Sex trade in thailand

            
             The consumption-based economy that is becoming so globalized is making has made its way into the post-colonial nations such as Thailand, manifesting itself through the sex trade. Thai officials have attributed the recent tourism profits to the "many attractions located in various parts of the country" and "the uniqueness of the Thai people" --- "their friendliness and hospitality (Bishop 67), but there is another side to the story. It is to the advantage of the tourism industry to discourage the dissemination of negative media about the potential effects, so often there is general ignorance about much of the activities that go on in the "tourism" industry. .
             The growing American military presence in Vietnam in the early 1960's and the long tours of duty led to Thailand's agreement to provide "rest and recreation" for the American servicemen. The GIs referred to this as "I&I, . intercourse and intoxication" (Gay 67). The great influx of American dollars into the Thai economy was more than welcome and the Thai government did not take time to be concerned with precisely where the money was being spent, mostly on prostitution and illicit drugs. But after the war was over, there was a need to retain this economic resource.
             In specific, the market for children prostitutes has been created by a number of factors. During the 1970's pedophiles from Western countries were attracted to Thailand because of its lenient laws against prostitution and the high currency exchange rate. The supply of customers caused pimps to acquire children through sale and through kidnapping to meet their demand. Widespread rural poverty and the low socioeconomic status of children caused the influx of a large supply of rural children that could be acquired relatively cheap. To prevent the interference of the government Thai officials were bribed or in some cases offered a portion of the profits of the trade.