The 'Johns'
Every night the streets of Bangkok are filled with middle-aged men who walk hand-in-hand with teenage girls. These sex tourists have traveled from all over the world to be here and play out their own private fantasy. Some men pay for quick sex, but most prefer to buy a ‘girlfriend’ for an entire night or even several days.
A number of studies conducted in both Cambodia and Thailand show that approximately 40 to 50 percent of local men pay for commercial sex during the course of a year. In fact, according to a survey of travel agents con- ducted by international aid agency World Vision, 65 percent of all tourists to Cambodia are men and one-fifth of them travel with the express purpose to have sex.
Thailand, in particular, has been branded internationally as a Disneyland for sexual escapades. A Bangkok-based children’s rights group has tracked the country’s boom in sexual tourism over the past two decades. Its research shows that 2 million foreigners visited the country in 1984, 4 million in 1988, and more than 11 million in 2003. Out of the total number of foreign visitors, roughly two-thirds entering Thailand were unaccompanied men. In other words, about 7.3 million unaccompanied men visited the country in 2003.
Western sex tourists, on the other hand, tend to frequent the bars and brothels in major cities. Though some specifically request sex with children, most act in an opportunistic way. Some men may not even initially plan to engage in commercial sex on their journeys to Southeast Asia, but find it easy to do once they are there.
A number of studies conducted in both Cambodia and Thailand show that approximately 40 to 50 percent of local men pay for commercial sex during the course of a year. In fact, according to a survey of travel agents con- ducted by international aid agency World Vision, 65 percent of all tourists to Cambodia are men and one-fifth of them travel with the express purpose to have sex.
Thailand, in particular, has been branded internationally as a Disneyland for sexual escapades. A Bangkok-based children’s rights group has tracked the country’s boom in sexual tourism over the past two decades. Its research shows that 2 million foreigners visited the country in 1984, 4 million in 1988, and more than 11 million in 2003. Out of the total number of foreign visitors, roughly two-thirds entering Thailand were unaccompanied men. In other words, about 7.3 million unaccompanied men visited the country in 2003.
Western sex tourists, on the other hand, tend to frequent the bars and brothels in major cities. Though some specifically request sex with children, most act in an opportunistic way. Some men may not even initially plan to engage in commercial sex on their journeys to Southeast Asia, but find it easy to do once they are there.
The Process of Enslavement
1-Recruitment- Traffickers target victim, sometimes children, most commonly from communities that lack social power, at times with the consent of the victims parents.
2-Extraction- Traffickers remove recruits from their home community and shift them to a destination where they are unlikely to get support from law enforcement bodies or the general citizenry.
3-Control- Slaveholders seek control over every aspect of the victim's life so that escape becomes unthinkable.
4-Violence- Slaveholders exercise violence as a means to reinforce their control and ensure compliance.
5-Exploitation- Slaveholders show slight regard for the physical or emotional health of the victim in their pursuit of financial gain.
2-Extraction- Traffickers remove recruits from their home community and shift them to a destination where they are unlikely to get support from law enforcement bodies or the general citizenry.
3-Control- Slaveholders seek control over every aspect of the victim's life so that escape becomes unthinkable.
4-Violence- Slaveholders exercise violence as a means to reinforce their control and ensure compliance.
5-Exploitation- Slaveholders show slight regard for the physical or emotional health of the victim in their pursuit of financial gain.
