According to my research, the connections between what most people think of as slavery and the the practice of prostitution are the least commonly understood. Connecting these two terms in people's minds is, therefore, absolutely vital in undermining both of these practices.
Is sex trafficking slavery?
In his book Desposable People, Kevin Bales gives an example of human trafficking in Thailand which, though it appears to be just human trafficking, bears the hallmarks of de jure and even de facto slavery.
Sex trafficking in Thailand defies easy categorization as de facto slavery for one main reason, it takes place in defiance of the law. Bales wonders, "In Thailand prostitution is illegal...How can this wholesale trade in girls continue?" (37). Yes, in Thailind, like so many other places in the world, sex trafficking is illegal, yet it goes on anyway. Its the degree to which this practice continues that makes it slavery. It does not go on sporadically or during temporary suspensions in the law. The practice is so consistent and widespread that it goes far beyond forced labor or human trafficking and crosses the line into actual slavery. We may recognize it by its hallmarks, which have been outlined in previous pages. LINKS TO THESE PAGES WILL APPEAR WITHIN THE TEXT...
Commodification of People:
As mentioned on PAGE X. Slavery is typified by the commodification of people, the buying and selling of human beings as if they were things, and Bales' Disposable People clearly shows this occurring with his exmple of Siri, a Thai prostitute. Bales states describes her not only being sold by her parents, but then rented as if she were a car. Bales notes, "Siri is 15 years old. Sold by her parents a year ago...Because she looks like a child, she can be sold as a 'new' girl at a higher price, about 15 dollars which is more than twice that charged for the other girls" (Bales 36). Please note also that Siri is valued because of her looks, another feature of slavery,..marked for some lot in life by a physical feature.
1. Sanctioned by Law
though slavery is thechnically illegal in thailand, the laws are not enforced, making it effectgively legal.
"When the police men use her...they will do as they please; if she tries to resist, she will be beaten and raped" (Bales 34).
2. Dependence on Masters
Siri is dependent on her masters not only for her her safety, which they themselves threaten, but for her very identity.
"...her resistance and desire to escape the brothel are breaking down and acceptance and resignation are taking their place" (Bales 34).
Once a month she has an HIV test...she knows if she tests positive she will be thrown out of the brothel to starve" (Bales 36).
The beatings and work continued night after night until her will was broken. Now she is sure that she is a bad person, very bad to have deserved what has happened to her. When I commented on how pretty she looked...like a pop star, she replied, 'I,m no star;I'm just a whore. That's all'" (Bales 36). .
Bales, Kevin. Disposable People. Berekeley: University of California Press. 2012. Print.
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