Prostitution in Thailand was first described in the West in reports by sailors visiting what was then called
Siam, as early as the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the
Vietnam war,
Thailand has gained international notoriety among travelers from Japan, Korea and Western countries as a
sex tourism destination. Thailand has been nicknamed "Disneyland for Adults" for its reputation of prostitution.
While the foreign aspect of prostitution in Thailand may garner the most attention, most of the customers are native: According to reliable surveys of sexual behavior, every day at least 450,000
Thai men visit prostitutes. Domestic prostitution has for centuries been a part of the Thai tradition. It was simply accepted as normal and it has been estimated that as many as 95% of Thai men have been to local brothels that are found in most every city of Thailand.
Position in society and extent of prostitution
In Thai society, visiting prostitutes is considered common behavior for men; many women believe that the existence of
prostitution reduces the incidence of rape, and view prostitution as the lesser evil compared to husbands taking "lesser wives" ("mia noi") or
mistresses.
[1] These working class prositutes and their customers are far more likely to refer to themselves as "rented-wifes" or "lady-bar" than the English or Thai equivalents of the
pejorative "
prostitute". A study in 1990–1991 found that over 90% of (male) military conscripts (aged 20 to 22) reported having visited a prostitute in the past.
[2]Estimates of the number of prostitutes in Thailand vary widely and are subject to controversy. One such estimate, by Dr Nitet Tinnakul from
Chulalongkorn University and reported in
The Nation in January 2004, gives a total of 2.8 million sex workers in Thailand, including two million women, 20,000 adult males and 800,000 minors under the age of 18.
[3] One estimate published in 2003 placed the trade at US$ 4.3 billion per year, about three percent of the Thai economy.
[4][
edit] Legal situation and history
Prostitution has been technically illegal in Thailand since 1960, when a law was passed under pressure from the United Nations. The prohibition is not enforced; instead, the government has instituted a system of monitoring for sex workers in order to control the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
[2]The "Entertainment Places Act of 1966", still in effect today, makes it possible for Thais to render "special services". This is done, for example, by establishing such places as massage parlors where men come and look at women, who are sitting separated by a glass wall, and can pick and choose who they want. The women come to the men's hotel room and massage them, but, in reality do more than that. It is usually left for the customer to decide what kind of special service he really wants, and because of that such establishments are able to avoid being designated as (illegal) brothels.
This act was designed to pave the way for brothels to be legalized under the guise of massage parlours, bars, night-clubs, tea-houses, etc. It was enacted at a time when the Thai Government sought to increase state revenue from the "rest and recreation" activities of the U.S. armed forces stationed in Vietnam.
The "Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act of 1996" outlawed the hiring of prostitutes under the age of 18, as well as people associating in prostitution establishments for the purpose of prostitution; this provision does not appear to be enforced.
[
edit] Possible legalization
In 2003, the
Ministry of Justice was considering legalization of prostitution and held a public discussion on the topic. Legalization and regulation was proposed as a means to increase tax revenue, reduce corruption, and improve the situation of the workers.
[4][
edit] Forms of prostitution
Prostitution in Thailand comes in a number of forms, mainly
brothels, body-massage parlors,
hostess bars, and
karaoke places, all of which cater primarily to local customers and Asians. For the well-heeled, private member clubs abound. There are also various
go-go bars and "beer bars" which often cater to Western expatriates or tourists. Finally, there are large numbers of "freelancers" who can be found in hotel lobbies, discos, bars, and even in Thai universities. While some are prostitutes by any definition, others are less clearly so, and may merely ask for or expect financial support from the men they sleep with.
Prostitution in Thailand comes specialised for many ethnic backgrounds. Many places catering to Thais/Asians will not allow people from other backgrounds to enter the premises if not invited by one of the regular guests or without paying a prohibitive entrance fee. The same goes for places catering to Westerners,
Japanese, Arabs or other ethnicities, most will refuse clientele with another background at the door.
[
edit] Body massage
Body massage (Ab ob nuat, washing and massage in
Thai) in Thailand most often consists of either an oil massage, assisted bath, and/or bodyslide treatment ("soapie") followed by sexual services. These latter may or may not be included in the price paid to the house; if not, they are negotiated with the masseuse. These establishments tend to cater mostly to locals and Asians, but will also accept Western customers. In most of these places, the women wait sitting behind a glass window ("fish bowl"), usually watching television, while the men have a drink and choose a woman.
These places can be found in all larger cities in Thailand, and are often combined with hostess bars, karaoke bars and a restaurant.
Chuwit Kamolvisit, then prominent owner of several such up-scale parlours, created a commotion in 2003 when he publicly accused hundreds of police officers of having accepted bribes from him. He later ran for public office and became a member of Parliament.
It should also be noted that Thailand is known for a traditional style of massage, unrelated to the body massage. Traditional, "ancient", or "physical" Thai massage (
Nuat Phaen Boran,
Thai: นวดแผนโบราณ) is very relaxing and beneficial, and the masseuse or masseur is well trained, often at temple academies such as
Wat Pho in Bangkok.
[
edit] Bars catering to foreigners
A dancer at a go-go bar along
Patpong, in Bangkok.
The most popular form of prostitution with Westerners are the various forms of bars. In most cases, women ("bar girls", or men in the case of gay bars, or
transsexual "katoys") are employed by the bar either as dancers (in the case of
go-go bars) or simply as hostesses, and will encourage customers to buy them "lady drinks". The hostesses or dancers are also often looking to find customers for sexual services; in many cases, the bar will employ one or more "mamasans" who will help match interested customers up to women. In most cases, a customer will pay a
bar fine in order to leave the bar with his chosen companion, and will then need to negotiate with him/her for any time and/or sexual services. This can be generally divided into "short time" (at most a few hours) or "long time" (overnight). Some bars also have "short time rooms" on site, where instead of paying a bar fine to the bar, the customer will pay for the use of the room and services will be performed on-site.
Go-go bars are distinguished by having dancing on stage similar to a
strip club in Western countries, although in general as of 2004 because of the "social order" crackdown, dancers will more likely be
topless or in a
bikini or similar revealing costume rather than fully naked. Even toplessness is technically illegal.
"Beer bars" and hostess bars are similar; beer bars are generally outdoors, fairly small, and often clustered with other beer bars, while hostess bars are generally indoors. Beyond that, there is a very great range in size and amenities. There are also a fair number of bars which blur the line with a brothel of sorts, such as "blowjob bars" or various short-time establishments.
Beer bars and gogo bars operate similarly: the women receive a monthly salary, from about 2,000
baht in some beer bars to about 10,000 baht in better gogo bars (as of 2006). They receive a commission on any lady drink that is bought for them. The bar fine, paid by a customer who wants to take a woman out, is paid in total to the bar. The bar typically prescribes a minimum number of bar fines a woman needs to generate per month (typically about five to six); staying below that limit results in a pay cut. The women receive two to three days off per month; they are usually charged a bar fine for any additional day of work they miss. Many go go bars require the women to undergo regular health checks, enforced by financial penalties.
Private Member Clubs exist for the well heeled. These clubs usually cater to a richer clientele and are staffed by young Thai college students who are fluent in English. They entertain the client while he stays at the club. If the girl likes the client, typically she will leave the club with the client. Most clubs usually have live music and a laidback atmosphere. Some bars employ
kathoey ("ladyboys") exclusively, catering to male customers. Many of these bars are owned and operated by Westerners. Technically, foreigners are not allowed to own more than 49% of a bar or nightclub, however, so these Westerners either partner with a Thai or lease the bar from a Thai owner. Some entrepreneurs also create a number of bars with the chief purpose of selling or leasing them to poorly informed Westerners.
Apart from these sorts of bar, there are a number of other venues for the sex trade; some bars, while not employing women as sex workers, will allow freelance prostitutes to solicit clients. This is also true of some coffee shops near
red-light districts, and many of the foreign-oriented
nightclubs.
The Bangkok nightlife was covered for almost forty years by local celebrity
Bernard Trink's weekly column "Night Owl" in the
Bangkok Post. His column was dropped by the Post in 2003.
Many Thai prostitutes have the ultimate goal of meeting a rich Westerner as husband or boyfriend.
[5][
edit] Male prostitution
Most
male prostitutes service gay or bisexual male clients, but there are at least some women who employ them as well. Thailand's male prostitutes often include university graduates, office workers, and students. The niche market which until recently had almost exclusively focused on a gay clientele, has become increasingly popular with women.
[6] It is said some Thai women were paying upwards of 10,000 baht (243 dollars) per night for the services, which contradict conservative Thai traditions. This trend though has been rather exaggerated in the media.
A 2005 study of twelve underage male prostitutes in Pattaya found that they were content with their work that allowed them a comfortable living. The younger ones were dependent on pimps. Most of them suffered from emotional problems and some were lured into the trade.
[7][
edit] HIV/AIDS
The prevalence of
HIV/AIDS in Thailand, and especially among
sex workers, has been the subject of significant media and academic attention, and Thailand hosted the
XV International AIDS Conference, 2004.
Mechai Viravaidya, known as "Mr. Condom"
[8], has campaigned tirelessly to increase the awareness of safe sex practices and use of
condoms in Thailand. He served as minister for tourism and AIDS prevention from 1991 to 1992; he also founded the restaurant chain
Cabbages and Condoms. After the enactment of the Thai government's first five-year plan to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country, including Mechai's "100% condom program", the use of condoms during commercial sex has jumped markedly, to 90%. The program instructs sex workers to refuse intercourse without condom, and monitors health clinic statistics in order to locate brothels that allow sex without condoms.
[2]Thailand was praised for its efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS during the late 1990s, but a study in 2005 found that the lack of public support in the previous several years had led to a resurgence of the disease.
[9][
edit] Child prostitution, trafficking, and sex slavery
The exact extent of
child prostitution,
sex trafficking, and
sex slavery in Thailand is not known today. Efforts are made by the Thai authorities to eradicate child prostitution in the portion of the sex trade catering to foreigners; the status of prostitutes in brothels catering principally to native Thai men is somewhat less clear. Thai law specifies that the age of consent for sex work is 18.
Some sex workers in Thailand, adult and child, and for that matter in several other parts of the world, are tricked, sold, or coerced into the work.
[10]Recent
International Labor Organization research suggests a speculative figure of 12,000 children per year being trafficked for sexual exploitation in South East Asia, mostly to Thailand. Thai
non-governmental organisations and the Thai government estimate that 30,000 to 40,000 prostitutes are under 18. A proportion of prostitutes over the age of 18, including foreign nationals from Asia and
Europe, are also in a state of forced sexual servitude and
slavery.
[11]It is common that Thai women are lured to
Japan and sold to
Yakuza-controlled brothels where they are forced to work off their price.
[2] In a landmark case in 2006, one such woman filed a civil suit in Thailand against the Thai perpetrators, who had previously been convicted in criminal court. The woman had managed to escape from the Yakuza-controlled prostitution ring by killing the female Thai
mama-san and had spent five years in a Japanese prison.
[12][
edit] Organizations
Several support organizations for sex workers exist in Thailand. Most of them attempt to discourage women from taking up or continuing the trade.
EMPOWER is a Thai
NGO that takes a neutral stance towards sex work and offers educational and counseling services to female sex workers. It has been operating since 1985 and has offices in Patpong (Bangkok),
Chiang Mai and
Mae Sai.
[13] (Sex Workers in Group) is a recent offshoot of EMPOWER, offering support to male and female sex workers in Patpong and Pattaya.
[5] It offers English classes, teaches
safe sex, distributes condoms, and promotes health and safety with their gym and discounted medical examinations. The newly formed organization SISTERS works with transgender sex workers in Bangkok and Pattaya.
FACE is an organization that focuses on child prostitution and trafficking and is the main partner of the UN in the country.
The Population and Community Development Association (PDA), headed by
Mechai Viravaidya, pioneered family planning and safe sex strategies in Thailand over thirty years ago. The organization no longer focuses expressly on safe sex issues, but continues to provide information, condoms, and prevention programs around the country.
International Justice Mission is a U.S.-based Christian human rights organization which operates in Thailand to rescue brothel workers held in sexual slavery.
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