Why is sex tourism so prevalent in Thailand?

The sex tourism industry.

Such terms are used to refer to the sex tourism industry in Thailand.

For Western men with average incomes, it is not cheap to take a long two-week vacation from Europe or the United States to Thailand. So what makes Thailand an attractive destination? The answer is sex tourism. It is a true capitalist industry, based on the bodies of Thai women. It includes the Thai government, national and international travel agencies, multinational restaurant chains, international hotels, and international airlines. All contribute to driving this billion-dollar industry each year.

The question is: Why has Thailand, a predominantly Buddhist country with over 3000 temples, become the hub of the international sex trade?

The answer is complex, involving both internal and external factors, including what the media highlights and overlooks.

External Factors

The U.S. established Thailand as a military base during the Vietnam War. Sex services for U.S. soldiers were a significant project carried out in Thailand, known as R&R. This laid the groundwork for the later development of the sex tourism industry in Thailand.

Internal Factors

Thailand has a history of slavery, where the value of women is much lower than that of men. This created conditions for slave owners to operate in Thailand from early ancient dynasties. In 1909, Thailand abolished slavery, leading these female slaves to enter the sex trade.

Thailand's religion is Buddhism, but it is deeply influenced by Hinduism and Brahmanism with a strong male-centric philosophy. Despite having numerous temples, Thai Buddhists are less imbued with the philosophical teachings of Buddhism. Buddhism in Thailand is reserved for men, and women are considered to have no spiritual destiny to become monks. When a man reaches a certain age, participating in a temple retreat is seen as a rite of passage and societal prestige. This is done to accumulate merit for parents. However, Thai women are not allowed to do this, relying on the duty of financially supporting their parents through direct or labor-exchange jobs, considered lower than men's. Even when women enter political positions, their presence is of little significance. In the workplace, women's income is consistently lower than men's.

Northern and Northeastern Thailand are the poorest regions, deliberately maintained by government policies that make access to education difficult. Agriculture is underdeveloped, with no government support and no favorable loans.

Thai women in these areas have few options to fulfill their filial duties. One is to work in industrial factories with low labor costs and virtually no welfare. This policy aims to keep labor cheap and female workers retiring before the age of 30. The other option is to migrate to Bangkok and join the sex industry with less pressure and higher earnings.

Here, they face the fear of going with strangers, whether white or Japanese, not knowing what they will do. The government and police do not legalize prostitution, disallowing bars to operate as brothels, but turning a blind eye to bars charging a small fee (200 baht) to lead customers outside. In return, the bars receive a protection fee.

In the northern regions, where moral and cultural standards are stricter, when a girl returns home with beautiful clothes and a decent house for her parents, money for her younger brother's education and seed costs, her virtues will overshadow the source of her money. Many girls return and actively become recruiters in their hometowns. Many companies come and provide loans to families, in exchange for their daughters joining this industry. Many parents are deceived into believing that their daughters will have good jobs. However, many parents sell their daughters to brothel owners or human trafficking agents.

Western media blames the U.S. for making prostitution widespread here, but they fail to acknowledge it as a real industry, with the main product being the bodies and services provided by Thai girls. The profits from tourism, airlines, hotels, and brokers flow into the pockets of capitalists and the government.

Another factor not mentioned by the media is Thai men. In history, the culture in northern and northeastern Thailand penalized men for inappropriate sexual behavior, imposing fines. This is no different from allowing men to engage in extramarital sex, for which they would pay a fee. A form of prostitution.

The percentage of Thai men who regularly or irregularly use sex services is significant, with figures as high as 84% presented by the West to criticize: they brought prostitution to Thailand and degraded the country. But we need to ask: How can a country allow women to rely on prostitution as an economic pillar when its men do not agree?

Apart from female prostitution, there is also a significant portion of male sex workers. Publicly presented cultural products emphasize that it is gay male prostitution. It may be that investigating male prostitution is considered sensitive and inferior, making it difficult. In reality, many male sex workers have female clients.

In conclusion, the reasons why Thai women enter prostitution are complex. Their voices are often absent, recounted by authors and journalists in surveys and interviews. The opinions of male sex workers are also lacking.

However, it is not without the following factors. The historical and religious context is unfavorable to Thai women and normalizes prostitution. The duty of Thai women to bear, combined with the economic background, unbalanced education between urban and rural areas, leaves them with very few choices. The government implements policies to indirectly sustain the sex industry, considering it an incentive to attract capital. Domestic and international capitalist organizations actively invest and promote to reap benefits.