Australia's Channel Seven investigates the sex industry in Thailand

[Broken Record]

As far as Pattaya goes most of the Beer Bars are staffed by overweight, disinterested, cellphone obsessed, boring, poorly dressed older women, this guy is 30 years too late

And these are the good ones......................hahahaha.

You're not far wrong there, the days of a beerbar full of pretty young things are long gone in Pattaya, when I first came to Thailand I was shocked at how young some of the girls were who had old men pawing them in beer bars, 16-17-18, now its like a reverse shock at how old they are, maybe its the same girls, but 25 years older !

[Time Traveller]

Another self appointed Western hero. Just what Thailand needs. Where is Immigration when they are needed. Australia, Europe and North America have as many if not more problems in this regard. Gangs kidnapping girls of all ages and races and forcing them into prostitution with violence and drugs. Why could not he start there? Well, because it is DANGEROUS for him personally there and he won't look like such a noble hero saving the poor little brown people from the evil white men. Chr#st, these morons crusader types have rolled through here for decades and they eventually just slink away when the media fanfare is gone and the Thai authorities grow tired of the notoriety they cause.

Are you worried that your supply might be cut off or something?

What is wrong with you? There's a guy doing something, trying to help, and then there's wierdo sexpat losers like you that deride him for it. Whatever, close your eyes and enjoy the misery that other people are forced to endure.

[Rogermoore]

You trying to save them from actually working a real job ? I never see any of this stuff there talking about .Never see any children in these places everyone knows you have to be 18 at least to work in any gogo bar . I see a story on some guy from some news station in america where he said he had to buy the girl out of the bar so she could be freed so he did then she went back and picked up her money and went back to work .Your trying to save them from what guy's buying them motorbikes ,cars ,houses,gold, free dining and drinking free sleeping in all day not work a real work week 48 hr week .

[craigoaus]

I started to watch this segment last night but changed there channel in less than 5 minutes, found it very one sided and inaccurate in general. I am sure there is a problem with under age sex but this show implied all the bar girls are sex slaves...

[slippery snake]

Another thing,, seems strange this guy is so worried about Thai families, daughters, and what happens here,

that he's bought his own three daughters to live here ? strange guy............

Maybe he can find them all a job working on $15 an hour like in Aussie ? most Thai girls here lucky if they can make that much,

in most jobs when working a 12 hour day and with maybe 2 days a month off....... guess he will change that too ? yeah right. !!!

I wonder how old his daughters are ?

[kiwikeith]

Now every Aussie gets a frown when he comes home to the pub after a pissup in pattaya,

Channel 7/ news.com.au is practicly run by man hating feminazis who would like to castrate men for just getting on a plane to Thailand.

I saw it once in Pattaya when sitting in a hotel lobby a guy came in with a very young looking girl, they handed a photo copy of her ID to reception, then the receptionist called me over to look at the iD which was not even her picture , I just said I dont know and walked away, they let her in.

[sawadee1947]

useless job for that guy. He should know that families sell their daughters to those agencies...... Maybe he wants to support these families to prevent ending their daughters in brothels????

Stupid idea. Changes will come from a real government and a changing society. But as far I can see no change in sight.

Also this reports only attracts men from AUS and other countries.

Only Thais themselves can move forward

[springheeled jack]

I wish this man all the luck in the world because he will need it he is up against some very powerful people he needs to watch his back he has been lucky so far but these are dangerous people they will only let him go so far.

[brownbeagle]

Some of the commenters on this thread are pathetic. This Australian man is helping to fight underage prostitution in Thailand and all you can do is throw popcorn at him from the stands? Shame on you. In 15 years they have saved 1,300 girls from a life of enslavement. That's 1,300 more girls than you or I have saved.

For those who asked why he doesn't stay in Sydney. Don't kid yourself, it's not as bad an issue in Sydney. Extreme poverty is rare, and the police are not corrupt. Secondly, an Australian can live in Thailand on his savings and perform charitable work. You can not live off the same level of savings in Sydney.

For those who asked why he picked Thailand. The article stated that it was an incident in Thailand that triggered his decision. Last time I checked, you can only be in one place at a time? Of course, I'm sure you would have checked the Destiny Rescue website and probably just missed that the charity provides help all over the place right? http://www.destinyrescue.org

The keyboard warriors on this forum should put down their Singha's and take a long hard look at their own lives. There's a big different between cynicism and looking for self validation from the Internet. Time to grow up boys.

[Bakseeda]

Stupid guy looking for fame..... Get back to Australia and sort out your home country problems, where the forcing of young girls into acts of sex is probably the worst in the world.... Go to any Koorie township and look... your own doorstep mate....

[springheeled jack]

I commend this chap for his endeavours but he really should be very careful there are a lot of very dangerous people out there .

[ronwparker]

This is a very ancient practice-unscrupulous agents recruit from poor rural families promising jobs as maids etc-no news here .

It it just that after the Bali bombings more Aussies came to Thailand and are just realizing that Thailand has the biggest sex trade in S.E. Asia.

Charities have been working for many years to try to stop it but obviously without success.

It is not just foreigners but many Thai men want young 'virgins'.

I hope they raise both awareness and money in Oz.

[raybal5]

However I suspect the Australian TV programme will simplistically present the issue as the fault of foreign white sex tourists. This only represents about 1% of the truth.

Surprisingly, it was a bit broader than you expected. It did refer to sex tourists but not exclusively from Australia. It also mentioned that Thai parents are responsible for selling their children and continue to pressure them to stay in prostitution so they can get money from the kids. The guys apparently work with the police on brothel raids but it's clear the police are protecting some brothel owners.

[bangkapi]

Why not help in the prostitution problem of underage boys?

He is showing his preference.

Edited November 16, 2015 by bangkapi

[Malise]

Why was it not a Thai TV station (instead of a foreign one)?

An interesting question, also as you might have noticed of some of the other posters here have remarked that the foreign sex trade is a small part of the bigger picture.

Thais are active participants in this also, from the family down - and from those above the family down.... it is a feudal system after all.

If you tried to click onto the video you will see that you can not see this in Thailand - so why the censorship of this??

In essence its good for the current 'cut and burn' policies that we are seeing going on and cleaning up things here... I guess it shows something that they dont want to see. Its in English anyhow we all know how good Thailand is at understanding this.

And yes, why are there no local heros for this - there is one official Thai body that tackles some of this and shown on thai tv but its more of a raid scenario of we got the baddies etc...

Who knows where the underage girls end up and what they move onto or with..

[JAG]

Now every Aussie gets a frown when he comes home to the pub after a pissup in pattaya,

Channel 7/ news.com.au is practicly run by man hating feminazis who would like to castrate men for just getting on a plane to Thailand.

With, if I can borrow a memorable phrase from another ( antipodean ) website, " more hair in their armpits than on their heads"?

[DaveinAsia]

Just wondering how selling kids to prostitution rings buys good merit

Does anyone know what percentage prostitution is of Thai GDP?

[lonewolf99]

Before people jump all over Thaialnd/Cambodia/Vietnam etc regarding under age sex. Maybe the western world needs to know the way it is.....

We live in a cocoon of Lucy Atwell and Enid Blyton......the harsh sordid reality is out there. And was common place in the west.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bride_kidnapping

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_genital_mutilation

and here is the real Kicker in the balls..... age of consent ooooooooohhhhhhh

and I aint making this up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_consent

check the map with the light blue colours for the countries for under 13 ! and why is there a big grey patch in Southern Australia where it is under 17 ?

Reading stuff like this is not good for your health....it messes with your head.

Remember the old lady that was asked if she had any regrets about selling her daughter into the sex trade and she said "Yes, i should have asked for more money". That is not a joke by the way, it maybe apocrophal but based on fact.

[GOLDBUGGY]

There is that Old Knight in Shining Armour to the Rescue Syndrome that many of us have seen in the past from all Newbies that come here. I hope he has lots of money as he is going t need it.

I have lived in Pattaya many years and on the prowl some times and to be honest I have never been offered the services of a 13 Y.O. Girl. Mind you I wasn't looking for that and had it been offered I would have turned it down, but still. You would think I would have seen a lot more if it was so common. So common that a guy on a one week visit has it offered to him.

[connda]

A few years ago, on one my my bike trips in the north, I stopped in a small village near Den Chai for some lunch at a small Thai restaurant. As I was starting to eat, the owner of the place came and sat down at the table across from me. All smiles and a wai. He was looking at my relatively new CBR 250, the riding kit I was wearing, and the expensive helmet on the table. He told me: "Me speak Angrit." Okay, I replied with a smile. He asked where I was from, what I did for a living, and other harmless questions for about 5 minutes, then called out to the main area of the restaurant, and an attractive, but young girl came out to stand by the table with her hands clasped in front of her, and looking down at the ground.

The man proudly told me this was his daughter, she was 13, and she was still a virgin, and then told me I could buy her for 15,000 baht and take her home with me. I nearly choked on my food. I told him thanks, but that I was married, and my wife wouldn't like that, then paid up and got the hell out of there. Two days later when I got home, I told my wife about it. She surprised me by calmly telling me I should have "bought" the girl and brought her home, where we could have given her an education and a better life. I asked her why she wasn't surprised by this. She just laughed and told me that it happens every day, in every village, and it's no big deal.

I'm not a violent guy, but that father (or pimp) seriously needs the living sh*t beat out of him.

Just1Voice, your wife makes this sound like it's an everyday, common occurrence in all Thai villages. It is not, or, perhaps it is in her village, but then I'd have to assume that she lives in an utter pit of mafia associated scum.

I've talked to my wife at length about this because it really strikes a nerve in my mind and heart. My wife's opinion and understanding on this matter is that there are some (a small minority) of families that are real sh*tbirds, the type who would sell their own mothers. And this is highly illegal and there are legal resources here in Thailand to address the illegality. I flat out asked: "Does this happen in our village or villages around us.", and she said no! The villages are interrelated family groups and everyone know everyone else's business. If someone 'sold' their daughter, it would get around. In large villages boarding on small cities where there is a certain amount of anonymity, then this type of low-life crap can happen.

Thailand does have a Child Welfare service (called: bɔɔ-rí-gaan sà-wàt-dì-gaan dèk¹). Unlike the Child Welfare Services in the West, Thailand service tends to get involved in case of child abandonment, traffiking, and serious abuse. You can report cases to this agency, and in the case of the Just1Voice, if I were you I'd have a serious talk to your wife who seems to thinks this is a trivial matter. It's not!.

In Thailand it is very common for family members (aunt, uncles, grandparents, sisters, and older relatives such a cousins) to care for a young child of a mother who goes to the city to work at a job that pays many multiples of the average Thai wage (my daughter work at factory in Bangkok. Pay real good. She send home 15K THB every month). Everyone knows that isn't a factory job, but it always will be a factory job, and the daughter is taking care of the family. When family takes care of a child, Child Welfare does not get involved unless there is abuse, abandonment, or obvious illegal activity happening like pimping the child out. And in a village the size of ours, everyone would know.

We do have one ladyboy who worked in a market in Chiang Mai many years back. A woman abandoned her child and the ladyboy took her home, contacted the authorities, requested custody along with his/her family, and it was granted. As with most younger men and women, the ladyboy works in Chiang Mai and the extended family takes care of the child, and young girl in her teens now. That's how it works here. It beats the hell out of the brutally inefficient manner that kids are shuffled from one foster home to the next in the US. US foster parents make money which is why many of them do it, the more kids you can room, the more many the government gives you. Greed is not a sufficient reason to care for a child, but it is endemic in the foster care system, imho. As far as I'm concerned, Child Protective Services is a brutally systems. It's a lucky child that finds a decent home for an extended period of time without being pulled up by the roots and reassigned to a new family for bureaucratic expediency and internal funding.

So, should have Just1Voice brought the girl home? No. But I personally would have visited the girl while letting the authorities know, and working with the authorities and documenting the situation for the sole purpose of busting the low-life POS that was selling his, daughter? Niece? Burmese slave labor? Who knows who she was for sure?

¹ Mods: please allow me the discretion to write this one Thai word that is the name of the Thai Child Welfare Agency and is relevant to this discussion. Thanks!

Edited November 16, 2015 by connda

[DaveinAsia]

Some of the commenters on this thread are pathetic. This Australian man is helping to fight underage prostitution in Thailand and all you can do is throw popcorn at him from the stands? Shame on you. In 15 years they have saved 1,300 girls from a life of enslavement. That's 1,300 more girls than you or I have saved.

For those who asked why he doesn't stay in Sydney. Don't kid yourself, it's not as bad an issue in Sydney. Extreme poverty is rare, and the police are not corrupt. Secondly, an Australian can live in Thailand on his savings and perform charitable work. You can not live off the same level of savings in Sydney.

For those who asked why he picked Thailand. The article stated that it was an incident in Thailand that triggered his decision. Last time I checked, you can only be in one place at a time? Of course, I'm sure you would have checked the Destiny Rescue website and probably just missed that the charity provides help all over the place right? http://www.destinyrescue.org

The keyboard warriors on this forum should put down their Singha's and take a long hard look at their own lives. There's a big different between cynicism and looking for self validation from the Internet. Time to grow up boys.

It's not only the farang keyboard warriors these days. The Thai ministry of information has quite a few trolls on the forum these days. Their job is to sabotage any negativity about TH. Turn it around to make the farang look like an idiot. Their English skills are quite good so it could seem you are dealing with a non-native speaker, perhaps a German, Turk or Brazilian if you know what I mean. Besides the ministries trolls there are also quite a few independent Thai nationalists who scroll the forum looking for farang 'truth seekers' to attack

Edited November 16, 2015 by DaveinAsia

[fantom]

http://www.destinyrescue.org/us/who-we-are/our-history/

The link to Destiny Rescue presents a corporate picture far more than the OP would suggest. It is a Christian faith based, non profit organization. It is a world wide business soliciting funds.

'Today, Destiny Rescue has grown into an internationally recognized Christian non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing children enslaved in the sex trafficking industry. We work on virtually every continent with hundreds of employees and volunteers dedicated to our mission. Simply put, we exist to see sex-slavery end in our lifetime.' (from the site)

I think just a wiff of missionary zeal in all of this

[empireboy]

Anybody that does anything in a genuine effort to better the lives of others never deserves the negative treatment afforded by so many on this site but should at the very least be praised for their selfless efforts. I find it deplorable and very sad that people can be so heartless.

[Friendly Stranger]

Good luck to him as it is noble. But I hope he does not step on the wrong toes.

[Time Traveller]

Judging from the comments on this topic, thailand is home to a lot of foriegn pedofiles

[realenglish1]

The poor parents turn their underage kids into prostitution for the money to help the family

How on earth is he going to break that cycle

[GOLDBUGGY]

hope its not another money making scheme to stay in los

as i have seen over past years up north thai cambodia laos

i saw one in cambodia driving new fancy 4*4 wagon charity sign on wagon

parked in front of most expensive dress shop in the country waiting for his young gf go shopping

good luck if you are rea lwould be one in hundred

That's what I wonder to. Is it just a new angle to stay here and live the life of the few. Especially when there are many legit organization here dealing with this problem that he could throw his money at any of them.

I also question what he could possibly know about underage prostitution in Thailand? Learnt from a one week visit in Pattaya? Someone questioned TV Members for throwing popcorn at him for his Noble Deeds, but let me tell you this. I would sooner throw popcorn then hard earned money just so he could live the good life and make legit Charity Organizations here look bad and corrupted.

[connda]

Some of the commenters on this thread are pathetic. This Australian man is helping to fight underage prostitution in Thailand and all you can do is throw popcorn at him from the stands? Shame on you. In 15 years they have saved 1,300 girls from a life of enslavement. That's 1,300 more girls than you or I have saved.

For those who asked why he doesn't stay in Sydney. Don't kid yourself, it's not as bad an issue in Sydney. Extreme poverty is rare, and the police are not corrupt. Secondly, an Australian can live in Thailand on his savings and perform charitable work. You can not live off the same level of savings in Sydney.

For those who asked why he picked Thailand. The article stated that it was an incident in Thailand that triggered his decision. Last time I checked, you can only be in one place at a time? Of course, I'm sure you would have checked the Destiny Rescue website and probably just missed that the charity provides help all over the place right? http://www.destinyrescue.org

The keyboard warriors on this forum should put down their Singha's and take a long hard look at their own lives. There's a big different between cynicism and looking for self validation from the Internet. Time to grow up boys.

It's not only the farang keyboard warriors these days. The Thai ministry of information has quite a few trolls on the forum these days. Their job is to sabotage any negativity about TH. Turn it around to make the farang look like an idiot. Their English skills are quite good so it could seem you are dealing with a non-native speaker, perhaps a German, Turk or Brazilian if you know what I mean. Besides the ministries trolls there are also quite a few independent Thai nationalists who scroll the forum looking for farang 'truth seekers' to attack

I agree with you to a certain point, but generally English language skills of Thai trolls are lacking at some point, and having taught English specially to Thais, I know the common mistakes they make, and I can generally identify a Thai writer as opposed to a non-English writer from a different nationality. But not everybody can.

[Baerboxer]

Let me guess....he lives ONLY in pattaya, BKK, and phuket...

this horrible stuff happens in possibly every big city in the world...and in one-year living in Thailand I never saw it...but i know it happens.

i'm not sure why he didn't go to Cambodia...isn't it worse there? or japan? or other places? i bet he saw Thailand in the top-10 and said, "well, it is nice there."

An Aussie electrician - obviously well qualified for such work, gives up his job and moves the family to Thailand, there are much worse places to live and devotes his (and their) lives to rescuing underage prostitutes. Sort of thing happens all the time ......... not. Is he some kind of Gladstonian religious nut or looking for an alternative life style funded by charitable donations?

He could have gone to India where forced underage prostitution dwarfs any other countries, or Philippines or Eastern Europe, or South America. Why chose Thailand - because he was once in a brothel with his mate who was offered an underage girl.

All looks somewhat contrived and the usual TV cheapo attempt at "shocking exposure" from the usual self righteous PC Aussie media. Maybe Thai TV should go over and do some exposures of Aussie - the country who pays people smugglers to take them back.

No doubt there are unsavory acts in the sex trade in this, and every other country. But maybe he should check out the ones in his own country first. But, easier to point the finger at others.

[Linky]

Let me guess....he lives ONLY in pattaya, BKK, and phuket...

this horrible stuff happens in possibly every big city in the world...and in one-year living in Thailand I never saw it...but i know it happens.

i'm not sure why he didn't go to Cambodia...isn't it worse there? or japan? or other places? i bet he saw Thailand in the top-10 and said, "well, it is nice there."

An Aussie electrician - obviously well qualified for such work, gives up his job and moves the family to Thailand, there are much worse places to live and devotes his (and their) lives to rescuing underage prostitutes. Sort of thing happens all the time ......... not. Is he some kind of Gladstonian religious nut or looking for an alternative life style funded by charitable donations?

He could have gone to India where forced underage prostitution dwarfs any other countries, or Philippines or Eastern Europe, or South America. Why chose Thailand - because he was once in a brothel with his mate who was offered an underage girl.

All looks somewhat contrived and the usual TV cheapo attempt at "shocking exposure" from the usual self righteous PC Aussie media. Maybe Thai TV should go over and do some exposures of Aussie - the country who pays people smugglers to take them back.

No doubt there are unsavory acts in the sex trade in this, and every other country. But maybe he should check out the ones in his own country first. But, easier to point the finger at others.

Why should he be doing this some other country. Is there something special about thailand that people should not be doing this?