worthy of serious debate. When you throw numbers around that are clearly ludicrous I think the person quoted in the OP is disqualifying himself/herself from any meaningful discussion, and is also doing actual abused kids a great disservice. Pity, but sadly it's rife.

Of course they won't! How many local women do you know that had children at 16? Quite a few.... Its accepted here.

It depends. In poor rural backgrounds: quite a few. In hill tribes: nearly all of them. In middle class Bangkok families: very few. You might see a similar spectrum in Western countries. If not then you may have lived a sheltered life. Refer to Ian's post.

Let's be honest, most 20 year old Thai women look like children compared to Western women. What does that say about the men that find them attractive?

Equally interesting: If you think most 20 year old Thai women look like children, what does this say about you? What a strange thing to say. Average height in this country is less. Thai women don't tend to have lumbering udders come age 18. If a person thinks that makes them look like children then I think the issue is theirs, not in Thai women or any healthy individual, Thai or foreign, who finds them attractive. Hint: if you are attracted to an adult potential partner of child-bearing age that means things are working properly.

The above goes back to my first point: to get to such ludicrous numbers like 800K (or even 50K, the 800 number really is laughable if it wasn't so sad), this requires counting every single 17 year old as a child just the same as a abused 8 year old. The result is being wholly ineffective in targeting efforts where they are most needed. You can only assume such low-lifers are placing their own personal gain and funding above actually focussing on abused pre-teen kids. I wish TV.com would provide an emoticon to express my feelings on that, but they don't.

[IanForbes]

Good post, Winnie. I agree. I tried helping a few of the flower chlldren around Loi Kroh, but it is a losing proposition. They are the children of hill tribe people and the kids are used as a commodity in the begging trade. Few if any go to school. I DID help a couple of young teen age girls a few years back and got them into a better class school for a good education. I had a 50% success rate. One went on with her studies and the other drifted back into the Thai sub-culture and I haven't seen her in a year. Both girls are now over 20, but I've known them since they were 14 and selling flowers. I kind of like a few of the cocky little boys who are about 10 years old. I don't give them any money, but I buy them a hamburger, fries and a drink from time to time. One is a pretty good pool player and my British Friend, Russ, is helping the kid get better so he can may earn a living as a pool hustler later.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Good post, Winnie. I agree. I tried helping a few of the flower chlldren around Loi Kroh, but it is a losing proposition. They are the children of hill tribe people and the kids are used as a commodity in the begging trade. Few if any go to school. I DID help a couple of young teen age girls a few years back and got them into a better class school for a good education. I had a 50% success rate.

That's an amazing success rate! I've been involved in a small NGO with the same goals, which was for children who were still at home in the village but even there very few finished school even when it was fully paid for. Turns out it's not just the kids who get pregnant age 14, their parents actually want them to get married and provide income by then. Several finished Mathayom 3 though, a select few M.6, mostly those of somewhat better off parents who supported proper education for their kids.

I kind of like a few of the cocky little boys who are about 10 years old. I don't give them any money, but I buy them a hamburger, fries and a drink from time to time. One is a pretty good pool player and my British Friend, Russ, is helping the kid get better so he can may earn a living as a pool hustler later.

Too bad there's no future in becoming a Connect-4 hustler or a lot of the previous batch of hill-tribe girls would have become filthy rich.