This story was actually published about a week ago, but it still haunts me and I think needs to be discussed so that more people are aware of it. Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times has written quite a bit on the brothels that exits in Cambodia, Thailand, and other parts of S.E. Asia. This is a nightmarish world where young girls are kidnapped and sold to brothels where they are brutalized daily and often killed if they don't perform as expected. Since virgins are highly sought after and can bring in a lot of money to a brothel, girls are often stitched up multiple times so that they can be re-sold as virgins, according to Kristof.
In this particular article, a 13-year-old girl named Long Pross had one of her eyes gouged out with a piece of metal by a brothel owner simply for complaining about the pain she was in following a brutal abortion. She tells her story in a video that is attached to this article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/opinion/04kristof.html
We can't turn away from these young girls. Something must be done to stop this from continuing......
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This problem is not unique to overseas countries. We have this underground business in our own backyards: LA and Las Vegas for example. It is a sad state of affairs when a civilized, powerful, highly educated society such us our own, has a problem no different than a country such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Phillipines, Thailand, etc. While poverty is the biggest driver for many who enter this type of life in those countries (either forced by a father who sells the girl, or voluntarely joining a brothel) what is the excuse in our country? As long as "demand" exists for child pornography, child prostitution, and oversexed images in the media we will continue to see horrific stories such as this one.
The article did not address the fact that most clients at these brothels are typically white middle class men from European countries as well as the United States and other business types from Japan and China who self-indulged in fantasies while no one is watching and/or while on a business trip. The money-making promise makes this a very lucrative option because the demand to purchase the service is there. Cutting the demand will require a change not just in international/national laws, but in a new morality that condemns crimes against children. How do you change the mind of a pervert who travels the distances to self-indulge? Where do we start?
January 13, 2009 - 12:59amThis Comment
It is a heartbreaking story that is all too common in that area of the world. In many cases, the girls are actually sold by their families into slavery so that even if they escaped, they have nowhere to go.
If you want to help, there are charities that are working to help the women and girls trapped in slavery. I donate to Shared Hope International, but I'm sure that there are others if that one doesn't suit you.
January 12, 2009 - 9:39amThis Comment