User:Peacheslovely777/Sex tourism

Child sex tourism[edit]
Main article: Child prostitution in Thailand

Thailand is a centre for child sex tourism and child prostitution. Even though domestic and international authorities work to protect children from sexual abuse, the problem still persists in Thailand and many other Southeast Asian countries. Child prostitution, like other forms of child sexual abuse, not only causes death and high morbidity rates in millions of children but also violates their rights and dignity.

'''Thailand has the most significant levels of child trafficking. Because of sex tourism child trafficking has skyrocketed. Some sex tourists come to Thailand just to engage in sexual activities with children. This leaves children especially young girls vulnerable to being trafficked. 32 percent victims of trafficking in south east Asia are children both boys and girls this includes Thailand. In 2008 the thai government implemented the prevention and suppression of human trafficking act which prohibits all forms of trafficking. People who are caught trafficking is imprisoned for up to 10 years in prison. Western men travel overseas in order to have sex with children because its easier and they more than likely won't get caught. Children are sometimes forces to go out and have sex with men so they can contribute to the family expenses. The ages of the children ranges from 6 and 14. These children felt like they were doing their roles in society by earning money for their parents and keeping their families together. Poverty plays a big part in these children lives which is why they resort to prostitution. This line of work is not the safest and as stated before sex trafficking is very prominent in Thailand and children are easy targets. Thailand experiences low police training and salaries and poverty that have led to ineffective law enforcement against traffickers. Law enforcement on child trafficking offences depends upon the effective and efficient execution of duties by both the Royal Thai Police and the Public Prosecutors Office. The Royal Thai police RTP are responsible for conducting searches, gathering evidence, interviewing suspects and witnesses, detaining suspects and preparing documentation and reports for submission to the Public Prosecutors Office . Because of the lack of salaries and effort the RTP and prosecutors don't get to put away enough child sex tourists and traffickers.'''

Child prostitution in Thailand is a controversial topic, and children who are a part of this trade are being compensated by various laws. An act passed in 1996 states that "it is prohibited to engage in sexual intercourse or sexual acts in a 'prostitution establishment' with a person under 18 years of age, regardless of consent".The slightest idea or mention of child prostitution through public solicitation, advertising, or association with another person involved in prostitution would be considered illegal. The World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children contributed to this act during its meeting in Stockholm, where they "work[ed] towards combating all forms of commercial sexual exploitation of children."

Prostitution in general is also an ongoing problem, but the Thai government has enacted laws to combat the issue. Thailand passed the Prostitution Prevention and Suppression Act, which focuses on "the total elimination of entry into the commercial sex business by children of both sexes under 18". The act also finds individuals profiting from prostitution, such as pimps and brothel owners, more culpable than the prostitutes themselves. In addition, any government or law enforcement official involved in prostitution in any way "shall be punished with imprisonment of 15–20 years and a fine of 300,000–400,000 baht".

'''The U.S. department of labor (DOL) notes that In 2022, Thailand made an advancement in efforts to get rid of the worst forms of child labor in their country. The government put in place the Anti-Money Laundering Act to allow for assets seized from human trafficking offenders to be used as financial stabilities for survivors of human trafficking, including children who were sexually exploited. This initiated the Child Sexual Exploitation Crime Center to help facilitate investigations of offenses that are related to child pornography. The government also set in place the Migrant Education Coordination Center to coordinate with Migrant Learning Centers on education, protection, and health of migrant children. The ministry of tourism implemented child friendly tourism projects to help reduce comercial sexual exploitation of children in the tourism sector.This way children can have other things to occupy their time which will result in less sexual exploitation. The government drafted and approved the fifth National Policy and Plan to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor. Children in Thailand are exposed to the worst forms of child labor, and the government tries to improve their situations.'''