Hi this Ros on Nuala's log in. Today we're turning our attention to the sex industry here which, to the frustration of some Thais, has become well known the world over.
Thousands of people come on holiday to Thailand specifically because sex is readily available, and relatively safe and cheap.
In turn thousands of Thais work in an industry which actively seeks to attract foreigners. The money that's spent brings millions of dollars into the economy from the prostitutes who earn more than they would working as a waitress or a labourer, to the club owners whose takings are far greater.
What we're going to discuss is whether either side of the sex tourism equation is behaving in a morally suspect way.
Is there anything wrong with holidaying somewhere where you can pay to have sex with a consenting adult?
And on the flip-side, is there anything wrong with a country using its sex industry, and in particular prostitution, to increase visitor numbers?
Of course the Thai tourist board would say that it never markets Thailand as a sex destination. In fact some people argue that the whole sex industry is at odds with being Thai. But is indisputable that it exists, that it's allowed and that all Thais reap the economic benefits.
Professor Ferrara argues that the amount of money that sex workers send back to the countryside allows the government to keep taxes as low as they are.
Another issue is whether Thailand's flourishing sex industry is a manifestation of its economic subordination, and that as such it should be rejected. We're told that more and more Chinese use the sex industry, something which mirrors the growth of their economic power.
Also, all of this is made more complicated by the fact that some tourists and some sex workers would say that for their very different reasons they are looking for a long-term partner and that the sex industry allows them to connect with people they would never otherwise meet.
Does that make you uncomfortable? Or if it works for those involved, would be best off reserving judgement?
Rachel Harvey and I are going be sat on the top floor of a bar in one of Bangkok's red light districts and we'll be joined by a range of people with a keen interest in this (from a woman who runs a sex workers co-op to a man who's worked in the porn industry here).
Sanousi from Sierra Leone posted on Facebook:
Any nation that allows its women to commercialize their bodies has fallen into the abyss of decadence.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:52
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Thomas from Tanzania posted on Facebook:
Who or what system is in place to deal with health concerns? Do the workers have access to information about the risks that come with the job?
Comment sent via Feed
18:46
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Charles in Kenya called:
As long as there is a willing buyer and a willing seller I don't see anything wrong with that.
Comment sent via Feed
18:45
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Sunil in California called
I lived next to the red light district in Singapore. Singapore struggles with banning prostitution, so how can we expect a country like Thailand to deal with this problem.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:45
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James in the US posted on Facebook:
All human civilisation has been built on the backs of slaves and sex workers, and prostitution is part of every nation's early history. Liberty includes selling one's body.
Comment sent via Feed
18:43
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John in Spain called:
Girls are driven to the industry by the 'sharks' who make them do it. Women are exploited by their 'owners'.
Comment sent via SMS
18:43
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Nothing wrong so long as it’s done on a ’willing buyer willing seller basis’ Slim from Ikonge Kenya
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:43
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Pam emails:
What options are there for these women? My heart goes out to them. They deserve protection though because they do get abused & victimized.
Comment sent via SMS
18:43
108647882
Because of poverty today the only commodity that young girls have to offer for sale is their own bodies. To deny them that right would probably cause them more harm than good.
Ekayu Wilson. Uganda. Uganda.
Comment sent via Feed
18:42
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Randy in the US:
There is no place for the government in an adults sex life, as long as it is voluntary and consensual. If it is above ground, sex work can be taxed like any form of labour.
Comment sent via Feed
18:41
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WB Taylor in the US:
I went to Thailand for a rugby tournament in May 2006. When we arrived in Bangkok the prostitutes were everywhere. One kept following me around trying to get me to buy her. I kept saying no, then she offered to do it for free. I asked the sponsor of the charity school why she would do it for free, she said the young girl was trying to get off the street for the night. She also pointed out that most of them were probably displaced from the tsunami.
How anyone can justify paying for these young women under any circumstances indicates a tremendous lack of morals and understanding?
Comment sent via Facebook
18:40
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Shone in Ohio writes on Facebook:
I hear all this negativity about the sex trade but not all people can work in offices. Sex work is "work". There are prostitutes even in developed nations where they have access to education. Don't assume that all sex work is bad work. Just take the american porn industry - it makes billions.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:39
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Roy in Kenya posted on Facebook:
Even if the women are gaining economically, they are suffering internally.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:39
113631290
Sheri in Ohio emailed:
In America, you have a multi-billion dollar porn industry that is legal. You also have legal brothels in Las Vegas, Nevada. I think they should legalize sex workers around the world, but, for some countries, they are not sex workers, but, rather sex slaves. How many of these women in Thailand are working because they want to compared to being forced to work?
Comment sent via SMS
18:35
114295205
When ever thailand is mentioned the first thing that comes to my mind is the image of an irresistably beutiful woman dancing in the most sexually provocative way. Even if prostitution is not legal in thailand, sex is being advertised to rest of the world. Mustapha Kawoje. Nigeria.
Comment sent via Feed
18:31
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Steve from Salt Lake City in the US called to say:
The problem is that it's illegal but not cracked down on. Girls seem taken advantage of. I'm a photographer who has spent a lot of time in Thaliand and South East Asia. I've been to ping pong shows, strip shows (girls have numbers on them) etc.
Comment sent via Feed
18:30
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Soni in Belgium called:
Prostitution has got something to do with the culture. In Africa prostitution is a taboo, depending on the tribe. Prostitution might not be related to money.
Comment sent via Feed
18:30
113631290
Wilfred from Kenya called to ask:
Why is the country allowing sex tourism, when everyone knows it's illegal? Is no one monitoring what's going on?
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:29
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Julie in Ohio emailed:
Please explain what you mean by "safe" sex in Thailand? Doesn't Thailand have one of the highest HIV rates. Also how is it possible to ensure safety if prostitution is illegal and thus unregulated?
Comment sent via Facebook
18:28
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Nadiya in the UK writes on Facebook: Ask any sex-worker, would this be something she would want her child to do as a career? 99% of the time the answer will be NO. She wants her child to be EDUCATED, be known for her mind and not her body.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:28
113631290
Christie in Australia posts on Facebook:
By legalizing sex work, public health efforts are much more effective.
The rights and wrongs of the Thai sex industry
| Wednesday, 2 Feb. 2011 | 18:00 - 19:00 GMT
Hi this Ros on Nuala's log in. Today we're turning our attention to the sex industry here which, to the frustration of some Thais, has become well known the world over.
Thousands of people come on holiday to Thailand specifically because sex is readily available, and relatively safe and cheap.
In turn thousands of Thais work in an industry which actively seeks to attract foreigners. The money that's spent brings millions of dollars into the economy from the prostitutes who earn more than they would working as a waitress or a labourer, to the club owners whose takings are far greater.
What we're going to discuss is whether either side of the sex tourism equation is behaving in a morally suspect way.
Is there anything wrong with holidaying somewhere where you can pay to have sex with a consenting adult?
And on the flip-side, is there anything wrong with a country using its sex industry, and in particular prostitution, to increase visitor numbers?
Of course the Thai tourist board would say that it never markets Thailand as a sex destination. In fact some people argue that the whole sex industry is at odds with being Thai. But is indisputable that it exists, that it's allowed and that all Thais reap the economic benefits.
Professor Ferrara argues that the amount of money that sex workers send back to the countryside allows the government to keep taxes as low as they are.
Another issue is whether Thailand's flourishing sex industry is a manifestation of its economic subordination, and that as such it should be rejected. We're told that more and more Chinese use the sex industry, something which mirrors the growth of their economic power.
Also, all of this is made more complicated by the fact that some tourists and some sex workers would say that for their very different reasons they are looking for a long-term partner and that the sex industry allows them to connect with people they would never otherwise meet.
Does that make you uncomfortable? Or if it works for those involved, would be best off reserving judgement?
Rachel Harvey and I are going be sat on the top floor of a bar in one of Bangkok's red light districts and we'll be joined by a range of people with a keen interest in this (from a woman who runs a sex workers co-op to a man who's worked in the porn industry here).
Please join us.
Your comments
Comment sent via Facebook
Sanousi from Sierra Leone posted on Facebook: Any nation that allows its women to commercialize their bodies has fallen into the abyss of decadence.
Comment sent via Facebook
Thomas from Tanzania posted on Facebook: Who or what system is in place to deal with health concerns? Do the workers have access to information about the risks that come with the job?
Comment sent via Feed
Charles in Kenya called: As long as there is a willing buyer and a willing seller I don't see anything wrong with that.
Comment sent via Feed
Sunil in California called I lived next to the red light district in Singapore. Singapore struggles with banning prostitution, so how can we expect a country like Thailand to deal with this problem.
Comment sent via Facebook
James in the US posted on Facebook: All human civilisation has been built on the backs of slaves and sex workers, and prostitution is part of every nation's early history. Liberty includes selling one's body.
Comment sent via Feed
John in Spain called: Girls are driven to the industry by the 'sharks' who make them do it. Women are exploited by their 'owners'.
Comment sent via SMS
Nothing wrong so long as it’s done on a ’willing buyer willing seller basis’ Slim from Ikonge Kenya
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Pam emails: What options are there for these women? My heart goes out to them. They deserve protection though because they do get abused & victimized.
Comment sent via SMS
Because of poverty today the only commodity that young girls have to offer for sale is their own bodies. To deny them that right would probably cause them more harm than good. Ekayu Wilson. Uganda. Uganda.
Comment sent via Feed
Randy in the US: There is no place for the government in an adults sex life, as long as it is voluntary and consensual. If it is above ground, sex work can be taxed like any form of labour.
Comment sent via Feed
WB Taylor in the US: I went to Thailand for a rugby tournament in May 2006. When we arrived in Bangkok the prostitutes were everywhere. One kept following me around trying to get me to buy her. I kept saying no, then she offered to do it for free. I asked the sponsor of the charity school why she would do it for free, she said the young girl was trying to get off the street for the night. She also pointed out that most of them were probably displaced from the tsunami. How anyone can justify paying for these young women under any circumstances indicates a tremendous lack of morals and understanding?
Comment sent via Facebook
Shone in Ohio writes on Facebook: I hear all this negativity about the sex trade but not all people can work in offices. Sex work is "work". There are prostitutes even in developed nations where they have access to education. Don't assume that all sex work is bad work. Just take the american porn industry - it makes billions.
Comment sent via Facebook
Roy in Kenya posted on Facebook: Even if the women are gaining economically, they are suffering internally.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Sheri in Ohio emailed: In America, you have a multi-billion dollar porn industry that is legal. You also have legal brothels in Las Vegas, Nevada. I think they should legalize sex workers around the world, but, for some countries, they are not sex workers, but, rather sex slaves. How many of these women in Thailand are working because they want to compared to being forced to work?
Comment sent via SMS
When ever thailand is mentioned the first thing that comes to my mind is the image of an irresistably beutiful woman dancing in the most sexually provocative way. Even if prostitution is not legal in thailand, sex is being advertised to rest of the world. Mustapha Kawoje. Nigeria.
Comment sent via Feed
Steve from Salt Lake City in the US called to say: The problem is that it's illegal but not cracked down on. Girls seem taken advantage of. I'm a photographer who has spent a lot of time in Thaliand and South East Asia. I've been to ping pong shows, strip shows (girls have numbers on them) etc.
Comment sent via Feed
Soni in Belgium called: Prostitution has got something to do with the culture. In Africa prostitution is a taboo, depending on the tribe. Prostitution might not be related to money.
Comment sent via Feed
Wilfred from Kenya called to ask: Why is the country allowing sex tourism, when everyone knows it's illegal? Is no one monitoring what's going on?
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Julie in Ohio emailed: Please explain what you mean by "safe" sex in Thailand? Doesn't Thailand have one of the highest HIV rates. Also how is it possible to ensure safety if prostitution is illegal and thus unregulated?
Comment sent via Facebook
Nadiya in the UK writes on Facebook: Ask any sex-worker, would this be something she would want her child to do as a career? 99% of the time the answer will be NO. She wants her child to be EDUCATED, be known for her mind and not her body.
Comment sent via Facebook
Christie in Australia posts on Facebook: By legalizing sex work, public health efforts are much more effective.