Prostitution and sex trafficking in Thailand are highly visible and strongly discussed topics in the contemporary antislavery field. Social attitudes, political interventions and economic realities have shaped the conditions that allow the two practices to continue.
From the mids to the mids prostitution was legal and taxed by the Thai government. The late s to the s witnessed an influx in the number of Chinese labor workers and sex workers coming to Thailand. Prostitution flourished especially after the abolishment of slavery in as former slave wives under the feudal system found themselves alone and without financial support.
The use of Thailand as a rest and recreation destination for U. In the s, Thailand saw a boom in sex tourism as the government poured millions of baht to promote tourism in the country. Today, under the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act , prostitution is prohibited. The Act addresses child sex trafficking as well. Briefly, in , the Ministry of Justice discussed legalizing prostitution as a means of increasing tax revenue and improving conditions for sex workers. Though that debate never led to legalization, prostitution in Thailand today is largely seen as a financial transaction and is widely tolerated.
Several cultural and economic factors support the continuation of the sex industry. Kevin Bales addresses the role of religion and gender stratification in sustaining the practice of prostitution. Strict interpretations of the Buddhist doctrine in Thailand put females at a much lower status than men. These believers adhere to the beliefs centered on karma, rebirth and nirvana. The hierarchy is a result of the belief that good karma good works leads to a higher position when one is reborn.
Thus, to be born rich and powerful indicates that one performed good actions in the past and is closer to the ultimate spiritual goal of nirvana. Those born in poverty, those who have diseases and those who are born female are assumed to have committed wrongdoings in the past and, therefore, deserve their lower status. In general, the hierarchy β from high to low β is as follows: the monastic, men, women, the crippled, the poor and animals.
