Sex Tourism and Prostitution in Thailand

Hilary Polak
Intro to Critical Feminist Studies
November 11, 2008

Sex Tourism and Prostitution in Thailand
Prostitution, sex trafficking, and sex slavery are all activities that have existed for most of recorded history all over the world, despite laws instated in attempt to control them. In Thailand, prostitution was outlawed in 1960. However, it remains an integral part of the country’s economy, contributing to the booming tourism industry. The prostitutes are mostly young women, but there are some men and a third gender known as kathoeys who also work in the bars, massage parlors, eating establishments and other venues that provide sexual favors on the menu. Some of these individuals choose this form of employment, and others are recruited against their will. While the act of sex trafficking can generally be interpreted as purely wrong and unjust, the idea of voluntary prostitution has been more difficult to understand. The common assumption, especially that of most feminists, is that prostitution is premised upon a universal principle of male violence to women, especially colored women. However, there are many other factors that must be considered before making this statement. In order to understand how prostitution works in Thailand, it is necessary to examine the aspects of colonization, economic concerns, and local culture histories.
Legacies of racism, colonialism, and imperialism have created some of the basis for prostitution in Thailand. “Troops at various times in history has produced particular forms of prostitution where the military, often in collision with the local state or government, tolerated, regulated or encouraged the provision of sexual services by local women to the troops” (Kempadoo 30). During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Department of Defense had a contract with the Thai government to provide “Recreation and Relaxation” for the American soldiers. With money from the United States, the Thai prostitution industry flourished. In 1975, the World Bank helped the Thai government develop an economic plan that was heavily dependent on the sex industry. The government encouraged prostitution, and to this day Thailand is notorious for being a sex tourism destination. The government relies upon the racist stereotype of Asian women as being erotic and exotic to attract tourists who pour money into the country’s prostitution industry.
The number of male tourists in Thailand outnumbers female tourists three to one. This is because there is actually a network of services that specifically advertise to men- particularly from Japan, the Middle East, Australia, North American and Western Europe- to purchase the sexual services of local women in Thailand. While prostitution has existed in Thailand for centuries, “for the first time in history you can book a trip to Thailand with exotic pleasures included in the price” (Enloe 37). In order for sex tourism to succeed, it depends on multiple factors. There needs to be an alliance between local governments in search of foreign currency, as well as foreign and local businessmen who desire to invest in sexualized travel. These men also need to envision Thai women as more available, submissive, and exotic than white women. Both of these concepts seem to be true. Finally, sex tourism requires Thai women to be economically desperate enough to participate in prostitution.
This last concept is the most difficult to understand and explain. In Thailand, prostitution is often seen as one of the only options for women. “In a world where the highly unequal distribution of wealth and power on an international scale, as well as the agencies and classes that defend this inequality, induce poor people and nations to seek alternative, sometimes underground, strategies for survival” (Kempadoo 33). Prostitution offers higher wages than most other forms of employment, so some women participate in the industry to complement other meager wages or it can be the sole form of income for the woman’s household. If the woman has children, she can pay for their education, clothes and food. It will cover electricity bills, or she can use the money to purchase a plot of land. Becoming a prostitute can even hold the promise of finding a secure marriage relationship.
Another important fact to consider is that many of the girls who become prostitutes are sold into labor by their desperate parents at a very young age. Most of these families live in rural areas, where agricultural development is the only source of income. The money generated from these projects is usually very little. Individuals who run prostitution establishments in cities like Bangkok will take advantage of these situations. Men dressed in expensive suits will arrive in these villages and either recruit or simply purchase girls from their parents with the promise that they will make good money and live in good conditions. While the girls do make a better living than most other women, they probably will not live in good conditions and will slowly become more cut off from Thai society.
In addition to these economic concerns, there are also social factors that are connected to women in prostitution. Especially in Southeast Asia, there is the tradition that women are responsible for financially supporting the household. Girls are also expected to “earn money to repay the care and protection given them by their parents in raising them” (Kempadoo 38). These customs are deeply rooted in Thai culture. The significance and importance of these expectations can cause women to look toward more lucrative forms of employment, like prostitution, that would fulfill these obligations. It would also provide a more comfortable lifestyle for them and their household.
After conducting my research, I have discovered that ignoring these issues would be looking at an incomplete form of prostitution in Thailand. To reduce the act of prostitution to male violence against women ignores the woman’s side of the story, as well as the economic, legal, colonial and racial aspects of the situation. Some feminists today believe it is important to view prostitution as a form of labor like any other. “It is all the more necessary to recognize prostitution as work and improve working conditions for these women” (37). It is important to realize that the situation will not go away by Western feminists telling these Asian women that they are victims. Instead of trying to abolish prostitution altogether, Western feminists should attempt to make conditions better for these women.
It can be difficult for a Western feminist to truly understand prostitution among women of color. “Postcolonial Literature often embraces the prostitute as an integral part of village life, yet she is invariably represented as an outcast and tragic figure, worshipped and highly desired by men and taunted and despised by other women” (Kempadoo 41). As a Western woman, it was not easy for me to understand the conditions of young Thai women that work in the prostitution industry. Although after researching and delving deeper into the topic I realize that it is not black and white. There are many shades of gray, and many elements of the situation that are often overlooked. I understant now that it is necessary to observe the local traditions and cultures, economic concerns, and the impact of colonialism when examining prostitution in Thailand.
Although I have a more complete understanding of prostitution in Thailand, I still have questions left unanswered. I want to understand, from a man’s point of view, exactly what is the intrigue of colored women in prostitution. I can understand that the “exotic” appeals to them, but I still want to know why they consider engaging in sexual acts with women in different countries to be acceptable. It seems hypocritical that in their homelands they support the illegal status of prostitution, and probably would not pay for the same sexual favors if the women were white or Western. Also, I would like to explore the policies of the Thai government further. How can the government have laws that explicitly contradict each other regarding prostitution? I see how prostitution affects the economy in areas like sex tourism, but how does it specifically affect the general social order and what can the government do to improve the situation? These are topics that I will have to investigate further.