What can we learn from the tragedy of these exploited young people?In Thailand, a thriving sex industry makes its money exploiting the young. Some children are coerced into prostitution and some have been sold into sexual slavery by their own families, but just as tragically there is no shortage of young girls (and boys) willing to work as prostitutes. Child Prostitution in Thailand: Listening to Rahab searches for the reasons why. This uniquely insightful book looks into the lives--and even more importantly, listens to the words--of ten Thai prostitutes. Child Prostitution in Thailand is about what we can learn from them--who they are, what they go through, and why.In their own words, the young prostitutes you'll meet in this book Thailand discuss what brought them into this life. Some have come from a tragic home situation, but not all are impoverished, orphaned, or abused. Nevertheless, they have entered into a dangerous and degrading lifestyle that often leads to violence, sickness, and early death. Of these ten prostitutes, one has already passed away and four more are dying with AIDS.This remarkable volume will help you to understand:
- how Thailand's child prostitution industry developed
- the impact upon girls and young women of Thailand's evolution from an agriculturally based economy to an industrial one
- changing forms of child prostitution
- who the customers are
- the role of tourism and its impact on child prostitution in Thailand
- how poverty, poor education, a sexually focused mass media, lack of religious emphasis, disability, and the lack of a clear policy on child prostitution help the sex industry to thrive
- Preface
- Introduction
- Methodology
- Sources of Information and the Collection of Stories
- Purpose
- Organization
- Chapter 1. Ju and Other Stories: Selling Children
- Selling Children
- Statistics, Facts, and Figures
- Feelings
- Saving Children
- Chapter 2. From Coercion to Personal Decision: Changing Forms of Child Prostitution
- Factors Contributing to This Change
- Chapter 3. Ban Pongnong: Living in Poverty
- Got
- Poverty
- Reflection
- Chapter 4. Chiang Mai Restaurants: Entering the Sex Trade
- Parents
- Leaving Home
- Restaurants and Cafés
- Entering the Sex Industry
- Reflection
- Chapter 5. Rickshaw Driver: Paying for Sex
- Types of Perpetrator
- The Market
- The Victims
- Chapter 6. Chiang Rai: Returning Home
- The Family
- The Psyche
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Chapter 7. Somsak Deema: Trafficking Women and Children
- The Cycle of Abuse
- Trafficking
- Outbound
- Inbound
- The Future
- Chapter 8. Reflection
- Afterword
- Global Incidence of Child Prostitution
- Notes
- Index
Biography
Siroj Sorajjakool