Sex tourism in Thailand

This term is not meant for young adults going to other countries for fun, then decides to copulate with one of the locals. When people think of sex tourism, they think of old privileged rich men who go to take advantage of the poor women in third world countries. And this depiction would be correct. Older men traveling to needy and desperate places to have condomless sex with workers are among the biggest complaints about tourists in Thailand. So one must wonder, who is going to Thailand for sex and why? And what do they demand once they get there?

Who is a sex worker in Thailand?

There are many kinds of women who end up as sex workers in Thailand. And when you hear the reasons for them being there, you'll want to press restart on the whole planet to give these women a chance to live in another environment and do something else.

Many of these workers in Thailand are forced into the industry. Some are kidnapped and sold into brothels, but others are pressured to do this type of work because their family needs money to eat and to survive. But once they become prostitutes, they have nowhere to turn to and nowhere to go. Plus, Thailand's conservative culture also places an immeasurable shame on these workers, and they do not feel like they can leave the industry. Unsurprisingly, many of these girls that work in the sex industry are under the age of 18. Girls who look as young as 12 to 13 years old can be seen with signs offering blowjobs on the street outside of their brothel. But if you ask the Madam who controls them, they will produce false IDs that state that girls are 18.

Not only are women subject to this type of work, but men are also part of the sex work industry and not as those who collect money. Male prostitutes are actually on the rise in Thailand. And their plight is not much better. Boys as young as 14 are offered up by the industry to secret pedophiles. They come from their country, looking for a hairless and youthful-looking boy.

Who goes to Thailand for sex?

In a shocking Discovery, over 60% of all travelers to Thailand for sex tourism are men. To make matters worse, of that 60 %, 7 out of 10 men are in Thailand to have sex with prostitutes. Many men are older, around 50 to 60, who have decided to become ex-pats in the country. And it's packed is someone who goes to another country to work for several years but does plan on returning to their home country. Sometimes these men are retired, which has a massive saving that allows them to stay in the country for several months. But it is not just older men who are traveling to Thailand for sex. Recently, there has been a rise in younger men looking to have sex with a young Thai worker. Many of these younger men are from England, and they have come to the party or to celebrate a stag vacation.

Where do they go to Thailand?

One of the biggest reasons why foreign men go to Thailand is because Thailand has a varied history around prostitution. It was a legal profession since the 1700s, and one of the few ways the workers could make money for themselves or their families.

In 1960, prostitution in Thailand technically became illegal, but the industry was far too developed and widespread around the country to truly stop. Even now, there are red-light districts around Thailand the prostitutes gather and men know that they can go and have sex for money.

However, one must consider that these rules were never put in place to appease foreign men who come from around the world and demand whatever they want because of the foreign money in their hands.

Why do they go to Thailand?

It may surprise you to know that even men whose countries have completely legalized prostitution come to Thailand to have sex with workers instead. In the Europe, several countries have prostitution that is not only completely legal but has special tax forms for prostitutes. You can read also about prostitution and sex tourism in Europe. In the United States, there is only one city that allows for legalized prostitution, but it is only 20 minutes outside of Las Vegas, a major city.

So if these types of men live in countries where they have easy access to prostitutes, why did they choose to go to Thailand?

One of the main reasons why these men choose to go so far out of their way when they have sexual options available to them in their home country is how cheap many of the services in the red light district of Bangkok are.

You may hear stories about brothel workers who learn thousands of dollars a day from foolish white tourists, but these stories are myths. Remember that Thailand is very poor and laboring an entire day will only bring in $7 worth of income. But a full night of having sex with clients can get a brothel worker about $100. The average price for a sexual encounter is around $20, which is about 1/5 to 1/8 of the price in a western country for a western prostitute.

Another reason they choose to go all the way to Thailand is for anonymity. They are far away from their family and friends who can catch them hiring a prostitute. Some men even tell their families that they are going to a different country when they go to Thailand.

Dark side of sex turism in Thailand

Sex turism has also negative effects. Many of sex workers are exposed to AIDS and experiences hunger. Sex workers are penalised by Thailand government. They have even recently signed petition to decriminalise prostitution.

Conclusion

While researching, we cannot deny the fact that Thailand itself is enabling Western, Middle Eastern, and Chinese men to use Thai women as they please. However, several strides have been made to protect these Thai workers, such as more prostitute-friendly police patrols and raids on orgies that feature underage girls. However, this is not enough, and the entire prostitution industry has to be turned on its head for there to be justice.