as we walk along the seaside in Thailand, i witness something i’ll never forget. walking in front of me is a man in his thirties with the young Thai woman he paid for. he is aggressively grasping her upper arm, his fingers digging tightly into her skin as if to keep her from running away. she is his prisoner. and it is so evident. his grasp doesn’t loosen, but only tightens as he keeps her within inches to him. i pray for a long time after that. and i know that isn’t even the worst of it. it makes me sick to my stomach that i can’t do anything to stop him.
we are in Pattaya, one of the world’s top cities for sex tourism, an ever-growing industry that is the city’s central attraction. consequently it is also one of the world’s top cities for victims of human trafficking. thriving hotels and resorts stand tall next to new ones being built. places like Walking Street consisting of brothels, strip clubs and bars–have become extremely profitable tourist attractions where people even bring their children from infants to teens to visit. little girls holding their parent’s hands pass by women just ten years older than them being howled at and bought for sex. a grinning father aids his son, no older than eleven, take a photo on his phone of a prostitute. millions of men travel here from around the world and pay for the illusion of having a girlfriend. they can buy whichever girl they choose for a night, a week or up to a year. some of them take them on motorcycle rides or out to eat. i become accustomed to see foreign men walk around with Thai woman on their arms.
Tourists in Pattaya
Customers
. . .
my team partners with Thrive, an organization that helps rescue and house women who have been trafficked for sex here in Pattaya. we set out to do bar ministry one night to establish relationships and spend time with the prostitutes working in bars while allowing them a break from working. i spend most of my time with a beautiful woman named Tang, probably in her forties. we learn she has four children, one of whom has passed away, and several young grandchildren. she says she doesn’t want to be working here at the bar, and that what she really wants to do is work with the elderly. we paint her nails and talk to her with the help of a translator. we tell her that she is loved and beautiful and not forgotten. we get to pray for her before we leave. there were tears in her eyes as we said amen and she was smiling from ear to ear. she thanked us many times and told us she was so happy we came to spend time with her.
sha’terika, kristina, tang, and me
as we go down Walking Street we pray for the girls. as the city is ranked #1 globally for child sex trafficking, there are girls here as young as six being sold for sex within feet of us (they stay hidden inside the brothels where no one can see them until customers request a younger girl). the trafficked European girls have been promised a waitressing, modeling or dancing job here in Thailand only to be forced to sell their bodies once they arrive. they only stay out of fear after enduring verbal threats against themselves and their families back home. their pimps/mamasans use psychological or physical abuse to keep them here. often brothels/bars will pay the police off in order to avoid being investigated. the same is true for doctors who go into these places to check the girls for STDs and illnesses.
a young girl on Walking Street with her parents
a trafficked European woman working on Walking Street
. . .
most of the Thai women working in prostitution do so solely for money. some see this type of work as their only option due to lack of job opportunities from lack of education. others were sent/sold by their families to provide financially. it’s not uncommon for women sell themselves not because they want to get hit on/sexually harassed/raped each time they clock in but because they or their families are financially desperate. this is why places like Walking Street are corrupt. the girls who work here are either trafficked or see no other option to live off of. Like Tang, they have dreams of their own and/or families to provide for.
some might argue that women work in prostitution because they find it empowering, or that they want to express themselves. i cannot speak for each woman as each woman’s case is different. i can say, though, that most of the women in Thailand are different in that regard. most of the women working in the sex industry here are not willingly choosing to do so. contrary to some prostitutes in the US for example, the girls working in Thailand are taken against their will and/or are too young to make a decision to go into the industry to begin with.
Sex Tourism on Walking Street
flowers are sold all down Walking Street for men to buy for women
. . .
ministering to these women is absolutely necessary and the need is great. they need to be shown that they have value, worth and that they are loved. i can’t help but feel, though, that an almost greater issue here is the fact that this industry is so heavily supported. it’s a simple case of supply and demand. when it comes down to it, it’s a business; it’s all about money. because a woman can be used again and again and again for profit, she is completely taken advantage of as a financial tool. its important to note that prostitution is in fact illegal in Thailand. the reason it still exists as much as it does is because it brings money into their economy. if the demand for women to be sold for sex wasn’t so great, there would be no need to force them to sell themselves like the billions of girls who are sexually trafficked and exploited every day.
part of the solution boils down to the way women are viewed and consequently how we as a culture are raised to view them. in the modern world, men are often seen drooling over women, will obviously pay money for a woman’s body, holler at girls walking down the street, take advantage of them sexually, etc. the problem isn’t solely men, either. many women willingly promote themselves to be viewed as sexual objects. and they keep doing it because it gives them attention. the solution begins with women respecting themselves and a culture as a whole respecting women. the more women continue to be deemed the weaker sex–stupid, dainty, fragile, powerless, etc.–the more their value decreases. women were made to be wise (Proverbs 31:26). they were created to have value. they are strong. they are blessed with beauty, intelligence and the ability to bring new life into the world. women are amazing! and they have an infinite amount to offer apart from their bodies.
if a culture were raised to see women as the valuable, intelligent and capable beings they are, we wouldn’t be as prone to think of/use them as commodities. if children grew up with healthier family lives–and a mother who valued herself, her daughters and sisters…a father who treated women with dignity–they would in turn value women in the same way. it begins with raising up a generation or culture that respects women. additionally the way women are currently viewed and treated needs to be broken down to allow room for respect.
. . .
as much as part of me wants to shake these men who buy women in Pattaya and scream “what’s wrong with you?!”, i know that i’m called to see them the way God does. despite their choices, they are no worse than me and i am no better than them. i have every responsibility to love them as they are utterly and incredibly loved by their Creator.
they, like everyone else have a hole in them and are trying to fill it–unsuccessfully. its a classic case. many have spent years or their whole lives trying to fill the void. and the reason they keep coming back to places like Pattaya is because it’s not enough and they aren’t fully satisfied. people use countless things to try and fill the void they feel, like unhealthy or forced relationships, alcohol, work or anything that will take their mind off of being alone. it’s the human condition to feel this void or desperation for something more. i’ve felt it. but at the same time i’ve always known that there is something more. and the more I question God about what that is, the more He answers me.
This is what I pray for all of those who are trying to fill that void:
-That they will know that they are not, and never were alone (Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6)
-That they will know that endless, perfect love is available to them right now, for free because the price has already been paid (John 3:16)
-That they will see that nothing this world has to offer can fully satisfy (Psalm 107:9)
-That true satisfaction and fullness can come only from the Love of their Creator, whom they were created to have a relationship with (John 6:40)
-That God will never stop tugging at their heart or pursuing them (Psalm 103:8)
-That, though He can be ignored, He will never leave (Deuteronomy 31:6)
-That nothing they have done or will do could ever separate them from His love (Romans 8:38)
-That they can come as they are (Luke 19:10)
one new thing i’ve learned on the race is that God doesn’t mind when you confront Him about things you don’t understand. He wants you to talk to Him rather than stay quietly offended. there’s nothing to lose because He already knows your offenses and hurts anyway (Psalm 139:1). ask Him why bad things happen to good people. ask Him why you’ve been hurt. tell Him when you’re offended at Him why. His answers are often whispers or tugs at the heart. other times the answers are found through people He chooses to speak directly to you. answers can appear in dreams. whether it takes a second for Him to answer, or years of wrestling with the same issue of your heart, He is faithful and will respond.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3)
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There are more trafficked slaves (men, women and children) today than all of the slaves there ever were in history combined. and it’s not all prostitution. many trafficked victims are forced to work against their will in fields, farms, nail shops, as nannies, etc. Please join me in prayer and spreading awareness about this issue!
