Sorry

In Australia we had a "Sorry" day when the Prime Minister apologized to the "Stolen Generation". These were the aborigines who were taken from their families albeit to give them a better life. The general consensus was that this was the proper thing to do and the effects of separating families were not considered. Their culture and sensitivities were not respected and society was carrying the burden without the subject being addressed.

In Thailand a similar thing is happening and we all think we are doing the best thing. That is the exploitation of the country's young women. When you hear of the underage prostitution from the Stickman submissions I believe this is the tip of the iceberg. These girls are psychologically damaged early and carry this legacy through their life.

Is it any wonder these girls who enter the bar scenes become bitter and untrustworthy?

Many bar girls enter at an age at which they are just not mature enough. They are then on the slippery slope that they will never get off. Luckily the mentoring from older girls is strong and it helps the girls somewhat.

The legal age of consent in Thailand is 15 years for the general population and 18 years for prostitutes or bar girls. So this means presumably that you won’t find a girl working in a bar under 18 years old. I don’t think anyone who has been to the bars in Thailand believes this. The way I see it is if you are having sex with a girl under 18 from a bar you are a paedophile! Some may argue but it is the law and do you want to challenge the Thai justice system on this one? Also what are the chances you may be set up or get caught in a sting? Especially if the girl’s father considers that there is money to be made from a rich farang. I hear the Thai prisons are not 4 star rated so consider this when you next have that night on the town.

Conversely if you are a bar owner and you have girls working who are under 18 you are breaking the law. And you should feel the full weight of the justice system and don’t think it won’t happen unless you are a fool.

The obsession to have sex with young women we are probably all guilty of. I don't mean underage women I am talking about the 18 to 25 year olds.

Relatively rich farang men seek these girls and these girls can make good money, especially if they are attractive.

Their family exploits this fact as well because they know the money will come flowing back to them. This is the way it works and people think it works well for all involved so why the fuss.

They forget the long term damage to the girls. Hopefully they will come out the other end in tact but what are the prospects for a bar girl after her use by date is up?

What can we do about it? Don't turn a blind eye to paedophilia! If you see this nonsense going on report it to the authorities. Surely paedophiles read this Stickman site and I encourage all of you to join a flying club.

For the mostly normal farangs, don't push to take the youngest girl in the bar. There are many beautiful Thai women that are 25 and older. Personally I think older farangs need to take stock here and look at the older girls. There is definitely a cringe factor when you see an old farang arm in arm with a teenage Thai girl. There are many charming older ladies who still have great bodies, good looks and are interesting to talk to.

It is said that in the Land of Smiles it is not as easy to find a smile these days and this I believe is a contributing factor. It can be a dog eat dog callous, mean world at times and sometimes we need to reflect more on what effect we are having on our surroundings and our fellow citizens. When I read a submission about a 50 plus year old farang who is being exploited by a twenty something bar girl I think what comes around goes around and yes there is a certain justice.

I write this submission because I love Thai girls and Thai women and even though it is their chosen industry I hate to see them being exploited. Yes they are making more money than they would otherwise but we must acknowledge that yes they are being exploited for our greed. Also I believe the things we don’t like about bar girls are a reflection of ourselves or are of our making.

So to all of the Thai females out there I would like to say sorry.