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

[F1fanatic]

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?

Not me.

A lesson here for many Thais. She got off her back.....eventually.... and worked hard for an honest living.

I'm not sure that you got my point. The lady earned her money through prostitution, invested it wisely, and now lives a life of leisure from the proceeds. Behind every fortune there is a crime - Belzac.

Are you sure that she truly earned her money through prostitution alone? She didn't have a few guys all believing that she loved them and sending her money? And certainly no guy that gave her lots of money?

I only ask as it seems unusual.

[OzMick]

And here we have a man, being fed wisdom by the spoon!

"A man with so many questions and so few answers.

Why do they not consider themselves prostitutes? Because they have the right of refusal, and to take those and how many they are willing to accept.

why keep it from their families? Because they want to move home sometime, and in Thailand (as elsewhere) a man who has many partners is a butterfly or a stud, whereas a woman is a slut or whore. Do you know what a rethoric question is?

Why don't you know one bar-girl not drunk or stoned nightly? The class of bar you frequent. Some in Patpong! In EVERY bar I frequent drugs are banned. And prostitution is illegal in Thailand! Young people with money in a bar, being offered free drinks - you expect abstinence? Does it happen in the village?

Some girls wear swimsuits, but they are expensive. None fancy sunburn or a tan.THAT is your explanation? Really?

Are you that old that you dislike shagging 4 times a night, or are you suggesting 4 customers @ B500 up? The decision is HERS.Is it? With an abusive bf/pimp at home, you gives you a nice round of slaps, if you don't come home with enough?!

Premature aging from burning the candle at both ends. My mum warned me about that. "

I see: the decission is hers, it is easy money, they are just greedy and lazy!

Stereotypes are a great thing, aren't they!?

Actually i find your stereotypes rather jaded. Nearly all the bar-girls I know live in bar-supplied accommodation, nobody slaps them or forces them to take customers. I don't consider them to be greedy or lazy, most exercise daily to remain trim, none drink to excess regularly, and they would be told to move on quite rapidly if they started using drugs.

They also work hard at improving their English, have hopes and aspirations just like everybody else.

[onthemoon]

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.

but where the money goes it Will be spend an let economy take profit from it, likewise the black money every where on world is the "second circuit ," or Grey one , legal or not it works like a "safety valve " on the peoples economy , i repairs what the normal fails or short in it AND this count not only for the sex trade

Yep, that sex worker pays much more in VAT than the "straight job" counterparts ever will.

hence why in a strange way, 7-11 and all the bigger retailers are actually performing a wonderful civic service by collecting VAT, whilst all the mom and pop shops that the country is supposed to protect are not. Ironically, there is a huge financial incentive for the government to allow a 7-11, Mcdonalds, Tesco and KFC on every street corner.

This is why they see it as better to load up excise on alcohol or cars, because even if there is no VAT collected, at least they get paid somehow.

If a company's turnover is less than a certain amount per year, they do not need to register for VAT. That's why. But it has nothing to do with this topic.

[onthemoon]

True, our western morals have little effect in the Sex trade, money cancells out moral issues and here is an example.

My girlfriend Nam comes to visit weekends, her boyfriend likes me and drove his taxi to my apartment to deliver her. Joe trust me as Nam and I are good friends now for 4 yrs... longer than Joe has know Nam, Nam enjoys the break from BKK and looking after her 14 month old child! Strange stuff egh so this is what Nam wants and I pay for her time.

Morals are culture-dependent. What you describe is immoral in Western (or should I say: Christian?) culture, but how do you know it is immoral over here? Maybe he is considered a very good husband, taking her to work, and socialising with her good customer.

[DocN]

or maybe Thai women like sex more!

...with 60 year old drunk smelly ill behaving tourists?

You are joking, right?!

I don't know what area(s) you hang out at but I see many many falangs (Anglo Caucasians) and other foreigners who are in the 20 and 30 and 40 year old range. Every time I am in the Pattaya, Phuket, and BKK party areas ('red light areas') I see many many young guys from many countries, of many races, etc.. It looks like a Spring Break party or Mardi Gras party in the USA... with many 20-40 y.o. guys partying with the bar ladies. Maybe you hang out at a bar(s)where there are a lot of older, smelly, and badly behaving guys. Maybe you should change your location.

Life is an endless happy party for them, I know!

I admitted earlier, that i must be wrong!

It's all fit and sporty guys, well behaved, treating them not only as human beings but as ladies...and they are in the vast majority.

I think, even more women should become hookers- life must be a dream.

[OzMick]

or maybe Thai women like sex more!

...with 60 year old drunk smelly ill behaving tourists?

You are joking, right?!

No, of course not. 95% of the hookers in Thailand never meet a tourist.

There's exactly the same misconception in the Philippines. People believe the business is mainly aimed at "tourists" whereas even the smallest little barrios have working girls plying their trade. We recently had a family crisis on our hands when it was discovered my wife's father was seeing one. There you go - you support and when their bellies are full they find other ways to spend it.

You call that a crisis? My father-in-law invited me down to the local knocking shop a week after the wedding, in front of the missus (not amused!!) I tactfully declined.

[Thai at Heart]

Blaming poverty is rubbish. These girls are lazy and greedy. In many counytries much poorer than Thailand there are very few prostitutes.

Yes, I agree with that.

With many they see this as an easy alternative than by being under the pressures of employment in the legitimate industries. This I believe in the main reasons these girls enter into prostitution.

Just take a look on the Internet and see for yourselves how many women are willing and eager participants of the porn and sex industries. There is certainly no shortage of them. They appear in all shapes, sizes, ages, races, nationalities and from all walks of life. I would very much like to see some official statistics of how many women worldwide are involved in the flesh business.

The media and certain organisations would have us believe that the majority of these women are victims of abuse, come from underprivileged backgrounds and the victims of the sexual desires of men. This is simply not the fact.

To call them greedy and lazy is absolutely ridiculous. Go and look upcountry where these girls come from and realise there are very few well paying jobs for them to do in their locality if they are from rural areas.

Then throw in a pretty ropy village based education, and they are faced with moving away, so then it comes down to 9,000 baht in a chicken factory if you are very very lucky, or 30k plus going into a bar. It is nothing but a purely commercial decision, now you can call that greed, in other countries they call the being smart. You can moralise about it till the days come home, but being lazy has nothing to do with it.

I don`t agree.

If one cannot make a living locally, than they have to seek work elsewhere.

Everyone has to start from the beginning, the objective is to work up to a career by hard work and determination and make they’re lives successful. It`s called: ambition. And that’s the problem, that many of these prostitutes have no ambitions in life, but only to get rich quick with the minimum amount of efforts. I agree that life can be unfair and some from more underprivileged backgrounds have the tougher time, but it all depends on the will of a person to succeed.

Getting involved with prostitution is no smart, because they are exposed to practically all diseases known to man, there are also the emotional side affects and all the other crap that goes with it. After a while many become almost institutionalised into the sex industry and unable to give it up however much they try.

The theme of this thread is, Thailand's Sex Workers Don't Want To Be 'Rescued' And this also pertains worldwide.

I don't disagree with your sentiments either, it is just that Thailand isn't exactly the world of opportunity. It doesn't have yet all the mechanisms to quickly elevate the poor as quickly as some would like. There are millions of people who have been lifted out of poverty in the last 20 years in Asia, but there are still many many prostitutes, and I don't consider 10 to 20k living comfortably in anyway at all, particularly in a major city.

What many of these girls have to look forward to is a life of poverty in the village, with the potential for a minimum wage job which progresses upwards extremely slowly or short cut the whole process and get ahead even quicker. It may not fit with many peoples morals, but that is the way it is. I worked in a major agricultural exporting company for 10 years, and we paid above minimum for general labour, but it still only equated to 180 baht a day. Mothers who had been working there for 20 years would bring their daughters into to work there, but they rarely if ever stayed for more than a few weeks.

This may be above the UN measure of 1USD a day, but in reality, should it be considered anything more than a survivable wage. We had 2000 workers.

[F1fanatic]

"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 wonder what the % of smarter ones there are. 10%? The "high life" becomes an addiction in itself. I always wondered how I'd wind up if I was a young, attractive Thai girl. Probably, I wouldn't reach 30. What happens when a 40 year old working girl hits 45?

I know some who opened clothes shops in market areas, such as Chatuchak or MBK. Others open restaurants. Some marry and become housewives, and a few stay in the trade (yes!) or become mamasans.

I could well be wrong, but I suspect only a few open restaurants without financial backing. But yes, I agree some marry Westerners and become housewives.

Few can "remain in the trade" when they hit 40 - there are too many younger, more attractive girls out there.

I suspect that many become masseurs and work/hang around Western bars at night - desperately hoping to find that one man that will give her the money she wants.

[OzMick]

Are you sure that she truly earned her money through prostitution alone? She didn't have a few guys all believing that she loved them and sending her money? And certainly no guy that gave her lots of money?

I only ask as it seems unusual.

Not that I know of. One regular for 3 months every year, but he was well aware that we were more than friends (not me and him!)

[onthemoon]

If these people are looking for a cause, why don't they direct it toward corporate corruption and exploitation of the common worker.

Because there are a thousand things that could be improved in this world, and why would Empower ignore the problems the prostitutes have, only because there are other problems as well?

I suggest you start working on the problems you mention above, as they are of greater concern to you.

[kerryk]

Ok...so I guess, I am wrong.

Most of the bar girls or GoGo's woke up one morning and though "Oh, my life is brilliant! I have an excellent education, a careing husband for my kid and a supportive family...I think, I will go to Bangkok and become a hooker!"

All the stories about poverty, Thai-men knocking up everything that is not behind locked doors by the count of three and than leaving for the next shag, girls that have seen the inside of a classroom for the last time at an age of 10, society looking down on single mothers, families making the daughters responsible for feeding the whole lot, abusive boyfriends turned pimps, drug and alcohol addiction...myths, nothing but myths!

Welcome to Lala- Land!

I don't think most of the go go girls (bars maybe but not go go's) have children and I believe the girls stay in school till 14. Oh and the great majority of hookers are not in Bangkok.

[onthemoon]

"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.

Yes, but until the socio-economic structure changes, or evolves here, what is going to change? Many of the university educated Thais that I know complain that working girls are lazy, because they do not want to work a 70 hour per week job in a factory, for 7,000 baht per month. Who can survive on that? Many of these women have one or two children, and poor families. What does 7,000 baht per month do for them, when they have to pay for rent, food, etc, and then try to send something home? One can see why so many choose to use their bodies to make some money. The difference in earnings is so dramatic, and then there is the hope of meeting a "rich" fareng. Very, very few here are doing it because they are being forced to do it, unless you take into account their poverty, then that station in life becomes the slavedriver. Little more.

They have the choice. Many people live on THB 7,000 per income earner, often several income earners under one roof. Yes, the income they can bring in from the trade is much more, but it is still their choice.

And the universities are full of young women, the number of students are increasing, and I would bet that the vast majority will not go into the trade. It's their choice.

[kerryk]

"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 wonder what the % of smarter ones there are. 10%? The "high life" becomes an addiction in itself. I always wondered how I'd wind up if I was a young, attractive Thai girl. Probably, I wouldn't reach 30. What happens when a 40 year old working girl hits 45?

I know some who opened clothes shops in market areas, such as Chatuchak or MBK. Others open restaurants. Some marry and become housewives, and a few stay in the trade (yes!) or become mamasans.

I could well be wrong, but I suspect only a few open restaurants without financial backing. But yes, I agree some marry Westerners and become housewives.

Few can "remain in the trade" when they hit 40 - there are too many younger, more attractive girls out there.

I suspect that many become masseurs and work/hang around Western bars at night - desperately hoping to find that one man that will give her the money she wants.

At 40 they should have two daughters in the trade sending cash home. So everything works out fine.

[DocN]

And here we have a man, being fed wisdom by the spoon!

"A man with so many questions and so few answers.

Why do they not consider themselves prostitutes? Because they have the right of refusal, and to take those and how many they are willing to accept.

why keep it from their families? Because they want to move home sometime, and in Thailand (as elsewhere) a man who has many partners is a butterfly or a stud, whereas a woman is a slut or whore. Do you know what a rethoric question is?

Why don't you know one bar-girl not drunk or stoned nightly? The class of bar you frequent. Some in Patpong! In EVERY bar I frequent drugs are banned. And prostitution is illegal in Thailand! Young people with money in a bar, being offered free drinks - you expect abstinence? Does it happen in the village?

Some girls wear swimsuits, but they are expensive. None fancy sunburn or a tan.THAT is your explanation? Really?

Are you that old that you dislike shagging 4 times a night, or are you suggesting 4 customers @ B500 up? The decision is HERS.Is it? With an abusive bf/pimp at home, you gives you a nice round of slaps, if you don't come home with enough?!

Premature aging from burning the candle at both ends. My mum warned me about that. "

I see: the decission is hers, it is easy money, they are just greedy and lazy!

Stereotypes are a great thing, aren't they!?

Actually i find your stereotypes rather jaded. Nearly all the bar-girls I know live in bar-supplied accommodation, nobody slaps them or forces them to take customers. I don't consider them to be greedy or lazy, most exercise daily to remain trim, none drink to excess regularly, and they would be told to move on quite rapidly if they started using drugs.

They also work hard at improving their English, have hopes and aspirations just like everybody else.

Ok,ok...are you talking about GoGo's or ESCORTS?

"My places" are usually on Patpong, since I live here!

There is a place on Patpong 2, rather famous and (literally) on higher ground.

I know most of the girls there by name and can tell you for sure, that almost all of them are smoking yaa baa regularly.

Another place, not far from there, with rather young girls (majorly officially around 22): none of them sober at the start of their shift.

How do I know? I TALK TO THEM!

I am not saying that every hooker in Thailand is like that.

But I think, one can safely assume, they are not in it for "the fun" of it, but because there is not much choice!

[cardholder]

Blaming poverty is rubbish. These girls are lazy and greedy. In many counytries much poorer than Thailand there are very few prostitutes.

Yes, I agree with that.

With many they see this as an easy alternative than by being under the pressures of employment in the legitimate industries. This I believe in the main reasons these girls enter into prostitution.

Just take a look on the Internet and see for yourselves how many women are willing and eager participants of the porn and sex industries. There is certainly no shortage of them. They appear in all shapes, sizes, ages, races, nationalities and from all walks of life. I would very much like to see some official statistics of how many women worldwide are involved in the flesh business.

The media and certain organisations would have us believe that the majority of these women are victims of abuse, come from underprivileged backgrounds and the victims of the sexual desires of men. This is simply not the fact.

To call them greedy and lazy is absolutely ridiculous. Go and look upcountry where these girls come from and realise there are very few well paying jobs for them to do in their locality if they are from rural areas.

Then throw in a pretty ropy village based education, and they are faced with moving away, so then it comes down to 9,000 baht in a chicken factory if you are very very lucky, or 30k plus going into a bar. It is nothing but a purely commercial decision, now you can call that greed, in other countries they call the being smart. You can moralise about it till the days come home, but being lazy has nothing to do with it.

I disagree. Laziness certainly does seem to be a factor. Sod economics - the end result is invariably "zero" when it comes to the bank balance. Thais are not renowned for saving when they have money. The life in a bar is not "hard", life up a coconut tree, rice field or production line certainly can be. Many of us have all seen Pattaya in low season and I doubt many of the rank and file girls are earning anywhere near the 30k+ you refer to. They would still rather sit on their arse in a bar looking miserable than sit in their Isaan home looking miserable.

[PoodMaiDai]

I've been saying this for the past 12 years. I've never seen so many prostitutes proud to be prostitutes, and I've done plenty of "research" all over the world.

While some of them are trafficked, they are usually the ones who are paying off debts and working in the tiny Thai only brothels and low end karaoke bars. The others are often trafficked to other countries such as Singapore, Japan, Bahrain, and Malaysia.

[onthemoon]

Shouldn't they all have a work permit, paying in social security and having a fully insurance?

Actually, social security is the reason the German sex workers went to the streets to have their profession officially recognised.

[MUYTHAI]

Personally I think that NGO's and Christian missionaries want to be rescued by sex workers. Look around and wherever you see the soft sector boys one women they lead a comfortable life off the back of sex workers. They eat in fancy restaurants they drive good cars and live in big houses were the work is done by rescued "girls". For those who are not convinced, there is a great documentary out there called children of a white god or simply have a look at the list of fake orphanages and rescue centers at: http://www.akha.org/...ons/index.html. Be careful though, the rescue Mafia is quite powerful, they protect hundreds of millions of dollars on income in donations and cheap labor.

There are numerous rescue centers in which they lock up minors without the knowledges of the courts or their parents, all in the name of the greater good.

Correction >> The documentary is entitled 'Prisoners Of A White God'.

http://en.wikipedia...._of_a_White_God

I agree with you concerning the subject. I highly recommend that all who read this look at the wiki link and watch the movie! Many of the missionary groups, anti-traffiking groups, etc. in SE Asia are predators themselves. It is an easy way to earn money and live in a beautiful tropical country on the financial donations from donors who don't have a clue concerning the real facts 'on the ground' in the given location.

Almost all the woman I have met who are prostitutes in Thailand are happy, funny, enjoy life, earn a very good income, and all are in the profession by their own choosing, etc.. Anti-traffiking group employees, etc. have to exaggerate, lie, etc. in order to create 'a problem' so that people will donate to their charity, org., etc., and thus, they can have an easy job and pull in a good income from the donations. With that being said, I do support those who do legit work by trying to stop the real Human traffiking.

PS...'Prisoners Of A White God' can be viewed on YouTube.

[onthemoon]

Blaming poverty is rubbish. These girls are lazy and greedy. In many counytries much poorer than Thailand there are very few prostitutes.

Yes, I agree with that.

With many they see this as an easy alternative than by being under the pressures of employment in the legitimate industries. This I believe in the main reasons these girls enter into prostitution.

Just take a look on the Internet and see for yourselves how many women are willing and eager participants of the porn and sex industries. There is certainly no shortage of them. They appear in all shapes, sizes, ages, races, nationalities and from all walks of life. I would very much like to see some official statistics of how many women worldwide are involved in the flesh business.

The media and certain organisations would have us believe that the majority of these women are victims of abuse, come from underprivileged backgrounds and the victims of the sexual desires of men. This is simply not the fact.

To call them greedy and lazy is absolutely ridiculous. Go and look upcountry where these girls come from and realise there are very few well paying jobs for them to do in their locality if they are from rural areas.

Then throw in a pretty ropy village based education, and they are faced with moving away, so then it comes down to 9,000 baht in a chicken factory if you are very very lucky, or 30k plus going into a bar. It is nothing but a purely commercial decision, now you can call that greed, in other countries they call the being smart. You can moralise about it till the days come home, but being lazy has nothing to do with it.

When I first got to SEA Taipei and Bangkok were roughly equivalent in prostitutes per Farang. Now Thailand is the hooker hub of the world; supplying ladies all over Asia, the Middle East and Europe. If you go back 40 years Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan were not that much different in earnings per capita. So what happened?

Will have to do with David Ricardo's Comparative Advantage.

[onthemoon]

Ok...so I guess, I am wrong.

Most of the bar girls or GoGo's woke up one morning and though "Oh, my life is brilliant! I have an excellent education, a careing husband for my kid and a supportive family...I think, I will go to Bangkok and become a hooker!"

All the stories about poverty, Thai-men knocking up everything that is not behind locked doors by the count of three and than leaving for the next shag, girls that have seen the inside of a classroom for the last time at an age of 10, society looking down on single mothers, families making the daughters responsible for feeding the whole lot, abusive boyfriends turned pimps, drug and alcohol addiction...myths, nothing but myths!

Welcome to Lala- Land!

These things happen. But you make it sound like it were the rule.

What the OP said is something else: Most prostitutes don't want to be "rescued". These people of Empower, who are close with prostitutes, are telling us that there is a general misconception and that needs rectification.

[PingManDan]

Legalize it!

Hell I thought is was legal in Thailand

[sirchai]

Blaming poverty is rubbish. These girls are lazy and greedy. In many counytries much poorer than Thailand there are very few prostitutes.

Not understanding a country is a lack of knowledge. Judging them without knowing the country is rubbish.Poverty is a reason for them to sell their bodies, what's happening afterwards to them is another story.

[ericthai]

And here we have a man, being fed wisdom by the spoon!

"A man with so many questions and so few answers.

Why do they not consider themselves prostitutes? Because they have the right of refusal, and to take those and how many they are willing to accept.

why keep it from their families? Because they want to move home sometime, and in Thailand (as elsewhere) a man who has many partners is a butterfly or a stud, whereas a woman is a slut or whore. Do you know what a rethoric question is?

Why don't you know one bar-girl not drunk or stoned nightly? The class of bar you frequent. Some in Patpong! In EVERY bar I frequent drugs are banned. And prostitution is illegal in Thailand! Young people with money in a bar, being offered free drinks - you expect abstinence? Does it happen in the village?

Some girls wear swimsuits, but they are expensive. None fancy sunburn or a tan.THAT is your explanation? Really?

Are you that old that you dislike shagging 4 times a night, or are you suggesting 4 customers @ B500 up? The decision is HERS.Is it? With an abusive bf/pimp at home, you gives you a nice round of slaps, if you don't come home with enough?!

Premature aging from burning the candle at both ends. My mum warned me about that. "

I see: the decission is hers, it is easy money, they are just greedy and lazy!

Stereotypes are a great thing, aren't they!?

Actually i find your stereotypes rather jaded. Nearly all the bar-girls I know live in bar-supplied accommodation, nobody slaps them or forces them to take customers. I don't consider them to be greedy or lazy, most exercise daily to remain trim, none drink to excess regularly, and they would be told to move on quite rapidly if they started using drugs.

They also work hard at improving their English, have hopes and aspirations just like everybody else.

Ok,ok...are you talking about GoGo's or ESCORTS?

"My places" are usually on Patpong, since I live here!

There is a place on Patpong 2, rather famous and (literally) on higher ground.

I know most of the girls there by name and can tell you for sure, that almost all of them are smoking yaa baa regularly.

Another place, not far from there, with rather young girls (majorly officially around 22): none of them sober at the start of their shift.

How do I know? I TALK TO THEM!

I am not saying that every hooker in Thailand is like that.

But I think, one can safely assume, they are not in it for "the fun" of it, but because there is not much choice!

I believe you are wrong on not much choice. Did you hear there is a labor shortage as Burmese workers are not coming back to Thailand. There are many jobs available for these girls to work, however not making the same money and it's their choice to work in the bar as they want or need the kind of income that is provides. I wouldn't say all the girls are on drugs and drunk. I too have been to patpong and soi cowboy etc and dont see where all the girls are drunk and taking drugs. With your rational you could say all ex-pats are drunks as all the ones I meet in bars are drinking and getting drunk, so this must be the only way they are able to live in Thailand being drunk every night. I have been to many of the "thai" style places and very seldom do i see any of these girls drinking or taking drugs. So it all depends on the girl. Get out of patpong and explore things more before you start saying a majority as you are only seeing a minor part of Thailand. Edited March 6, 2012 by ericthai

[dangnanglao]

All women are prostitutes, they just have different payment plans.

I prefer the layaway plan.

[atyclb]

Haven’t we forgotten something here? I know a couple of girls in my neighborhood I consider long overdue to be rescued:

from their greedy, always demanding, lazy bone, sluggardly comfortable living, pimping relatives in Isan! ! !

BRAVO

[chrisinth]

"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.

Yes, but until the socio-economic structure changes, or evolves here, what is going to change? Many of the university educated Thais that I know complain that working girls are lazy, because they do not want to work a 70 hour per week job in a factory, for 7,000 baht per month. Who can survive on that? Many of these women have one or two children, and poor families. What does 7,000 baht per month do for them, when they have to pay for rent, food, etc, and then try to send something home? One can see why so many choose to use their bodies to make some money. The difference in earnings is so dramatic, and then there is the hope of meeting a "rich" fareng. Very, very few here are doing it because they are being forced to do it, unless you take into account their poverty, then that station in life becomes the slavedriver. Little more.

They have the choice. Many people live on THB 7,000 per income earner, often several income earners under one roof. Yes, the income they can bring in from the trade is much more, but it is still their choice.

And the universities are full of young women, the number of students are increasing, and I would bet that the vast majority will not go into the trade. It's their choice.

Have you any idea about what goes on at the universities? I could probably get you at least half a dozen phone numbers in the next 20 minutes.

These are not the phone numbers of girls but the phone numbers of the 20 something "mamasans" that control their little harems. This is where girls voluntarily give their contact details to a controller who will supply what is required. This is part time prostitution at its best so they can afford the latest phone, get money for their next night out, name the reason and it will be in there somewhere.

The punter phones up, the girl is escorted to the meeting, job done. Don't think that prostitution is restricted to bars or go-go's and that it doesn't happen with the educated because you would be badly mistaken.

I myself have never and will never use these services; this is the norm where I am living.

BTW, these young "mamasans" can become powerful people with the contact information they receive.

[BookMan]

I guess this is a thing of the past in Pattaya..

classic

[oops]

In America they once had a decade long campaign to clean up prostution saying if men wouldn't buy sex, women wouldn't sell it....?

Over the last decade I have seen shirts that say real men don't pay for sex.....?

I actually fit in with this just great because I don't like to pay for sex....mind you, not because I don't want too,more I don't have enough money to spread around the love thing

So that makes me a real man by default .....although it doesn't mean I don't try to get it for free....

[djvolak]

I guess this is a thing of the past in Pattaya..

May have to start drinking again. Or does Tea count as a drink too? What bar is that?

[Beetlejuice]

"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.

Yes, but until the socio-economic structure changes, or evolves here, what is going to change? Many of the university educated Thais that I know complain that working girls are lazy, because they do not want to work a 70 hour per week job in a factory, for 7,000 baht per month. Who can survive on that? Many of these women have one or two children, and poor families. What does 7,000 baht per month do for them, when they have to pay for rent, food, etc, and then try to send something home? One can see why so many choose to use their bodies to make some money. The difference in earnings is so dramatic, and then there is the hope of meeting a "rich" fareng. Very, very few here are doing it because they are being forced to do it, unless you take into account their poverty, then that station in life becomes the slavedriver. Little more.

They have the choice. Many people live on THB 7,000 per income earner, often several income earners under one roof. Yes, the income they can bring in from the trade is much more, but it is still their choice.

And the universities are full of young women, the number of students are increasing, and I would bet that the vast majority will not go into the trade. It's their choice.

Have you any idea about what goes on at the universities? I could probably get you at least half a dozen phone numbers in the next 20 minutes.

These are not the phone numbers of girls but the phone numbers of the 20 something "mamasans" that control their little harems. This is where girls voluntarily give their contact details to a controller who will supply what is required. This is part time prostitution at its best so they can afford the latest phone, get money for their next night out, name the reason and it will be in there somewhere.

The punter phones up, the girl is escorted to the meeting, job done. Don't think that prostitution is restricted to bars or go-go's and that it doesn't happen with the educated because you would be badly mistaken.

I myself have never and will never use these services; this is the norm where I am living.

BTW, these young "mamasans" can become powerful people with the contact information they receive.

I’ll settle for one or two phone numbers and don`t mind waiting for at least an hour.

They are called; sideliners because this is how they earn extra cash on the side, mainly reserved for the younger Thai clientele.

There are also those that prostitute themselves just to obtain money to buy Iphones, fancy clothes and other luxury goods that mummy and daddy refuse to buy for them. So this practice of women selling themselves is way more widespread than just being confirmed to the bars and known sex establishments.

As I said; they consider it as easy money required for many reasons.

Mentally I have no idea how any woman can go with someone who maybe ugly and repulsive, no matter how much money in involved. I would love to get the female perspectives on this, because I sure don’t understand it.

Edited March 6, 2012 by Beetlejuice