Torture in [Thailand] [other countries]Human Trafficking in [Thailand] [other countries]Street Children in [Thailand] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Thailand |
Child Prostitution The Commercial Sexual
Exploitation of Children In the early years of the 21st Century gvnet.com/childprostitution/Thailand.htm
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CAUTION: The following links
and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the
situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** The Bangkok attraction Jeremy P. Meyer, www.denverpost.com/jonbenet/ci_4244063 [accessed 30 July 2011] Most disturbing
about One boy,
10-year-old "Ice," said three times a month someone offers to pay
him for sex. He always declines. But social workers fear the lure of money
will someday change his mind. Ice and his brother sleep on the floor in his
grandmother's one-room shack in a shantytown. She makes money by scavenging
for scraps of metal while he begs. Student on mission to expose Heather LaRoi, www.asia4u.info/news/536.html [accessed 30 July 2011] "You can read
about it and watch documentaries all you want, but until you're actually
there and you're offered children, you can't grasp how horrendous it
is," said Quinnell, explaining that his being
male, white, solo and in Thailand often added up to the assumption that he
was a so-called "sex tourist." He'll never forget the first
time he was offered a girl no older than 12. "These children
didn't choose anything about their lives," he said. "They're just
born into it." ***
ARCHIVES *** ECPAT Global Monitoring Report on the
status of action against commercial exploitation of children - THAILAND [PDF] ECPAT International, 2006 www.ecpat.net/A4A_2005/PDF/EAP/Global_Monitoring_Report-THAILAND.pdf [accessed 31 July 2011] While the
international and Thai media may focus on Western offenders, it is clear that
Asian exploiters, including Thai nationals are also responsible for the
sexual abuse and exploitation of children. According to group discussions
with college students who volunteer for the Centre for Girls, (a partner of
the ECPAT Foundation in the North of the country), college students are being
approached and sexually exploited by local adult men, i.e. wealthy men who
act as a ‘sugar daddy’ for the girls, giving them gifts and money in exchange
for sexual favours. As seen from news reports,
Internet cafés can become places where local men sexually exploit children,
including young boys, in exchange for playing online games for free in a
private room at the back of the café. According to the Office of the Basic
Education Commission, between January and September 2006, 25 cases of sexual
harassment against school children were reported in a total of 175
educational districts nationwide. The Department of Labor’s 2004 Findings on
the Worst Forms of Child Labor www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2004/thailand.htm [accessed 29 December 2010] INCIDENCE
AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Children are likewise involved in the trafficking of
drugs in Human Rights
Reports » 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61628.htm [accessed 29 December 2010] CHILDREN
-
Trafficking in children, including for commercial sexual exploitation,
remained a serious problem (see section 5, Trafficking). Pedophilia
continued, both by citizens and by foreign sex tourists. The government,
university researchers, and NGOs estimated that there were as many as 30
thousand to 40 thousand prostitutes under 18 years
of age, not including foreign migrants. The Prostitution Prevention and
Suppression Act makes child prostitution illegal and
provides for criminal punishment for those who use prostitutes under 18.
Parents who allow a child to enter into prostitution also are punishable.
During the year there were a few arrests and no prosecutions of parents who
allowed a child to enter into prostitution. Custom and tradition made it rare
for children to accuse their parents in court proceedings. TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS
– The majority of prostitutes
were not kept under physical constraint, but a large number worked in debt
bondage. Brothel procurers reportedly advanced parents a substantial sum
against their child's future earnings. The child was then obligated to work
in a brothel to repay the loan. Concluding Observations of the Committee on
the Rights of the Child (CRC) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 9
October 1998 www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/thailand1998.html [accessed 29 December 2010] [30] The Committee
expresses concern at the continuing high rate of sexual abuse of children,
including child prostitution and trafficking and sale of children, which
affects both girls and boys. In this regard, the Committee recommends that
measures be taken, on an urgent basis, to strengthen law enforcement and to
implement the State party's national program of prevention. Abolitionists tell story of Michele Willer-Allred,
www.vcstar.com/news/2010/oct/13/abolitionists-tell-story-of-thailands-child-sex/ [accessed 18 September 2011] In 2006, Batstone met Most had been
kidnapped or sold by their parents, and all ended up in the child-sex
brothels of Chiang Mai. Some had
escaped from the brothels but feared they would be recaptured. Once in Education may prevent human trafficking Casey Northcutt, The At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here [accessed 28 August 2011] Hundreds of
thousands of men and women in northern Gateways to exploitation Globe and Mail, Nov. 10, 2007 -- Source:
ECPAT International www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/gateways-to-exploitation/article1089077/ [accessed 7 October 2012] THAILAND - Estimates of the
number of child prostitutes living in Children lured into Thai sex industry Nopporn Wong-Anan, Reuters,
Pattaya www.reuters.com/article/2006/12/15/us-children-thailand-sex-idUSBKK8192720061215 [accessed 31 July 2011] Under the
neon-lights of Pattaya, the Thai town
renowned for its sex industry, boys and girls as young as seven try to
sell flowers to western tourists. Some will end up selling their bodies.
''These kids start by selling sweets to tourists who aren't interested, so
they use sexual tactics like holding arms or legs,'' said Sudjai
Nakphain of World Vision, who works on a project
for children in Pattaya. ''While some kind adults just give them
money, others exploit those selling tactics and many kids, who have already
been sexually abused by their families, end up selling sex,'' she said. Lin Lin childexploitation.org At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 31 July 2011] "Lin Lin" was thirteen years old when she was recruited
by an agent for work in Student on mission to expose Heather LaRoi, www.asia4u.info/news/536.html [accessed 30 July 2011] "You can read
about it and watch documentaries all you want, but until you're actually
there and you're offered children, you can't grasp how horrendous it
is," said Quinnell, explaining that his being
male, white, solo and in Thailand often added up to the assumption that he
was a so-called "sex tourist."
He'll never forget the first time he was offered a girl no older than
12. "These children didn't choose
anything about their lives," he said. "They're just born into
it." The Jeremy P. Meyer, www.denverpost.com/jonbenet/ci_4244063 [accessed 30 July 2011] Most disturbing
about One boy,
10-year-old "Ice," said three times a month someone offers to pay
him for sex. He always declines. But social workers fear the lure of money
will someday change his mind. Ice and his brother sleep on the floor in his
grandmother's one-room shack in a shantytown. She makes money by scavenging
for scraps of metal while he begs. A perfect lure for paedophiles Editorial, The Nation, August 22, 2006 www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/08/22/opinion/opinion_30011609.php [accessed 31 July 2011] But
anti-human-trafficking experts say the situation in Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News, August
17, 2006 m.rockymountainnews.com/news/2006/Aug/17/thailand-is-a-major-stop-for-those-seeking-child/ [accessed 31 July 2011] But a 2004 story in
The Nation reported that a study by Nitet Tinnakul, of Trip inspires student's mission against sex
trade in Thailand Megan Twohey, web.archive.org/web/20080316032351/http:/www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=468398 At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 31 July 2011] But Quinnell didn't want to document just the horrific. He
wanted to capture glimpses of hope, too.
He found them in the Development Education Program for Daughters and
Community, a school near Mae Sai that provides free education and counseling
to orphans and other undocumented children. The school, which
is credited with saving hundreds of children from child prostitution, is run
by Sompop Jantraka. Jantraka, whom Time magazine counts among the top 25
Asian heroes, has been twice nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Thai families partners in child sex trade -
Border area's products are drugs and daughters Andrew Perrin, San Francisco Chronicle, Mae
Sai, www.sfgate.com/news/article/Thai-families-partners-in-child-sex-trade-2877185.php [accessed 16 August 2012] When Burmese
migrant Ngun Chai sold his 13-year-old daughter
into prostitution for $114, his wife, La, had one regret
-- they didn't get a good price for her.
"I should have asked for 10,000 baht ($228)," La Chai said.
"He robbed us." The Development and
Education Program for Daughters and Communities (DEPDC), a nongovernmental
organization in Mae Sai that works with local girls who are at risk of being
sold, estimates that of Pa Tek's 800 families, 7 in
every 10 have sold at least one daughter into the trade. 47 Laotian women rescued from Thai
prostitution dens [DOC] Associated Press AP, [accessed 31 July 2011] Thai police on
Wednesday raided two karaoke bars in a province near The women rescued from
the bars in Chachoengsao province, 30 kilometers
(19 miles) east of the capital, included eight girls under age 18, said
police Col. Kraibun Songsuat.
He said the bars' operators had kept the doors to the bars locked to keep the
women from escaping. Khmer girls' trafficking ordeal Kylie Morris, BBC News, Thai-Cambodian
border, 2 June 2005 news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4599709.stm [accessed 29 December 2010] "At first I
refused to have sex with men. Then I was beaten so badly I had to hide my
face for a month, until it healed. Then I was told again I would have to
sleep with the customers. I knew if I refused I would be beaten again. I had
no choice but to agree." Briton nabbed on child sex charges Agence France-Presse AFP, At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 31 July 2011] School teachers
came to us and asked us to investigate after their grade five and six
students disappeared and came back with a lot of money. Business News, October 24, 2005 [accessed 31 July 2011] Many girls and
children in Five Years After ECPAT: Fifth Report
on implementation of the Agenda for Action ECPAT International, November 2001 www.no-trafficking.org/content/web/05reading_rooms/five_years_after_stockholm.pdf [accessed 13 September 2011] [B]
COUNTRY UPDATES – Report by Special
Rapporteur [DOC] UN Economic and Social Council Commission
on Human Rights, Fifty-ninth session, 6 January 2003 www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/0/217511d4440fc9d6c1256cda003c3a00/$FILE/G0310090.doc [accessed 31 July 2011] [72] The Department
of Public Welfare has designated four protection homes to provide temporary
shelter and a recovery program for women and children who are victims of
trafficking. A special reception centre
in People's Daily Online, December 14, 2001 At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 31 July 2011] Thailand’s Position on Child Prostitution Royal Thai Embassy in At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 31 July 2011] During Prime
Minister Chuan Leekpai
Administration, combating child prostitution became one of the priorities of
his government. His policy initiatives have eventually led to the passing of
the Prostitution Prevention and Suppression Act of 1996 that includes
penalties for customers, procurers, as well as parents who knowingly send
their children into such trade. An Update on Don't! Buy! Thai! The Zero - The Official Website of Andrew Vachss, December 20, 2000 www.vachss.com/mission/dbt_update.html [accessed 31 July 2011] Child Prostitution in Sirirat Pusurinkham,
The Witness Magazine, 19 December 2001 thewitness.org/agw/pusurinkham.121901.html [accessed 31 July 2011] Girls as young as
10-12 years old service men in the sex industry. Many of the girls typically
have sex with ten to fifteen men every day, and
sometimes as many as 20 to 30. In The children go
because they feel that they can help their families. They feel in debt to
their families, and want to help improve their lives. Thai culture
emphasizes that children should listen to their parents and help their
parents. Sex 'Tourist' Gets Seven Years BBC News, 20 October, 2000 news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/980337.stm [accessed 31 July 2011] In his final words
to the court before the jury retired to consider its verdict, he broke down
and apologized to the girl, now 17, for stealing her childhood.
Dave in www.sexwork.com/Thailand/child.html [accessed 31 July 2011] It was pointed out
that it is only our Western morality that considers it a "problem."
Since it's a long tradition of youth helping out their parents financially,
which is encouraged by Buddhism, even if it's from sex work, it’s only our
Western values that consider it a "problem" and what right to we
have to impose our moral judgments on a different culture? At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 31 July 2011] Hotelier Acts On Child Prostitution BBC News, 19 February, 2003 news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2780957.stm [accessed 31 July 2011] Accor, a major
hotel group, has agreed to tackle child prostitution in its hotels in Prostitution touches lives of Cable News Network CNN, www-cgi.cnn.com/ASIANOW/southeast/9911/19/thai.child.prostitution/ [accessed 31 July 2011] Her mother, who was
heavily in debt, forced her into prostitution when she was 9 years old. She was a child prostitute for one
year. "I refused several
times," Rin recalled. "Then my mother took me out of school
and kept telling me to do 'the job.'
In the end, I gave in. I felt
pity for my mother. I wanted to help
her." Tat Supports Fight Against Child
Prostitution Tourism Authority of www.travelthailand.net/traveltips.htm#Child%20Prostitution [accessed 31 July 2011] In April 1996, the
government of Adventist Professor Highlights Horrors of
Child Prostitution in Jonathan Gallagher, Adventist News Network
ANN World News Bulletin, 18 May 2000 news.adventist.org/en/archive/articles/2000/05/18/adventist-professor-highlights-horrors-of-child-prostitution-in-thailand [accessed 7 October 2012] "An estimated
800,000 children below the age of 16 work as prostitutes
in Child Prostitution in Siroj sorajjakool,
Child prostitution in Click [here]
to access the article. Its URL is not
displayed because of its length [accessed 31 July 2011] In Harbor House Foundation Siamese Dream of www.siamese-dream.com/charity-Harbor-House.html [accessed 31 July 2011] The Foundation
shelters 25-30 girls who are between 10 and 16 years old. Those who belong to
families with members already in the flesh trade, or broken families with drug
and/or alcohol addiction, and those who suffer physical/sexual abuses from
family members, have been given priority to be accepted in the Foundation. Prevention of Child Prostitution in June Narber, Non-Profit Organizations, You
can help www.hercurian.com/nonp_thailand.htm [accessed 18 September 2011] DEP is in desperate
need right now for financial contributions in order to take care of the girls
it has rescued from child prostitution The girls at
Daughter's Brothel agents
travel into the rural areas of One young girl that
I met had been locked in a room and forced to serve upward of ten men a day.
She was only eight years old Children in prostitution, pornography and
illicit activities - Thailand - Magnitude of problems and remedies [PDF] Hervé Berger & Hans
van de Glind, International Labour
Organisation ILO & International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour
IPEC, August 1999 www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/documents/publication/wcms_bk_pb_6_en.pdf [accessed 2 March 2015] A woman approached
a Buddhist monk, and said: "When I was 12, my parents, who were very
poor, sold me to a brothel and I have had to do this work ever since. I must
beg your forgiveness for my sin." The monk replied;
"There is no need to beg forgiveness from me. It is I and the world who
should beg your forgiveness, for we have not done enough to protect you.
Please forgive me and the world for having failed to protect you in the first
place." - Mettanando Bhikkhu, Thai
Buddhist monk All
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Torture in [Thailand] [other countries]Human Trafficking in [Thailand] [other countries]Street Children in [Thailand] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Thailand