PAPER The Drum Beat - 24 - Ohio University - Child Prostitution - Thailand
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| The Drum Beat - 24 - Ohio University - Child Prostitution - Thailand Additional Information and Commentary - Please contact the student identified for a full copy of their paper. By Rachna Nanglia International Student of Ohio University July 1999 rn259192@oak.cats.ohiou.edu 21. Child Prostitution and Trafficking in Thailand: A Communication Intervention The purpose of this paper was to analyze and discuss the problem of child prostitution and trafficking in Thailand. More specifically, the paper examined the economic, social, political, and cultural reasons that aided in the perpetuation of the problem. Current actions being taken to address the problem were also examined and based on these actions, further recommendations founded on communication oriented approaches and theories were made to supplement and strengthen actions against the practice of child prostitution and trafficking. There are several reasons that justify the investigation of this topic. Firstly, the statistics illustrate the gravity of the situation: it has been estimated that there are over 800,000 child prostitutes in Thailand. These numbers surely point to a problem. Secondly, as communication and development practitioners we have the opportunity and knowledge to address this problem, thus we should discuss and examine it. Lastly, one of the demand factors that encourages the problem of child prostitution is the existence of sex tourism and pedophiles. The emergence of stricter laws and actions to prevent child prostitution in Asian countries means that there will be a redirection of sex tourists to other destinations. Thus it is not only Asian countries, but countries in Africa, South America and the Caribbean that need to pay attention to the problem. It has also been found that the practice of child prostitution leads to an increase in the number of people infected with HIV/AIDS. The research strategy employed in this study included literature reviews, collection of information from web sites, interviews with Thai students at Ohio University, networking with people who are working on related projects, a documentary, and an examination of an entertainment education animated film created for street kids. The findings from this study included a myriad of reasons that supported the existence of child prostitution in Thailand. Among these reasons were factors of supply of child prostitutes (motivated by poverty, lack of education and unskilled jobs), and demand (created through the promotion of sex tourism, pedophiles, R&R, preference for virgins and younger prostitutes, and the fear of AIDS). This practice has been perpetuated through it's profitability for brothel owners and middlemen (who include policemen, politicians, and businessmen). The high profit also enables them to diversify to other industries such as manufacturing. Numerous actions and programmes have been developed to address the problem. Some of these programmes and strategies include ECPAT (End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism), an entertainment education strategy ("Karate Kids"), a concerted effort by European governments to discourage sex tourism, the passing of new laws by the Thai government to prevent this practice, the establishment of scholarship, vocational training and micro-credit programmes, public information and awareness campaigns, and programmes to reintegrate and rehabilitate abused children. It is recommended that a massive, multi-media campaign be launched to address the problem. Since an attitudinal change and information about the practice is crucial to curtailing the supply of child prostitutes it is important to target parents and children through communication, and provide alternatives for income-generation as opposed to prostitution. |