Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
An Illegal - and Vast - Industry
Prostitution is technically illegal in Thailand. However, anti-prostitution laws are often am-
biguous and unenforced. Some analysts have argued that the high demand for sexual ser-
vices in Thailand limits the likelihood of the industry being curtailed; however, limiting ab-
usive practices within the industry is the goal of many activists and government agencies.
It is difficult to determine the number of sex workers in Thailand, the demographics of
the industry or its economic strength. This is because there are many indirect forms of pros-
titution, the illegality of the industry makes research difficult, and different organisations
use different approaches to collect data. In 2003, measures to legalise prostitution cited the
Thai sex industry as being worth US$4.3 billion (about 3% of GDP), employing roughly
200,000 sex workers. A study conducted in 2003 by Thailand's Chulalongkorn University
estimated 2.8 million sex workers, of which 1.98 million were adult women, 20,000 were
adult men and 800,000 were children, defined as any person under the age of 18.
Help stop child-sex tourism by reporting suspicious behaviour on a dedicated hotline ( 1300) or by re-
porting the individual directly to the embassy of their home country.
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search