Gender inequality in Southeast Asia:

In brief...

The role of American soldiers' in the increase of the demand for prostitution in Thailand during the Vietnam war

Because of the Occidental intervention:

• The countries of Southeast Asia knew sudden huge booms in prostitution without regulation
• The vision of prostitution changed and prostitutes are now more marginalized
• The vision of women changed, they are more likely to be seen as sexual objects

Together with the economical disparities between the countries and the global trade that made possible the raise of sex tourism, those elements drew the frame of the current biggest gender inequality issues in Southeast Asia: Mass prostitution of women and girls, human trafficking, exploitation and violence

American soldier with prostitute, Thailand, 1966

• 40 000 American soldiers permanently based in Thailand during the Vietnam war
• Establishment of "recreation holidays" to Thailand for the 500 000 men fighting in Vietnam
• Huge increase of the demand for sexual services
• Boom of the prostitution
• Emergence of new forms of prostitution besides the traditional brothels: presence of prostitutes in bar, clubs, erotic massages, dance hall

From prostitution for the American soldiers to massive sex tourism

Prostitutes in Thailand during the Vietnam war

• After the end of the Vietnam war in 1975, the American soldiers left the region and the offer was left with no customers
• Owing to the marketing strategy of the actors of tourism (international hotel chains, transportation, tours...) to attract wealthy occidental travelers, the empty space left by the soldiers was quickly full with sex tourists

Sex tourism in Thailand in the 2010's

Feminist Jurisprudence

Fall 2015

Cambodia and the impact on women of the UN intervention in 1992 - 1993

Thesis

How the UN addressed the problem of sexual harassment of the Cambodian women by the peacekeepers

Degradation of the vision of women

Yasushi Akashi, the head of the U.N. mission, waved off Cambodian complaints by remarking that "18-year-old hot-blooded soldiers" had the right to enjoy themselves, drink a few beers and chase "young beautiful beings of the opposite sex."

He just made one request: "Please do not park your U.N. vans near the nightclubs"

• Arrival of 23 000 UN peacekeepers, plus numerous NGO's and businessmen
• Economic shock, inflation and raise of the prices: increase of poverty and inequalities in Cambodia
• Increase of the demand for prostitution: opportunity for many women to make a living
• Boom in prostitution: from 6 000 to 20 000 prostitutes in one year
• Introduction of new practices that were not culturally accepted: marginalization and reject of prostitutes

The Occidental presence in Southeast Asia from the 1960's not only increased extremely the prostitution but also transmitted a vision that led to a marginalization of prostitutes, deteriorating the condition of women and opening a way to violence and human trafficking.

Gender inequality in Southeast Asia:

sex tourism and mass prostitution

• Tendency for UN peacekeepers to see all the local women as prostitutes or sexual objects: issue of sexual assaults and sexual harassment
• The problem of the fake marriages: many soldiers married local women and abandoned them at the end of the war, leading to dishonor and the reject from their community
• The disaster of the introduction of AIDS in a country that was not prepared: about 90 000 people contaminated after only three years

" Everybody started to wonder what they had come here for, to implement a peace accord or to turn our women into prostitutes "

Wax museum display of UN peacekeeper and prostitute, Cambodian Cultural Village, Siem Reap, Cambodia

A resident of Phnom Pehn talking about the UNTAC operation

Anne Breillat

Sex tourism

Southeast Asia

The evolution of the language referring to the prostitutes as an indicator of the change in the vision of prostitution in Thailand

"Trips organized from within the sector of tourism, or from outside this sector but using its structures and network, with the primary purpose of effecting a commercial sexual relationship by the tourist with resident at the destination"

Definition of the World Tourism Organization, Special agency of the UN

• Only in Thailand, more than 15 millions sex tourists each year, about 500 000 prostitutes, 40% are children
• Incomes of USD $7 billions per year, 10% of Thailand's GDP

Originally

• "ying nakhon sopheni": pretty girl of the city
• "ying khow khiao": girl of the green lantern

Now

• "sanchon rok": ambulant disease
• "kari": in reference to the spicy indian dish curry