Traffickers lure these vulnerable teens into bars with the promise of a salary, then trap them in a vicious cycle of drug addiction, debt and violence.
Many of the boys are from northern Thailand’s hill tribes: impoverished, uneducated and without official papers. “They’re not chained to the bars, but they have so much psychological pressure that keeps them in that lifestyle,” says Russell. There’s a widespread misconception that victims of sex trafficking are kidnapped and locked up, but the reality is more complex. Kampon “Pop” Maijandee is a counsellor at Urban Light Urban Light staff hand out condoms and fliers in bars and brothels in touristy areas of the city that seem innocuous enough, but are notorious spots for Western men (and increasingly Chinese and Thai men, Russell says) to find children for sale. “I sold my wedding ring and used that money to get back to Thailand and rent a little space in the red light district.” When she returned to her life in Washington DC, she couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d witnessed. Russell visited the bars every night of her two-week trip. She felt distraught and helpless when one by one, customers came to buy the boys and take them away. “I went back to the bars later that night.” The boys were curious about the only woman in the bar, and Russell gradually gained their trust by buying them bottles of coke, playing games and chatting about football in broken Thai. When she tried to help, Russell was told, “Save your time for the girls, those boys are just going to get HIV and die.” The young American was there to research trafficking in an effort to support girls, but was shocked to see Western men sitting in bars with 14-year-old boys on their laps. Russell launched Urban Light after an eye-opening visit to Chiang Mai’s red light district in 2009. The boys are wary but friendly, smiling shyly. Others play ping pong, lift weights and smoke cigarettes on the little rooftop.
Some nap or watch movies in the breakroom. On a quiet afternoon here at the Urban Light centre, teen boys lounge around after a big lunch of homemade Pad Thai. Now Krit teaches teen boys – also sex-trafficking victims – to drive the noisy three-wheel taxis Refuge Her organisation provides health check-ups, counselling, education and housing programmes – and has reached 5,000 boys in seven years. Urban Light founder Alezandra Russell insists that sex trafficking “is now a multi-billion dollar industry that’s affecting both genders”. In Thailand there’s a higher prevalence of young boys performing survival sex on the streets, according to the Global Slavery Index. The UN estimates that almost 30 percent of all trafficking victims are male, but this includes forced labour, not just sex trafficking. Reliable numbers are difficult to come by with most research overlooking boys. But the plight of boys is much less understood. The country is a notorious destination for sex tourists, and has one of the highest rates of child prostitution in the world. It’s part of a project run by Urban Light, the only NGO in Thailand that supports male victims of sex trafficking.
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They practice English and learn how to read maps. He takes them to abandoned parking lots to practice changing gears and reversing. Now Krit is teaching other teen boys – also sex-trafficking victims – to drive the noisy three-wheel taxis. I have a new desire to change my life, to work hard and take care of myself. “I don’t need money from customers in the bars. “I feel independent because I can control my own life,” says Krit, whose name has been changed to protect his privacy. But he made a miraculous recovery and went on to set up his own tuk-tuk business. It was a horrific life that forced Krit to the brink the teen was later hospitalised with HIV, and almost died. He endured cruelty and exploitation, forced to go home with the men who venture to these dark places to buy sex with children. For five years he worked in seedy bars and dingy massage joints in Chiang Mai’s red light district. Krit was a victim of Thailand’s sex-trafficking trade. His customers were still Western tourists, but they went to him for sex, not tuk-tuk rides. Several years ago when Krit was just 16, this picture was very different. He can make as much as 3,000 Thai baht ($92) in a day driving tourists around this northern city. Chiang Mai, Thailand – Krit hangs out near McDonald’s most days, polishing the hood of his green tuk-tuk and waiting for customers.