By Joanne Lii
Sexual exploitation and sexual tourism are both controversial issues at THIMUN-Singapore III. General Assembly 3 discusses the importance of stopping sexual exploitation in Russia, Burma, and Colombia while the ECOSOC committee confronts problems associated with stopping sexual tourism in Thailand, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Cuba. The stereotypical reaction to these topics is shock that such crudeness still exists in today’s advanced society, followed by heroic speeches on how to efficiently stop the these horrific practices. Delegates this year are expected to do exactly this and find an impressive solution. However, which of them are just playing their role well and which ones are truly passionate about resolving the issues? Several individuals this year have been personally affected by these two concerns.A delegate who wishes to remain anonymous tells, “I knew a girl in Russia, trapped in a house with only a mother and grandmother who were both uncaring and later discovered to be drunks. She felt that her only option was to run away from home. She lived on her own for a while, begging for her food, but she was eventually found and put in a foster home. She didn’t like the foster home, though, and ran off again. Then her father came and she to lived with him. This time the father left one day and just didn’t come back. The only thing the government could do was to put her in another foster home. She had lots of relatives who wanted to take her in but she always ran away. One day, this man found her on the street while she was begging for food and fed her and took her in. Later the police found out the man was a pedophile who had been harming many young children. They caught him and put him in jail, but the girl is still missing.”There are many more stories like this where young girls with unsupportive families go to big cities like Moscow to find better lives. Somehow, there always seems to be an immoral person ready to take advantage of these confused girls and sexually exploit them. “They are confused and don’t know what they’re doing,” says Maria Stanislavova, who lived in Russia for twelve years. “I hope someone will realize what is going on and screen what type of people will take care of those kids because they are just forming. They need someone to guide them.” Kirill Chemeritsin, also from Russia, says, “In the last few years I haven’t heard anything. The news doesn’t report it, so I think people don’t really know about it.” After this conference, hopefully all those who have participated will know more about this important matter, which will be the first step to stopping it. Thailand, especially in tourist spots like Pattaya, is infamous for the rampant spread of sexual tourism. Jaja Tantrungkij, Delegate of Batswana, shares information from a Thai point of view: “It happens when women move to urban areas to find work, but when something unfortunate happens, they always end up as prostitutes in tourist areas, mostly along the coast where foreigners like to gather and party. Actually it used to be centered in Bangkok, then Pattaya was the partying area, but now it’s moving back to around Bangkok again. There are people working on solving the problem, but they are suspicious, too. Firstly there’s the National Governmental Organization (NGO), fighting for justices like women’s rights, but it’s funded by powerful politicians who only bring up the topic around election time when they want votes. It’s hard to trust that these people are truly trying to change the wrongdoing when they have so many other things to enjoy for themselves. Then there’s the media who report sexual tourism when it happens but always to get something shocking on the news. They don’t do it for the sake of informing people to try to stop it. It’s part of the sensationalism. The really big problem is the police and the brotherals who’re supposed to be stopping sexual tourism, but they’re corrupt too. Some of them might be behind the sexual tourism organizations. I think people really want to stop it, but it’s hard to take a lot of action. Even though globalization has come to Thailand, we still have a very conservative culture.”While both of these issues are of big concern to people of the world, little has been done to change the horrible practices. Hopefully this has brought delegates a little closer to the reality of the issue and a little more passionate about standing up for what’s right. It is now up to each individual to see what he or she can contribute to resolve the problems of sexual tourism and sexual exploitation.
Sexual exploitation and sexual tourism are both controversial issues at THIMUN-Singapore III. General Assembly 3 discusses the importance of stopping sexual exploitation in Russia, Burma, and Colombia while the ECOSOC committee confronts problems associated with stopping sexual tourism in Thailand, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Cuba. The stereotypical reaction to these topics is shock that such crudeness still exists in today’s advanced society, followed by heroic speeches on how to efficiently stop the these horrific practices. Delegates this year are expected to do exactly this and find an impressive solution. However, which of them are just playing their role well and which ones are truly passionate about resolving the issues? Several individuals this year have been personally affected by these two concerns.A delegate who wishes to remain anonymous tells, “I knew a girl in Russia, trapped in a house with only a mother and grandmother who were both uncaring and later discovered to be drunks. She felt that her only option was to run away from home. She lived on her own for a while, begging for her food, but she was eventually found and put in a foster home. She didn’t like the foster home, though, and ran off again. Then her father came and she to lived with him. This time the father left one day and just didn’t come back. The only thing the government could do was to put her in another foster home. She had lots of relatives who wanted to take her in but she always ran away. One day, this man found her on the street while she was begging for food and fed her and took her in. Later the police found out the man was a pedophile who had been harming many young children. They caught him and put him in jail, but the girl is still missing.”There are many more stories like this where young girls with unsupportive families go to big cities like Moscow to find better lives. Somehow, there always seems to be an immoral person ready to take advantage of these confused girls and sexually exploit them. “They are confused and don’t know what they’re doing,” says Maria Stanislavova, who lived in Russia for twelve years. “I hope someone will realize what is going on and screen what type of people will take care of those kids because they are just forming. They need someone to guide them.” Kirill Chemeritsin, also from Russia, says, “In the last few years I haven’t heard anything. The news doesn’t report it, so I think people don’t really know about it.” After this conference, hopefully all those who have participated will know more about this important matter, which will be the first step to stopping it. Thailand, especially in tourist spots like Pattaya, is infamous for the rampant spread of sexual tourism. Jaja Tantrungkij, Delegate of Batswana, shares information from a Thai point of view: “It happens when women move to urban areas to find work, but when something unfortunate happens, they always end up as prostitutes in tourist areas, mostly along the coast where foreigners like to gather and party. Actually it used to be centered in Bangkok, then Pattaya was the partying area, but now it’s moving back to around Bangkok again. There are people working on solving the problem, but they are suspicious, too. Firstly there’s the National Governmental Organization (NGO), fighting for justices like women’s rights, but it’s funded by powerful politicians who only bring up the topic around election time when they want votes. It’s hard to trust that these people are truly trying to change the wrongdoing when they have so many other things to enjoy for themselves. Then there’s the media who report sexual tourism when it happens but always to get something shocking on the news. They don’t do it for the sake of informing people to try to stop it. It’s part of the sensationalism. The really big problem is the police and the brotherals who’re supposed to be stopping sexual tourism, but they’re corrupt too. Some of them might be behind the sexual tourism organizations. I think people really want to stop it, but it’s hard to take a lot of action. Even though globalization has come to Thailand, we still have a very conservative culture.”While both of these issues are of big concern to people of the world, little has been done to change the horrible practices. Hopefully this has brought delegates a little closer to the reality of the issue and a little more passionate about standing up for what’s right. It is now up to each individual to see what he or she can contribute to resolve the problems of sexual tourism and sexual exploitation.
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