Trade getting larger....

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

"It is a very small percentage of the population"

You consider 4% a small percentage of the population? And that is discounting all those agegroups who certainly aren't involved in it.

 

Sanuk!

[Guest]

[i deleted this once before telling you that I do NOT appreciate you making this personal, so consider this your last warning! - KS]

 

[Guest]

>>>>You consider 4% a small percentage of the population?<<<

 

No....it is not a small number. But let me put into context. I run a small store in Hawaii, where I sell some products from Thailand. All day long I am explaining that some of my products come from Thailand, many of which I hand carry back with me on my semi-annual trips there. Being in Hawaii, my customers come from all countries around the world.

 

By far, the the single most question asked by them, is not, "how is the food?", or "how is the weather there?". It's more often than not, "how are the women?". I didn't create that image. Thailand created that image by itself. I've never been to any town there (admittingly limited), where I could not be getting laid within 15 minutes of entering town. I recently read on Stickman's site where he, and WYD traveled to some small NW border towns with little, or no, farang. In all cases they were offered girls at the hotel they were staying at, upon check in. Thailand is synonymous with paid sex for a reason. It's pervasive there. It's everywhere. Sadly, it is due to not so much the culture, as the sad wages that are paid there, thus becoming a necessity (sp?) in many cases.

 

But to bury your head in the sand (not you KS...just in general) about the reality there, is silly. As evident even in this thread, you have people who actually live there, and are in complete denial of the facts. Drive by a factory 1 hour outside of BKK with 5,000 workers, and think none of them are involved in the trade? :: That is just a case of not seeing the forest for the tree's.

 

The fact is Thailand's sex industry is freaking huge, and world reknowned. In light of that, 4.5% of the total population being involved, does not surprise me. Yes....it is a very high number when you subtract the elderly, and small children. But did anybody really expect the numbers to not be alarmingly high? Of course the numbers are going to be in the stratosphere, compared with most other nations. But how many other nations are famous for easily available sex, to the point of thinking it's their most valuble GNP, by many, around the world? I can think of none.

 

I understand people's dis-taste with only thinking of Thailand as the sex capital of the world. I am one of them. I love Thailand. Not for it's available sex (I do not even participate anymore), but for many other reasons. But that does not shut my eye's to the reality that exists there. We have a Chula professor here, who set out to research, and detirmine, the real numbers.

 

Until I can hear from someone else, who has done the same, with opposing findings, I can find no reasonable reason to discount him, out-of-hand. Just because someone has not actually seen enough visable hookers to fill a stadium, is not compelling evidence to me, of what the situation really is. It's a big country, with much going on, much of which, is out of our eyesight.

 

HT

[pattaya127]

4,5% is a huge percentage, IMO. Again, take out the very old and young kids under 12, never mind males, we count them as possible P4P sellers. That would mean that in all my peregrinations around Thailand, one person out of 15 or 16 i see is selling sex for money. To me, that's a lot, and I am sceptical.

 

I read and read about sex in Thailand, and not one book, western scholar, thai professor, journalist has ever been able to seriously assess the number of prostitutes in thailand. everyone is turning around the pot!

 

I mean, they just oscillate between 800 000 and 2 million (here, 2, 8!). That is just not serious, we are not talking about counting flies. After years of scholarly "studies", the # should have a margin of error no greater than 10, 15%, not 60!!!!!!

 

 

That tells me that people love to talk about it, use the subject for their agenda (raising, lowering, "zone-greying" the numbers to serve their agenda), but do not really give much of a damn about prostitutes themselves.

[OCgringo]

a couple of points to throw in

 

When they asked the original question , were they given the true answer ?

How many people(anywhere) are going to admit to a stranger taking a survey that they are in "the" business,

 

Also there are lots of other countries that have very low wages and do not have a giant sex industry.

 

I think this survey is very flawed from the beginning, and was printed to push a point , not to prove a point

[Guest]

Hi p127,

 

I agree with you. Numbers have been all over the board, for a long time. What caught my eye here was the first seemingly autonomous report I have seen. You are right that most have an agenda, and want to skew the numbers toward their particular agenda. This guys reasearch has nothing to gain him, one way or another. It's for that simple reason I have posted it here.

 

But given that, it is sorely lacking in details. It is an overview, with little depth, which I find fustrating.

 

As far as not caring about the prostitutes themselves, just by trying to understand the numbers? I don't see a correlation there. We are demeaning them, simply by trying to detirmine their numbers? Mai khao jai.

 

HT

[Guest]

Hi,

 

>>>>I think this survey is very flawed from the beginning, and was printed to push a point , not to prove a point<<<

 

And what point would that be? And why?

 

>>>>How many people(anywhere) are going to admit to a stanger taking a survey that they are in "the" business,<<<<

 

I would think his research probably went beyond a simple phone-in survey. You do not be a professor at a prestigious institution, and print a paper, without being able to back up your data. To do less, would be a death-knell to your career.

 

HT

[Old Hippie]

 

"...Thailand is synonymous with paid sex for a reason. It's pervasive there. It's everywhere. Sadly, it is due to not so much the culture, as the sad wages that are paid there, thus becoming a necessity (sp?) in many cases..."

 

I'll disagree here a bit, I think there is a cultural element to it as well. Remember, Thailand supposedly started the concept of concubines. Thai men love sex as recreation and status, and there is a general attitude that paid sex is o.k. among Thais as well, just look at all the Thai oriented places. As has been mentioned in other threads, there seems to be a demand for status/luxury goods, and a life style that exceeds income in Thailand. Has has been noted, educated women with "decent paying jobs" may "moonlight" to get more money and thus more stuff, with no end in sight, and no real idea of how much is enough. Thus, I don't think low wages alone are responsible.

[Guest]

Hi OH,

 

You have a good point, which can be driven home, with other posts explaining that there are other poor countries without an exstreme prositution problem. I think it is a combination of need, and acceptance, that makes Thailand unique.

 

It is frowned upon, but at the same time, many allowences are made.

 

The word "tolerance" comes to mind. And not largly undue to the governments stance. Prositution is illegal, but who gets busted for it? It is simply tolerated, and is the reason it can flourish, to the exstent that it does there.

 

HT

[christo23]

Getting an exact number might be close to impossible, there is no registration afaik and there is probably little point in starting a survey and asking all thais wether they work in the p4p area.