On The Subject Of Prostitution

[uk_falang]

A few generalisations here..

While it is true that protitution is wide spread through most of Asia (including many Muslim countries) why is it that it is so large scale in Thailand?

To my knowledge there arent any strict rules in the Buddhist religion about prostitution but I do know that rightful sexual conduct is encouraged, and it is certainly true that the Buddhist religion is a very important part of the lives of most Thais.

I think a major cause is that the Thai family culture puts a huge burden on *daughters* to provide for their families. I run a bar/restaurant in a small villiage in northern Thailand, it is almost impossible to find young female workers (I wont have men as they are usually lazy) here as they have mainly been sent to Bangkok, Chiang Mai or Pattaya. Some are studying and manyare working as prostitutes. Out of desperation we have been looking in Akha villiages, and there is really is impossible to find young women.

The thing that really surprises me is that it seems to be the *mothers* who encourage/force them into the industry, at the same time they seem to accept the sons in the family spending most of the money and not doing much work.

I set my bar/restaurant up for my wife, to give her the opportunity to provide some money for her family - but her brothers seem to spend most of the money drinking on the other side of the bar!

[britmaveric]

Motivations are many - too hard to speculate.

[lanny]

I tend to agree that the mothers have a strong influence in this matter.

A friend of mine had a child with a girl from Surin. He had built a house for himself and the girl -- and her family, of course. He didn't much like the "mother in law" but really got upset with her when she commented that she hoped the baby would be a girl -- "Beacuse girls make money!"

And, of course, we know how they do that!

[monochaser]

A few generalisations here..

While it is true that protitution is wide spread through most of Asia (including many Muslim countries) why is it that it is so large scale in Thailand?

To my knowledge there arent any strict rules in the Buddhist religion about prostitution but I do know that rightful sexual conduct is encouraged, and it is certainly true that the Buddhist religion is a very important part of the lives of most Thais.

I think a major cause is that the Thai family culture puts a huge burden on *daughters* to provide for their families. I run a bar/restaurant in a small villiage in northern Thailand, it is almost impossible to find young female workers (I wont have men as they are usually lazy) here as they have mainly been sent to Bangkok, Chiang Mai or Pattaya. Some are studying and manyare working as prostitutes. Out of desperation we have been looking in Akha villiages, and there is really is impossible to find young women.

The thing that really surprises me is that it seems to be the *mothers* who encourage/force them into the industry, at the same time they seem to accept the sons in the family spending most of the money and not doing much work.

I set my bar/restaurant up for my wife, to give her the opportunity to provide some money for her family - but her brothers seem to spend most of the money drinking on the other side of the bar!

that last sentence is a real shocker. In BKK you can find plenty of girls to work bar, I imagine that upcountry is a whole different ballgame. bummer

[cooL_guY_corY]

UP North is so easy to fall under the stereotype that all familes want to send their daughters away to make money as prostitutes, and even though this 100% isnt the case, it is SO alarming how common it is especially with similar circumstances, with males allowed to be drunk and lazy all the time and the girl expected to have unlimited bahts. Also it seems like the families thirst for money is never ever quenched. Rabid Thais.

[Neeranam]

A few generalisations here..

How can you generalise about Thailand when you're talking about just a small Northern town where you live? If you go to Pattaya/Soi Nana for your holidays - his is not the same as the rest of the country.

There are no mothers round about here that encourage their daughters into prostitution.

My wife had a restaurant and there were no shortage of young girls to work there.

There were 2 that worked in the kitchen and 3 beautiful ones that worked on the floor.

They got paid 3000 a month - if they had sold their bodies, they could have got that in a couple of hours in Bangkok - go figure.

[cdnvic]

Our policy for the past year and a half has been to disallow these topics as they turn nasty 99% of the time. Use the search function, it's been dealt with thoroughly in the past.

/closed