I chose to research the sex trade in Thailand this is a topic I am hoping to create more awareness about. The sex trade is a growing trade that many women and children are being forced into. I chose Thailand because this is an area that prostitution is very prominent in; there is support from local men as well as Thailand becoming known for international sex tourism. The sex trade not only involves grown women but also young children. Many families believe it is the children's job to enter into the sex trade to support their family financially. Many of these women and children do not have any hope of going to school or getting a good job, they know that they are to become prostitutes. Prostitution among young children has grown popular because men think that they are less likely to get HIV when they sleep with a young child over women. This makes the sex trade among children a rising trend. The sex trade is not just affecting Thailand but it is a universal problem that puts many women and children in danger. Many of these prostitutes are seen as worthless objects. I feel that the sex trade is a problem that needs to be addressed to stop the oppression occurring for many women and children. The more we learn about the sex trade on a global scale, we will be able to understand the sex trade that is occurring in our own communities.
The sex trade is one of the oldest known professions; the sex trade is recognized all over the world and is a growing epidemic in Thailand for many children, youth and women. Thailand's sex trade is an International problem that draws many tourists to engage in sex with child prostitutes, male and female. The sex trade is creating many problems among women and children in Thailand. In order to understand how people can help fight against this growing industry we must understand what origins of the sex trade, the risks of the sex trade, and who is taking an initiative to fight against the sex industry.

The sex trade became publicly exposed in Thailand during the Vietnam War, when the American military came from overseas. Sex tourism in Thailand is a growing industry, offering guided sex tours to show the tourists where the many children and women who are involved in the sex trade are to help create new cliental (Royal Thai Embassy, 1997). The sex trade services men of all ages from across the world in Thailand, the options for jobs for women and children are limited to joining the sex trade to allow for basic survival. Women and children enter the sex trade as there is a demand that is being supported by men in Thailand, as well as international tourists. These children and women come from rural and urban areas of Thailand are young in age and are in a weaker position to protect themselves from brothel owners, pimps and customers. Women and children are at an economic and social disadvantage and are subjected to being sold into prostitution by their family members, or entering into prostitution willingly, hoping for a better life and the ability to support their family members. The sex trade is a dangerous job for many women and children affecting their well being by falling victim to extreme mental and physical abuse including rape, torture, starvation and imprisonment, death threats and physical brutality (BDA, 2000 pp.1). Women and children who are engaging in sex are exposed to many health risks such as HIV, Aids, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and pregnancy. The sex trade is a growing job that many children and women are entering into all over the world. The consequences of the sex trade affect women and children who are involved in the sex trade but also those women and children who are not. Due to the sex trade, the female gender is evolving into a gender that is seen only as sexual objects. The risks and harmful effects of the sex trade often leave long lasting physical and mental scars. In terms of my theory I am applying to my analysis I am analyzing my research based on the Radical Feminist Theory.

The Thailand sex trade became a growing problem in the 1960's and 1970's during the Vietnam War when many American Soldiers served over seas. This influx of Americans opened up other areas of the sex industry like massage parlors and brothels, consequently opening up more jobs for women and children in Thailand. In 1967, the Thai government and the United States military signed a treaty allowing the US soldiers who were stationed in Vietnam to have a period of "rest and recreation" which the soldiers called I & I: intoxication and intercourse. (Bishop & Robinson, 2002).The Thai government encouraged prostitution regardless of the laws prohibiting it since tourists provided the Thai economy with large amounts of money in a short period of time due to the amount of prostitution the sex trade was creating. When the Vietnam War ended, sex tourism retained a steady profit due to tourism agencies picking up where the war had left off. The Thai government still promoted prostitution because of the annual profit which amounted from $5 million in 1967 to $20 million in 1970(Jeffery, 2002 pp.39). Military troops and other men from around the world returned to Asia for its well known sex tourism (Arnold & Bertone 2002, p8). Many men came to Thailand because up until 1960, prostitution was legal. The Thai government implemented the Prostitution Prohibition Act in 1960. This act defined prostitution as "indiscriminant acceptance of sexual intercourse or acceptance of any other act or the performance of any act for the satisfaction of the sexual desire of another for hire whether the acceptor of the act and the performer of the act are of the same or different act are of the same or different sexes" (Jeffery, 2002 pp.26). This definition highlighted the sexual behavior rather than the exchange of words between two people. Women convicted of prostitution were sentenced to up to six months in jail and were expected to be rehabilitated after. The rehabilitation programs did not equip women with skills for other occupations. Rather it focused on three aspects: the first is child care, health and sanitation; the second is training in proper home care and cooking by officials; and the third is proper codes of conduct regarding morals (Jeffery, 2002 pp.27). According to Women the governments were to blame for the sex trade that was occurring in Thailand, so the governments were trying to rehabilitate them back into society.

In 1966, shortly after the Prostitution Prohibition Act was passed, the Thai government passed the Entertainment Places Act, aiming to regulate the places that prostitutes were found working by obtaining a license from the police before they could attend to male customers. This idea was never really enforced because the police did not regulate these licenses (Armstrong, 2000 pp.11). The government seemed to be promoting the idea that prostitution was illegal; however, they were still promoting Thailand with the entertainment purposes of women through travel agencies. They had also made the statement that prostitution was an unfortunate side effect of poverty (Jeffery, p41).

Since 1960 and 1970, the government has started to recognize the serious problem regarding prostitution in children and women. The Prime Minister has made prostitution one of the government's priorities. In 1980, a new prostitution act was enacted punishing the brothel owners and pimps, and the prostitutes were seen as victims. However a strong criticism of the Thai government is that they usually do not follow through with punishing the offenders (Armstrong, 2000 pp.11). As a consequence of the inaction of the government, and with the sex trade in Thailand becoming well known internationally, women's groups started to step in and fight against this epidemic sweeping through Thailand. In 1880 the feminist group NGO which is a non government organization began focusing on the needs of women; they felt that prostitution was a product of globalization of the economy and the increasing dependence of the tourist industry in Thailand. NGO talked about the unspoken violence against women and children that was taking place as a result of the sex trade such as rape and the harmful health effects such as Aids (Jeffery, 2002 pp.81). The history of the sex trade in Thailand shows how the government was at fault for the growing sex trade that exposes many children and women everyday to health and safety concerns, which is still a problem today.

Many women and children enter into the sex trade in Thailand because of cultural, historical and family reasons. Many women and children are expected to obey their family's wishes and support their family members so they can survive. Many women and children are expected to work in dangerous jobs and not come back empty handed due to their traditional responsibility to care for their parents. Prostitution can be perceived as traditional responsibility to care for their parents. It is a cultural expectation for girls to make sacrifices for their families even if it means entering into the sex trade (General