Bramer,+Nicole

Nicole Bramer - nicole.bramer@utoronto.ca CCT205H5 Prof. Mike Jones & Prof. Gail Benick Thursday, February 05, 2009



//The Price of a Child: Sex Slavery in Thailand// Approximately two million women and children around the world are being held captive and sold as sex slaves. Of these two million, it is estimated that 80% of them are under the age of twenty-four, some as young as six years old ([|Newsmax.com]). Being forced or deceived into the sex trade is a brutal reality for thousands of young girls in Thailand. With one of the highest prostitution and human trafficking rates in the world, Thailand is a breeding ground for sex slavery, especially in the area of Child Sex Tourism ([|Renewamerica.us]). Young children are removed from their homes, and their innocent childhoods, whether abducted by strangers or sold by their parents, and forced into a life of drugs, beatings and rape.

Taking vacations to exotic countries is appealing to many people for a number of reasons, the rest and relaxation, the warmth of the sun on a lazy day, or the excitement of a new culture. Sadly, one of the reasons for vacations to exotic countries is sex with children ([|Worldvision.ca]). Many men, from all races and economic backgrounds, travel to countries such as Thailand to engage in Child Sex Tourism, or more explicitly, to have sex with minors ([|Renewamerica.us]). It is shocking to think that some people partake in the sexual exploitation of children, particularly young girls, however there are some people who find nothing wrong in the idea of having sex with a minor, whether or not it is illegal. A retired school teacher from the United States is quoted as saying, //“On this trip, I've had sex with a 14 year-old girl in Mexico and a 15 year-old in Colombia. I'm helping them financially. If they don't have sex with me, they may not have enough food. If someone has a problem with me doing this, let UNICEF feed them."// ([|Usdoj.gov]). This quote shows the sad reality of many children, since poverty is one of the leading causes in prostitution and child sex slavery.

The high rate of child sex slavery in Thailand, and in much of the world, hinges on such factors as poverty and deception. Many parents sell their young daughters, and sometimes sons, to richly-dressed pimps posing as businessmen, hoping for a better life for them and their kids. Often the parents are told that their children will be put to work in factories, restaurants or as housemaids, where they will be able to pay off their debt of what the businessman paid for them ([|Newsmax.com]). The disguised criminal offers the parents a lump sum of money and takes the child. For many unsuspecting parents this offer seems like a blessing. The family gets some money to buy necessities like food and tools, while the child gets a chance at a better life by attaining a paying job. Sometimes an agreement is even made that the child will be returned home once their debt has been worked off. The horrible truth is, once taken away from their home the children are sold to brothels where they are forced into sexual acts and likely never to see their families again.

Although sometimes a family is deceived into selling their child for what they think is an honest job, some families resort to trafficking their own kids or selling them directly into the sex trade. Out of desperation many families sell their young children, sometimes as young as five years old, to pimps or brothels, in hopes of gaining vital necessities for the rest of the family. Another reason for poverty being a big contributor to child sex slavery is not just a child being sold, but also the plain idea of a child being abducted. Many young children who are basically living on the streets are abducted and then forced into the sex trade. ([|Sciaga.pl]). Whether sold on purpose, tricked into being sold, or abducted, the nightmare for these children is just beginning. “Unlike the slaves of yesterday, those of today are not captured in raids or warfare, but usually are either deceived into or in some cases willingly enter into slave status, then find themselves trapped.” (//Call It Slavery//).

Once a child is taken from their home and sold to a pimp or placed in a brothel, the child is swept into a world of abuse. Drugs are often used to keep control of the child, in most cases a young girl. Usually in the beginning the young child is resistant to sexual acts, which is greeted with severe beatings until they comply. ([|Sciaga.pl]). Many deaths in the sex trade are caused after someone resists an encounter and are then beaten so badly by their pimp that it ultimately costs them their life. Once a child is sold into the sex slave “they are beaten, raped, and put to work servicing 10 to 20 men a day. They have only few days off a month for their period, and a daily allowance of about $1.20 must pay for their food and all other expenses.”([|Sciaga.pl]). Most children in the sex trade are beaten and raped until they have no more will to resist. The terrible reality of a child sex slave is a life filled with abuse; sexually, physically and mentally. ([|Sciaga.pl]). Another major contributor to child sex slavery in Thailand is the corruptness that runs rampant in the country. Mylee, a Thai prostitute, depicts the corruptness of this country by saying, “ Even the men in the white hats sometimes are hiding black hats and even blacker hearts underneath. A Thai police lieutenant colonel from Lumpini recently was charged with the repeated rape of a 12-year-old girl.” ([|Worldnetdaily.com]). It is said that in many cases even if a young girl is able to escape from the brothel or pimp and goes to the police for help, she is raped and brought back to her pimp. Even though prostitution is illegal in Thailand for those under the age of eighteen, many officials turn a blind eye; many are paid off by the pimps or brothels themselves and are regular customers. ([|Usdoj.gov]).

Once a child is forced into the world of sex slavery, the child is beaten and raped until their will is broken, until their self-esteem is so low they believe that they are worth nothing more than what they have been derived to do. Many people think that the legalization of prostitution would help the matter of child trafficking. However, “Germany, which has also embraced legalization, has almost 10 times the number of people engaged in prostitution as neighboring France, and, correspondingly, more trafficking victims” (//Call It Slavery//), which shows that whether legal or not, prostitution and trafficking, especially in regard to children, is a very real problem.

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//Works Cited// Kralis, Barbara. //‘Issue Analysis – Child sex tourism’.// July 21, 2006.  LoBaido, Anthony C. //‘Sex-slave trade flourishes in Thailand’//. WorldNetDaily Exclusive. February 3, 2002.  Miller, John R. ‘//Call It Slavery’//. The Wilson Quarterly. Vol.32. No.3. pp.52-56. Summer 2008 Nair, Sowmia. ‘//Child Sex Tourism’//. U.S. Department of Justice - Child Expliotation and Obscentity Section (CEOS).  ‘//Child Sex Tourism’//. World Vision Canada News Centre.  //‘Millions Suffer in Sex Slavery’.// NewsMax.com Wires. Tuesday, April 24, 2001  //‘Modern Day Slavery – Prostitution in Thailand’.//  //Video:// http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azBVHFGzHkU //Picture:// http://www.breakpoint.org/media/breakpoint/worldview_Mag/0908/feature2_1.jpg

By: Nicole Bramer