Sex Tourism in Thailand Essays

Sex Tourism in Thailand Essays Sex Tourism in Thailand Paper Sex Tourism in Thailand Paper The Southeast Asian region is one of the most dynamic tourist destinations in the world. Hordes of Western visitors visit the region for its scenic spots, warm climate, and unique culture. This influx of visitors creates employment opportunities for the locals and augments the income of the poor. More importantly, tourists bring with them currencies that are needed by countries to engage in international trade. In Thailand, tourism revenue amounts to six percent of the countrys gross domestic product of US$196. 6 billion. While tourism is greatly encouraged for the benefits it brings to the countries of destination, it also has its dark side. Not all of the tourists who visit Asia are in the region to do what ordinary tourists do. Some of them are in Asia to seek a different kind of entertainment that traditional tours dont provide. Men, being enterprising by nature, have created another purpose for tourism by linking it with prostitution in what is commonly known as the sex tourism industry. As the term implies, it uses commercial sex as a come-on to visitors. Thus, tours are not solely organised to visit historical venues and picturesque spots, theyre also conducted to provide foreigners access to the red light districts. Sex tourism is loosely defined as engaging the services of prostitutes for carnal pleasures typically by tourists from affluent countries. The United Nations World Tourism Organization unit describes sex tourism as organised trips under the guise of common tours with the primary purpose of providing tourists commercial sexual activities with residents in a particular destination. Despite the enactment of an anti-children prostitute law, minors are still engaged in this trade. Sownia Nairs essay written for the U. S. Department of Justice in 2007 and the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington will be cited to provide perspective on the issue. Like other studies, this paper found a correlation between poverty and prostitution. But in addition, this paper will also probe if sex workers are willing participants or theyre doing the trade for other reasons. In this regard, Justin Halls Prostitution in Thailand and South East Asia will be cited to relate women experiences in the trade. A study conducted by Cholthira Satyawadhna will also be referenced in explaining gender-based labor division in Thailand and its relation to prostitution. Health concerns will always be involved when commercial sex is the issue. Thai sex workers are among the worlds high-risk groups to contact the deadly HIV/AIDS virus. In the late 1980s, an AIDS epidemic spread throughout Thailand as sex workers and drug dependents who were infected spread the disease to their customers, wives, husbands, partners and children. As a result, the government launched a massive campaign to control the situation. A report from the international organisation AVERT and other groups are used to trace how AIDS spread in Thailand and what control measures where implemented by the government to stop the disease. Sex Tourism 6 Prostitution: History Current Situation Chinese voyager Ma Huan alluded in 1433 about a certain practice by some Thai people that could be likened to prostitution. In 1604, Dutch visitors to the country have certainly mentioned in their records that there are whores in Siam (Thailands old name). There are no records, however, that points to how this trade exactly started. The point is, prostitution has long been practiced in the country. Anthony Reid, a distinguished Australian scholar of Southeast Asian history, has cited that what appears to be the beginning of brothels in the country was in the 1680s when a Thai official was given a monopoly to run a prostitution den using hundreds of slave women as sex workers. During those times, majority of the customers were locals and some were Chinese. In the twentieth century, Western involvement in Thailands sex trade began when American soldiers came to the country during their rest and relaxation period from the Vietnam War to find solace and entertainment, which they generally found on cabarets with English names. These clubs have thousands of hostesses that the soldiers can have in exchange for a sum of money. As for the Japanese people, it was the soldiers in the Second World War that first came in contact with the Thai sex workers. In fact, it was the Japanese conquerors who forced women from captive lands to engage in sex.