Under the Red Lights
We went shopping a few nights ago on the street in Pattaya. While walking around we took a turn down a soi (side street). Suddenly, it wasn’t clothes or shoes or hats for sale…..it was women for sale.
It’s amazing what happened when I walked into the Red Light District for the first time….when I really saw the horror close up. Suddenly I didn’t react how I expected to react. It’s as if my body took over, involuntarily, to protect and preserve me. I just SHUT DOWN. Mentally and emotionally it’s as if someone flipped a switch. I just went NUMB. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing was real!
Here’s a glimpse of what we saw that night. Take note that this is just ONE little side street, and that it wasn’t even in the worst area. Rusty interviewed me to capture some of the raw emotion I was feeling in response to what we experienced…
The sex industry in Thailand is a multi-BILLION dollar industry. We’ve heard reports of between 700,000 and 2.8 million prostitutes in Thailand (even though prostitution is supposedly “illegal” in this country). But reading reports and hearing stories did not prepare me for my walk down that street. It was almost too much to bear when the realization of all I’d seen set in.
Most of the women in the bars are my age or younger, and they’re trapped in this industry because they have no other options. Poverty is a serious issue in this country – many girls come to work here because there is no other way for them to make enough money to support their family. Some of them are SOLD by their own parents to the brothels, often at a young age. Thailand’s Health System Research Institute estimates that 40% of prostitutes in Thailand are CHILDREN.
To see these issues up close have been truly heartbreaking. We believe every child deserves an opportunity – and no child should end up in such a hopeless situation like this. We are excited about working with our partners here to help make that a possibility for at risk children in this area. We believe we can help give these kids HOPE, and empower them with education and life skills so that as many kids as possible don’t end up in the bars. You can help us empower children by donating here.
Under the Red Lights from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.
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Kendra Mott
God bless you for opening your heart and seeing with God’s eyes the dreadful evil of human trafficking and especially the child prostitution. You have my prayers.