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By Paul Andrew
Southeast Asia is a cultural quagmire to the average tourist. Many look at the rampant prostitution in these countries and wonder why so many women can't find better employment. It's safe to say that all women involved in the sex trade lose out on a "normal" life. But should we fault them for it? Many uninformed visitors certainly label these women as losers.
So why are these women forced to sell their bodies for less than the price of dinner in Taipei? Many of whom appear comparable to highly paid runway and magazine models?
A look at the recent history of two S.E. Asian countries, the Philippines and Thailand, where a semi-legalized sex trade has been entrenched for more than 50 years, helps to explain.
To put prostitution into perspective, one must realize the plight of these third world countries, the socio-economic forces that have formed the basis for their economies and cultures and, perhaps most importantly, the modern history of war that provided the opportunity for prostitution to flourish in place of traditional employment.
Such is the case in the Philippines, where the women rate among the most beautiful in the world. After the outbreak of the American-Philippine war in 1899, Americans colonized the Philippines and had upwards of 70,000 soldiers on the islands, providing a client base for the local prostitution industry which had been established during the Spanish colonial occupation during the 16 th and 17 th centuries but had since diminished.
Later, during the Vietnam and Korean wars, the United States created massive military bases in the Philippines. During the 1950s and '60s, the US controlled areas such as Olongapo, more commonly known as Subic Bay, with naval bases equipped to handle giant aircraft carriers. Some 10,000 soldiers would depart these ships seeking R&R in port cities such as Subic. According the International Labor Organization (ILO), at its peak in 1990, this created steady work for more than 30,000 prostitutes in the relatively tiny area of Subic.
Angeles City, which is still well known for its nightlife and only two hours from Subic, became the largest U.S. airbase outside of the United States. It had more than 1,500 "R&R establishments" with almost 6,000 registered female entertainers, and the same number of independent sex workers, or freelancers, as they are known today. In Manila, tourism, and specifically sex tourism, generated almost US$320 million in the 1980s. Nightclubs employing up to 300 government certified women entertainers, all with health certificates, were common in and around Manila. According to the ILO, the Marcos government encouraged sex tourism because it was the country's highest earner of foreign money.
Now the military bases are closed and pressure from women's groups and sporadic crackdowns by the government have significantly reduced the number of customers and nightclubs for women entertainers. But the seeds have been sown and young Filipina women and girls continue to seek work as female entertainers despite the lack of clientele.
Although the Philippines is a tropical destination, Thailand is better known for its beautiful beaches and beautiful women. However in Thailand, the tables have turned slightly in favor of "beautiful transsexuals" who are often university educated and might earn more than US$200 per customer--10 times as much as the average female Philippine or Thai prostitute. According to the online resource Wikipedia , gay men as well as bisexual men and straight Thai women hire transsexuals. And in contrast to most other S.E. Asian countries, transsexuals and straight prostitutes in Thailand are in some cases university educated, and sometimes offer their services from campuses in large cities.
The American soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War were a huge boost to the neighboring Thai economy in the 1960s, pouring in US$16 million per year. But research from the Thailand Intimacy and Healthy Sexuality report states that it is the Thais themselves who perpetuate prostitution--mostly as a rite of passage for young men. Foreigners are bonus for the industry. More than 75 per cent of young college Thai men experience their first sexual encounter with a Thai woman and foreigners are simply not allowed into numerous establishments. Unlike the Philippines, Thailand doesn't rely heavily on sex tourists. No matter, because even if Thailand supports its own sex trade, the spread of HIV is more prevalent there and creates many, many more losers in this industry, if not financially.
At the moment, one in 100 Thai citizens are infected with HIV/AIDS even though a 100 per cent condom use program is in effect. There seems to be much less need for AIDS prevention in the Philippines. In AIDS Failure Philippines Earl K. Wilkinson argues that the world should study this phenomenon. Less than one per cent of a population of more than 86 million has been affected by AIDS, despite having at least 500,000 sex workers and a robust sex tourism industry.
The employment alternatives to prostitution for young, beautiful Filipinas are few and far between and poorly paid. They do, however, migrate to other S.E. Asian countries, such as Taiwan, and face abuse at the hands of unscrupulous labor companies and work under contract conditions, which, according to humantrafficking.org, amount to wage slavery. Neither option is appealing to a young person seeking to improve her position.
Although much is being done in these countries to prevent young people from entering the sex trade, violent domestic conflicts and less than average opportunities often force young women and children, either by choice or by human trafficking, into the big cities where the most lucrative and interesting form of income is prostitution, making them the beautiful losers caught in this web of historical misfortune and capitalism.
Although many of these prostitutes appear happy and accommodating to the average sex tourist, it's safe to say very few of them are thrilled to be paid $20 (or less) per night to have sex with strangers. Shaming these women for the lives they lead is surely not the answer. |
