Thailand's Sex Workers Don't Want To Be 'Rescued'

[newermonkey]

Prostitution is ILLEGAL in Thailand, why are seeing a report about a subject that by the law of the land does not exist and is controlled by the corrupt police farce.

We could start talking about the rights of thieves, the rights of drug dealers, the right and conditions of people selling knock off goods.

When there is a round up of Prostitutes they are paraded around in the press for all to see of course they will "go along" with whatever the police want to say to save face, especially if they are under the legal age for consensual sex.

In short my point is - legalize prostitution, and whilst your at it legalize marijuana and make tobacco illegal.

[khaowong1]

no way to control 1 of man's 7 deadly sins.....LUST

except to make them eunuchs!!!

OUCH!!!!

[DP25]

But the anti-trafficking law regards sex workers as victims, so those who enforce it believe they are "rescuing" the prostitutes. That just makes things worse, say the sex workers.

The purpose of this is largely public relations, not to help women. The western world sees all sex workers as slaves in need of rescuing, especially ones in Thailand. It doesn't matter if they are making tons of money and want to be there. This is especially true foreign women, so for image reasons those caught working as prostitutes must be 'rescued' and sent back to their homes in Lao, Burma, or Cambodia where they can continue their life as impoverished dirt farmers.

[Thai at Heart]

No doubt some will always enter this industry. However, if you asked how much salary per month they would "quit" for, I wonder how high it would be.

50k, 80k, 100k?????

Thus, they aren't doing for "pleasure" of the job, but the money, but then how many people work for the pleasure of the job????

[newermonkey]

How many sex workers in Thailand pay taxes on their income, which in many cases is much higher than their highly educated "straight job" counterparts...Answer: ZILCH, nada, none, zero.

Agree. And that's not likely to change any more than the traffic laws are going to be enforced and for the same reason.

They pay taxes... except its paid to the wrong department! (The men dressed in shit colored uniforms)

[Reasonableman]

Lust

Lust or lechery (carnal "luxuria") is usually thought of as excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature. In Dante's Purgatorio, the penitent walks within flames to purge himself of lustful/sexual thoughts and feelings. In Dante's Inferno, unforgiven souls of the sin of lust are blown about in restless hurricane-like winds symbolic of their own lack of self control to their lustful passions in earthly life.

Sound familiar?

[harrycallahan]

Who wants to work for 100 baht a day in the rice paddys and chilli fields when you can give an old German pensioner oral sex for 20 minutes for 500 baht.

No offence to Germans but I'll take the rice paddy!

[DP25]

No woman wants to work in the sex trade, but given the alternative, many do not have much of a choice.

5555 A lot of these prostitutes, especially ones that work with foreigners, have multiple men sending them tens of thousands of baht each every month in order to 'rescue' them from their bar. And they STILL are out there 'working' each night even though they already have a monthly income higher than most Thais and many of their foreign customers can only dream of.

[tonypace02]

How many sex workers in Thailand pay taxes on their income, which in many cases is much higher than their highly educated "straight job" counterparts...Answer: ZILCH, nada, none, zero.

Sex workers and their families spend the money and therefore it gets taxed through VAT.

[kerryk]

Its not like they really have any viable alternatives. As long as you have wealth inequality, you will have the sex trade, which is why it thrives in all corners of the world (just like wealth inequality). As long as they can cut down on trafficking, slavery, and child prostitutes, then at least it is a step in the right direction. No woman wants to work in the sex trade, but given the alternative, many do not have much of a choice. I just hope all of you who purchase their services remember this, and try and treat them like humans. They have had a very difficult life and if they do not harbor at least some sort of resentment for their clients, it means they are already truly dead inside.

I would change it to read, "Every woman wants to work in the sex trade depending on the price."

[OzMick]

You see that, you bloated, pink-faced former insurance salesman from Basingstoke, your flabby arse perched on a Nana bar stool? You're not really a pitiful, deluded failure, desperately trying to resuscitate your youth with a cocktail of Singha, ersatz Viagra and your meagre pension! You're performing a social service! I'd pat you on the back, but I left my hand sanitizer at home.

Actually he would be a customer likely to pay a much higher rate than his thousands of Thai counterparts. I'm glad that you keep your hands clean for your own sexual activities.

[softgeorge]

I have no interest in the scene, but it should be legalized. A system that tests the girls on a regular basis and taxes the industry. I don't know if having set places for it would work or not, I feel bad for the families who have to walk by some brothels to get to the night market in Chiang Mai, but I care more about the fact that girls who are known to have HIV continue to work in some places.

You and I are alike

[kerryk]

How many sex workers in Thailand pay taxes on their income, which in many cases is much higher than their highly educated "straight job" counterparts...Answer: ZILCH, nada, none, zero.

Sex workers and their families spend the money and therefore it gets taxed through VAT.

Completely correct and though it is only 5% of the total the foreign money that is brought into the country by the sex trade is also effected by a new money multiplier perhaps as much as 10 times. I think the trade breaks down to 95% Thai and 5% foreign.

[whybother]

SOME sex workers don't want to be rescued. I'm sure there are tens of thousands out there that are being exploited / extorted / forced and would love to be rescued.

Why are you sure? All that I see or read about is the opposite.

The opposite? Do you mean there are a couple of million that are being exploited / extorted / forced etc?

I would agree that most girls (and guys) in the sex trade don't want to be rescued, but there are some out there that do want and need to be rescued.

[kerryk]

SOME sex workers don't want to be rescued. I'm sure there are tens of thousands out there that are being exploited / extorted / forced and would love to be rescued.

Why are you sure? All that I see or read about is the opposite.

The opposite? Do you mean there are a couple of million that are being exploited / extorted / forced etc?

I would agree that most girls (and guys) in the sex trade don't want to be rescued, but there are some out there that do want and need to be rescued.

That is what I can't figure out. How do you know there are some out there (tens of thousands) in Thailand who want to be rescued?

[fresnoboy]

"No woman wants to work in the sex trade, but given the alternative, many do not have much of a choice."

I don't know about that. I've seen some that couldn't, and wouldn't, do anything else.

Edited March 6, 2012 by metisdead
Font size reset.

[foxboy]

western puritanical superiority complexes

I love this phraseology - spot on!

[daboyz1]

No woman wants to work in the sex trade, but given the alternative, many do not have much of a choice.

5555 A lot of these prostitutes, especially ones that work with foreigners, have multiple men sending them tens of thousands of baht each every month in order to 'rescue' them from their bar. And they STILL are out there 'working' each night even though they already have a monthly income higher than most Thais and many of their foreign customers can only dream of.

This is absolutely true!

[Mrjlh]

"De-criminalize" it! Not "legalize it". Legalizing it makes it appear and sound as if it was an illegal activity in the first place. It's only been around for 3,000 years. Historical fact that "Camp Followers", as they were called then, followed the Armies during the Crusades. And I hope you know what the "Crusades" meant? By simply de-criminalizing it makes it an activity that can be licensed and regulated. It says "anyone" with prior convections can now be aspunged of their crime and if they wish return to the work they once did without shame. Only women who are at the age of consent and make their decison freely are covered by this. The only exception to this would be any one who pimps or forces, coerces a person into prostiutution would be a crime and not covered by de-criminalization.

JMHO

[kerryk]

I have no interest in the scene, but it should be legalized. A system that tests the girls on a regular basis and taxes the industry. I don't know if having set places for it would work or not, I feel bad for the families who have to walk by some brothels to get to the night market in Chiang Mai, but I care more about the fact that girls who are known to have HIV continue to work in some places.

You and I are alike

You have to be pro active George. Take the bar girl and get her tested. 500 baht 5 minutes.

Edited March 6, 2012 by kerryk

[OzMick]

The biggest problem I see is that many of the bar-girls enjoy the high life of their trade so much that they forget that it is only temporary. The smarter ones put some away for the inevitable time when the competition gets to be more attractive.

I have a good (and once VERY close) friend who retired at 40 and returned to the home village where she is quite the little capitalist, with a nice house and a couple of businesses. Who should sneer at her success through hard work?

[jocko]

"Human Trafficking is a crime against humanity. It involves an act of recruiting, transporting, transfering, harbouring or receiving a person through a use of force, coercion or other means, for the purpose of exploiting them." (From: UNODC). This is clearly not the case with most sex workers.

In Germany, prostitution is legal. Human trafficking is not. This article mixed up both.

Again in Germany, you need a work permit to work. If your nationality requires a work permit to work in Germany and you get caught working in prostitution, you will be arrested for working without a work permit. The same would apply for Burmese workers in Thailand.

And yes, the sex workers have a choice. Many factories in Thailand complain that it is difficult to find workers.

I am in Patong and i see Eastern Europeans/Russian ladies punting for Russian go-go clubs etc now the question is have they got a work permit as dancers etc the look very happy with nice sun tans i wonder how they can work here.

[mayday49]

Mega-Troll article... give all dem goils a Chinee Tablet....!

[leebeeUK]

Most of these points I have already confirmed via my personalized in depth research over a long period of time

It is good to know that there are still socially conscious and proactive individuals like yourself doing the righteous work in seeking out the facts, probing and examining, as it were.. so that the rest of us might be aware of what we're getting for our baht, er.. I mean what's really going on out there. I, for one, both thank and salute you, sir!

[ludditeman]

Who wants to work for 100 baht a day in the rice paddys and chilli fields when you can give an old German pensioner oral sex for 20 minutes for 500 baht.

No offence to Germans but I'll take the rice paddy!

You should try working in a rice field or tobacco farm for a few weeks, I'm betting the German would soon look quite attractive.

[SantiSuk]

You see that, you bloated, pink-faced former insurance salesman from Basingstoke, your flabby arse perched on a Nana bar stool? You're not really a pitiful, deluded failure, desperately trying to resuscitate your youth with a cocktail of Singha, ersatz Viagra and your meagre pension! You're performing a social service! I'd pat you on the back, but I left my hand sanitizer at home.

Who's got anger issues then!? Lighten up - this is the land of smiles

[ericthai]

How many sex workers in Thailand pay taxes on their income, which in many cases is much higher than their highly educated "straight job" counterparts...Answer: ZILCH, nada, none, zero.

And paying taxes has to do with what? How many noodle shops, vendors on the street selling t-shirts etc pay taxes, none. My wife owns two clothing shops in a shopping plaza I have told her many times to register her shops and pay taxes, her answer: none of the other shops are registered so don't need to. Same went with my old girlfriend she has a beauty shop never registered. I bet more than 50% of the mom and pop shops in Thailand are not registered and paying taxes. but what does this have to do with trafficking?

Edited March 6, 2012 by ericthai

[DP25]

The biggest problem I see is that many of the bar-girls enjoy the high life of their trade so much that they forget that it is only temporary. The smarter ones put some away for the inevitable time when the competition gets to be more attractive.

That's a good point. Many prostitutes in Thailand make a lot of money, but waste it all living it up, on status symbol luxury goods, gambling, giving to people leeching off of them, and on drugs and alcohol. If you want to rescue a prostitute teach them money management skills so they don't piss all their money away

[DocN]

Wow...as always I am amazed by one thing: "THE BARGIRLS"!

As if there is a general format they come in.

1) Legalize or decriminalize it!

I am all for it, but there is one problem: it will never happen!

As long as they have boyfriends (better: pimps) who whore them out or the police or whoever is cashing in on "the business" there will never be legalisation, because it would mean taking power away from these guys. And if one guy can <deleted> around with 3 girls, send them f@cking around with 3 , 4 guys a night, to bring home money for whiskey, yaa baa or the new car...not likely to happen, that they give that into the hand of official organisations, that (god forbid) offers some security and standardised money to the working girls.

2) As one person here said: some need rescuing, they just don't know it!

So true!

3) the few clever ones, who make truck loads of money and save it...couldn't care less for rescuing!

4) what are the alternatives?

5) a country that resents these girls as one of the lowest life forms, doesn't do anything to stop men from screwing around and having ZERO responsibilty for anything they "produce", resent a single- mother to a life as (at best ) mia noi...I think, the chances for "rescue" may be limited.

6) most of the working girls I know, have sold heart and sold loooooooong ago for the love of god Mammon!

[Rivertiger]

Why do you think most of the girls in the bars get so drunk! They have to get drunk or they would not do it. Most are forced into the sex trade because there is no wealthfair state and a very poor education system, and some are mothers who are left to bring up their children alone. What would make a big difference is if the education system changed, making it as good as the private sector (sorry better) and free, taught sex education at school with all its problems and make all the absent fathers pay maintenance.

There should be DNA register for all children and everyone it should be part of your ID that way fathers would have to live up to their responsibility, (maybe one day)