Carnal Economics

The Political Economy of Prostitution in Asia Pacific

ARE WE GOOD? Simply a foreplay A quickie SI between S-inclined people Arousal is a conduit for learning PDA is allowed, but only to a tolerable

degree Intellectual Masturbation is highly recommended

I. Definition

II. Prostitution in Asian Colonial History

III. The Market Structure

IV. The Client

V. Competing Discourses on Prostitutes

a. Prostitutes as ‘victims’

b. Prostitutes as sexual workers with sexual rights

VI. Policy Approaches to Prostitution

a. Criminalization

b. Legalization

c. Decriminalization

VII. Prostitution and Related Phenomena

a. Human Trafficking

b. Sexually Transmitted Infections

c. Sex Tourism

VIII. Survey of Prostitution in Asia-Pacific Countries

IX. Asia-Pacific Responses to Prostitution

X. Conclusion

DEFINITION

PROSTITUTION An act or practice of engaging in sexual

intercourse for money practices in which cash or goods are

exchanged in order for men to obtain sexual access to the bodies of girls and women (Jeffreys 2008)

the act of rendering, from the client’s point of view, non-reproductive sex against payment (Edlund & Korn 2001)

PROSTITUTIONIN ASIAN COLONIALHISTORY

PROSTITUTION IN ASCOLHIS Prostitution is an institution built on class

and race prejudice. Colonialism promoted stereotypes of

women as exotic who were sexually promiscuous by nature.

Two manifestations: By Western Powers and by Japan as an Asian colonial power

Farley, M. & S. Seo. (2005). Prostitution and Trafficking in Asia.Harvard Asia Pacific Review 8 (2), 9-12.

WESTERN POWERS Britain: Contagious Disease Acts (1864-

1869) were enforced in India United States: “New Militarism” in the

Philippines These were met with resistance at home

Pivar, David. (August 1981). The Military Prostitution, and Colonial Peoples: India and the Philippines, 1885-1917. The Journal of Sex Research 17 (3), 256-269.

JAPAN The military of Imperial Japan Ianfu or pi – comfort women Ianjo were prevalent in the whole Japanese

Asia-Pacific Empire (1932-45) Teishintai vs. sekkusu no dorei

Soh, C.S. (April 2000). From Imperial gifts to sex slaves: Theorizing symbolic Representations of the ‘Comfort Women. ‘ Social Science Japan Journal 3 (1), 59-76.

THE MARKET STRUCTURE

HIGHEND

CALL GIRLS ANDESCORT AGENCIES

BROTHELS, BARS AND CLUBS

STREETWALKING

STREETWALKING more common in warmer than in colder

climates may be entirely independent or part of

structured networks including coworkers and pimps or other people who are expected to assist in cases of assault or arrest

receives the most attention from the press, communities, police, and researchers

Brener, L. & I. Pauw. (1997). Naming the Dangers of Working on the Street. Agenda 36 , 80-83.

BROTHEL To the customer: it provides a room, a

prostitute, and sexual service for a fee To prostitutes: it provides safety, serviced

rooms, clientele, and good pay. Reputational concerns and surveillance

reduce the risk of robbery, assault and venereal disease in brothels

CALL GIRLS handle their own businesses and work

alone rather than in a brothel do not advertise but instead rely on a loyal

clientele form cliques within which they refer clients

to each other

ESCORT AGENCIES provide sexual services to clients under the

guise of supplying “dates” or “escorts” for clients

may have escorts of one gender or all genders, including women, male, and transgender escorts.

THE CLIENT

AS THE NON-PERSON Prostitutes as deviants/victims whereas

clients are often missing in the picture Perpetuates the idea of a natural male sex

drive Prostitution is a trade

Sea-ling, C. (2000). Assuming manhood: Prostitution and patriotic passions in Korea. East Asia: An International Quarterly 18 (4), 40-78.

MASCULISATION OF POWER Men as desiring subjects and women as

desired objects Male sex duty and male sex rights Private desires are shaped by transnational

forces Sexual expressions as embodiments of

grander concerns of the nation

Sea-ling, C. (2000). Assuming manhood: Prostitution and patriotic passions in Korea. East Asia: An International Quarterly 18 (4), 40-78.

Competing Discourses

on Prostitutes

PROSTITUTES AS VICTIMS Violence against women, paid and unpaid Reproductive and sexual health problems

PROSTITUTES AS SEXUAL WORKERS Neo-liberal language Decriminalization of the industry Brought by the pouring of ‘AIDS money’ Network of Sex Work Projects Reproductive labor

Cheerleaders or

critics?Jeffreys, S. (2008). The Industrial Vagina: The Political Economy of the Global Sex Trade. UK: Routledge.

POLICY APPROACHES TO PROSTITUTION

CRIMINALIZATION involves the use of criminal sanction to

control prostitution and any related activities

Prostitution as a social evil which could not be countenanced in any way

Shaver, F. (1985). Prostitution: A Critical Analysis of Three Policy Approaches. Canadian Public Policy 11 (3), 493-503.

LEGALIZATION A.k.a. regulation attempts are made to license or register

prostitutes and bawdy-houses and to require that prostitutes be monitored and checked for venereal diseases

It assumes that prostitution serves the different sexual needs of men and women and must be regulated so as to contain its worst side effects.

Shaver, F. (1985). Prostitution: A Critical Analysis of Three Policy Approaches. Canadian Public Policy 11 (3), 493-503.

DECRIMINALIZATION Prostitution is regarded neither as a crime

nor a licensable activity The only role for the state is to eradicate

the objective conditions that force people into it and to ensure that those profiteering from the prostitution of others are penalized

Shaver, F. (1985). Prostitution: A Critical Analysis of Three Policy Approaches. Canadian Public Policy 11 (3), 493-503.

PROSTITUTION AND RELATED PHENOMENA

HUMAN TRAFFICKING Traces its roots from the mid-19th century

when Japanese girls were being trafficked onwards to destinations in South Asia and the Pacific, including Australia

Trafficking in women and girls into debt bondage is becoming the main method of supply for national and international sex industries

SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS Prostitutes and sex workers are in the

forefront in the acquisition and transmission of STIs

A public health issue Availability of tools and techniques to lower

risk & peer-education model

PROSTITUTION TOURISM Groundwork done by US military

prostitution A significant market fostering both national

economic development and international capital accumulation

Business and sports

SURVEY OF PROSTITUTION IN

ASIA PACIFIC COUNTRIES

Itewan section of Seoul and Texas Street in the port of Pusan

Mama-sans are normally addressed as Mama-Lee or Mama-Moon

Men are called “Yobo” the girls there have the best looking legs of

any females in Asia

Synder, P. (May 1974). Prostitution in Asia. The Journal of Sex Research 10 (2), 119-127.

Around the military bases, there are 18,000 registered and 9,000 unregistered prostitutes.

Forms of prostitution include escort and call girls, street prostitution, and from cafes, clubs, cabarets, show cases, massage parlors and beauty shops.

Women suspected of prostitution can be confined in rehabilitation centers without due process.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

It has the least commercialized sex in the Orient

Ginza and Akasaka chome the girls in the these clubs are hostesses

only and are not generally available for fun and games after closing at any price

Nikko-Gino's restaurant; $100 short-time

Synder, P. (May 1974). Prostitution in Asia. The Journal of Sex Research 10 (2), 119-127.

The largest sex industry market for Asian women. Over 150,000 non-Japanese women in prostitution, more than half are Filipinas, 40 percent are Thai women.

One 'sex zone' in Tokyo, only 0.34 sq. km., has 3,500 sex facilities: strip theaters, peep shows, 'soaplands,' 'lover's banks,' porno shops, telephone clubs, karaoke bars, clubs, etc.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

Japanese men also constitute the largest number of sex tourists in Asia.

The sex industry accounts for 1 percent of the Gross National Product and equals the defense budget.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

Taipei has both prostitutes and bar hostesses

If it is named a club such as "Mam'selle Club" or "Playgirl Club“….

If the establishment is called a bar, such as "Shanghai Bar," "O.K. Bar," "Miami Bar" …

Synder, P. (May 1974). Prostitution in Asia. The Journal of Sex Research 10 (2), 119-127.

Forty percent of young prostitutes in the main red-light district are aboriginal girls. Girls under 13 have been made to undergo hormone injections by brothels owners to hasten their physical development.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

In Angeles City, pretty teenage girls will do for 30 pesos (about four dollars) for twenty-four hours anything a customer may want her to do.

The only place oral and anal sex are easy to find in the Far East is in the Philippines

The only thing to be on guard against in the Philippines is robbery.

Synder, P. (May 1974). Prostitution in Asia. The Journal of Sex Research 10 (2), 119-127.

There are an estimated 300,000 women in prostitution, and 75,000 prostituted children.

'Entertainment' is the main channel, but a range of establishments from dirt-floor beer houses to karaoke clubs to beach resorts to expensive health clubs provide prostitution for men of every social class.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

Government policies favor the export of entertainers and domestic helpers that put women at risk.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

To pick up a girl for a whole night one has to turn to the independents that sit around in the coffee shops in Bangkok and the nightclubs in Utapao, Pattaya, Korat, Ubon, or Udorn

A man shacking up with a Thai woman is called her Tealock and she his.

Synder, P. (May 1974). Prostitution in Asia. The Journal of Sex Research 10 (2), 119-127.

Estimates on the number of women in prostitution range from 300,000 to 2.8 million, of which a third are minors. Thai women are also in prostitution in many countries in Asia, Australia, Europe and the US.

4.6 million Thai men regularly, and 500,000 foreign tourists annually, use prostituted women.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

MALAYSIA There are an estimated 142,000 women in

prostitution in Malaysia, with between 8,000-10,000 in Kuala Lumpur.

Main channels of sexual exploitation: recreation businesses, i.e. entertainment, fitness clubs and the like. Almost every town has a red-light district.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

MYANMAR There are an estimated 20,000 - 30,000

Burmese women in Thailand. Forms of trafficking: deceptive job placements that land women in brothels, abduction by agents for clients, sale of girls from hill tribes. As illegal immigrants in Thailand, prostitutes are arrested, detained and deported back to Burma, with 50-70 percent being HIV positive.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

INDONESIA There are 65,582 registered prostitutes in

1994, with an estimated total of 500,000 in prostitution.

Localized bordello complexes, 'localisasi,' are managed under local government regulations.

The estimated financial turnover of the sex industry ranges from US$ 1.2 billion to US$ 3.6 billion.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

VIETNAM Females in the labor force on most of the

military outposts pinch-hit as prostitutes Americans were even told that the

Vietnamese prostitutes have some V.D.'s that medical science has not been able to classify yet let alone find a cure for

Synder, P. (May 1974). Prostitution in Asia. The Journal of Sex Research 10 (2), 119-127.

VIETNAM Most trafficking is to China and to

Cambodia, including children. Trafficking happens through kidnapping, especially for brothels, deceptive job offers or tourist trips, match-making with foreigners who often sell and resell the women abroad.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

THE DOI MOI Prostitution is becoming a feature of the

burgeoning tourism industry: hotels and tourist companies provide women to clients. Also, business deals are closed with presents of women.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

India There are an estimated 2.3 million women in

prostitution, of which a quarter are minors. Over 1,000 red-light districts all over India,

where cage prostitutes are mostly minors often from Nepal and Bangladesh.

Forms of trafficking: economic incentives offered to parents to part with the children, fake job or marriage promises, abductions.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

Bangladesh There are an estimated 200,000 women

trafficked to Pakistan in the last 10 years, continuing at the rate of 200-400 women monthly.

In 1994, 2,000 women were prostituted in six cities in India.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

Nepal There are an estimated 5,000 women

trafficked to India yearly. After India with 100,000 women, Hong Kong is the second biggest market.

Organizers in rural areas, brokers and even family members sell girls. Husbands sometimes sell their wives to brothels.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

Nepal There are an estimated 5,000 women

trafficked to India yearly. After India with 100,000 women, Hong Kong is the second biggest market.

Organizers in rural areas, brokers and even family members sell girls. Husbands sometimes sell their wives to brothels.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

Nepal Prostitutes do not serve kuire tourists The rise of prostitution and of public eating

are manifestations of the new moral economy of the market

Liechty, M. (2005). Carnal Economies: The Commodification of Food and Sex in Kathmandu. Cultural Anthropology 20 (1), 1-38.

Sri Lanka Eighty percent of labor migration in 1994

was of women workers. Job trainees in Korea and Japan have disappeared into underground labor markets, including prostitution.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

Federal Police estimate that prostitution grosses A$30 million annually.

International crime syndicates traffic drugs and women, with 10 smaller syndicates trafficking 300 Thai women yearly.

Recruiters go to Russia to hire women for 'tabletop dancing' in clubs often with links to brothels

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

The Australian Council of Trade Unions recently recognized women in prostitution as a labor sector.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/apmap.htm

ASIA-PACIFIC APPROACHES TO PROSTITUTION

THREE-PRONGED Legislation Exit programs Education

LEGISLATION 2000 Protocol on Trafficking The Swedish model The Philippines’ Anti-Trafficking in Persons

Act of 2003 The South Korean Anti-sex trafficking law

EXIT PROGRAMS housing, counseling, legal information,

medical, psychological and material assistance and employment, and educational and training opportunities

EDUCATION The John School model The CATWAP Initiative

CONCLUSION

Surplus of Males Economic development and restructuring

vis-à-vis women’s security of employment Conscious and immediate reasons Non-economic gains

Pomeroy, W. (Nov. 1965). Some Aspects of Prostitution. The Journal of Sex Research1 (3), 177-187.