On any given night in high season, there are easily 50,000 women for sale in Pattaya, Thailand alone. However, at this moment, it’s empty—void of tourists from around the world, and the women and girls who are exploited every night are not there.
Pattaya, Normally
Pattaya, Thailand… It’s hard to explain the thick blanket of humidity in the air, blaring music, neon lights, girls lining the streets dancing outside the bars hoping to get as many men or women to enter. Advertisements of “Crazy Russian Girl” sex shows, designated bars based on what kind of woman a customer wants for 30-min or even for the night—Asian, Russian, Indian, and so on.
Each year, there is a new evil, a new sense of hopelessness that you find in the red-light districts of Thailand. The customers, mainly western men, will tell you the girls like this work, they feel empowered and want to be there because it makes good money. The oblivion is unreal. Many, if not all of the women working in the red-light districts, did not want this way of life. Women are the financial providers of the family in Thailand, and when there is extreme poverty, no education, and lack of government assistance, many girls feel that they have no other choice but to go to the city and work in a bar. It’s a terribly sad reality that makes the evil of the red light districts even harder to bear.
Pattaya, Currently
How do you think COVID-19 is affecting the girls working in Pattaya? Many of us picture the girls still working long hours with no protection from the virus. But instead, last week, we got reports from our partner in Thailand, Beginnings Foundation, that because of COVID-19, hundreds of bars are shut down. What was once one of the most notorious red-light districts in the world, is almost completely dark and void of people. The street that was usually lined with thousands of girls waiting and dancing outside hundreds of bars, customers and gawkers shoulder to shoulder, is virtually empty.
Why is it empty? If you think about it, most of the customers who travel for “sex tourism” are western men, and because of COVID-19, they are not traveling. While this may not be the sole reason, it gives proof to the model of supply and demand. When the demand for sex isn’t there, the supply of women isn’t needed. It’s sad that fear of getting a virus is what stops the demand for buying sex. It displays this issue with morality in our society.
The Root of the Problem Still Exists: Poverty
Though we rejoice at the sight of empty bars and streets, we know that these closures have left thousands of women and girls without income. Last week, Thailand declared a state of emergency that caused the remaining women to be kicked out of bars and, for some, their homes. As a result, the staff and residents of Beginnings Pattaya safely put together care packages for the girls they met on outreach. These packages relieved some of the immediate burdens from these women such as food and hygiene supplies. Beginnings is also seeking to help these women through restaurant food pick-ups and temporary housing.
How We Can All Help
Now more than ever, it is important that we lift up our sisters in Thailand in prayer—for Beginnings staff as they adapt the way they conduct outreach, that the conversations had with the women will be fruitful, that the women who are now without work will find income outside of the sex industry, and for everyone to stay safe, healthy, and encouraged during this time of uncertainty.
Will you donate $5 or more to help Beginnings Foundation provide food and additional support to meet the primary needs of these women? We pray that God would show the women and girls how loved they are by the volunteers and staff at Beginnings Foundation.