In Southeast Asia, religious identity is often linked to ethnicity: Malays are Muslim; Thais are Buddhist; and Chinese are either Christian or Buddhist. With that being said, Thailand has many different influences within their country. The social teachings of Buddhism, Islam, and Catholic Social Teaching have all had an impact on shaping the moral compass of Thailand. Buddhism, which makes up the majority in Thailand, has been used to justify prostitution, and Islam’s social teachings have also aided to the already diminishing impression of women in the country. However, many organizations within Thailand make every effort they can to use the principles of Catholic Social Teaching to restore morals and order inside the country.
The innate biases found in Buddhism have produced social conditions in Thailand that accept and encourage prostitution and sex trafficking. The third precept of Buddhism is to refrain from sexual misconduct, and prostitution is clearly a violation of this principle (The Precepts). Still, it is obvious that Buddhist views make men superior to women. Some women felt that they could gain additional merit by serving men in various ways, and prostitution could be rationalized in this context. The women are often desperate to do anything they can to lessen financial pressures on their families, purify their souls, and take one step closer to reaching nirvana. They are constantly looked down upon as dangerous objects that provoke sexual interest in men. Since they are already being judged in this manner, they feel they will receive the same criticism whether they enter into the sex industry or not. However, a woman would not feel condemned by her family when she enters into prostitution because it is known that she is using the opportunity make money for her family and even purify her karma (Buddhism and Prostitution).
It can be said that in Thailand, Muslims and Buddhists share nearly identical social manners, perspectives, formalities and practices (Islam in Thailand). Like the Buddhist view, the Islamic tradition also believes that women have the ability to provoke sexual enticement. For this reason, women must be properly covered at all times, meaning that they wear the “miqab,” a veil concealing their faces, or the “abaya,” a cloak-like cap covering their bodies (El Fadl, 251). However, their “sexual enticement” is not the real issue at hand. The real issue is that Muslim men, specifically Puritans, exercise a power over women that is so aggressive and total that it eventually leads to their complete marginalization and exclusion from public life. For example, a Muslim teaching states that a woman may not refuse her husband sex, except if she is ill. Refusing a husband sex without compelling justification is a grave sin (El Fadl, 259). This proves the intense consolidation of women under the Islamic view. Since Islam is a major religion in Thailand, it is no wonder that there are such inequalities within the country. Like Buddhism, Islam continues to influence Thailand in a negative manner as it diminishes the moral compass of the country.
While there has been an intense growth in sex trafficking, child abuse, and many other injustices in Thailand in the past few decades, there are still some groups within the country which work hard to prevent prejudices and wrongdoings of this sort. Many organizations are inspired by the principles of Catholic Social Teaching to change hatred into love in their societies. According to Catholic Social Teaching, “whatever insults human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children; as well as disgraceful working conditions, where men are treated as mere tools for profit, rather than as free and responsible persons; all these things and others of their like are infamies indeed. They poison human society, but they do more harm to those who practice them than those who suffer from the injury” (Catholic Social Teaching). The Development and Education Program for Daughters and Communities, for example, is a non-profit organization working in Thailand to prevent the trafficking of women and children into the sex industry or other exploitative child labor situations. To achieve these goals, it offers free education, vocational training and full time accommodation for young girls and boys (DEPDC Celebrates 20 Years). Catholic Social Teaching also distinguishes a type of social justice which that persons have an obligation to be active and productive participants in the life of society and that society has a duty to enable them to participate in this way (Catholic Social Teaching). By following these principles, many people in Thailand continue to strive everyday to help save the citizens from social injustices and help them realize that they have rights and duties which they must accept while still paying attention to their morals.
All in all, the morality of Thailand has been clearly influenced by the social teachings of Buddhism, Islam, and Catholic Social Teaching. Religion plays an extremely important role not only in Thailand’s society, but in all societies around the world. It has always provided the moral compass in human culture. Unfortunately, religion is not always interpreted to improve the moral and ethical mindset of a group of people. It sometimes causes discrimination and injustices, as seen with Buddhism and Islam in Thailand. However, it can still be used to guide humanity in the right, moral direction, as seen with the influence of Catholic Social Teaching in Thailand.
Abou, El Fadl, Khaled. The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists. New York, NY: HarperSanFrancisco, 2007. Print.
"Catholic Social Teaching." Major Themes Dignity. Office for Social Justice. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.osjspm.org/major_themes_dignity.aspx>.
"DEPDC Celebrates 20 Years." DEPDC - Help Stop Child Prostitution. DEPDC. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.depdc.org/>.
"Discriminatory and Arbitrary Arrest of Trafficking Victims." Sex Trafficking in Burma and Thailand. Web. 08 May 2011. <http://www.lilith-ezine.com/articles/sex/Sex-Trafficking-in-Burma-and-Thailand.html#_1_33>.
"The Five Precepts, The Eight and Ten Precepts." The Precepts. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/precepts.html>.
"The Influence Of Thai Buddhism on Prostitution." Buddhism and Prostitution. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.sexwork.com/Thailand/buddhism.html>.
"Islam in Thailand." Islam in Thailand. Imam Reza Network. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.imamreza.net/eng/imamreza.php?id=2022>.
"Thailand Journal of Law and Policy." Trafficking in Thailand. Web. 7 May 2011.
"Thailand Trafficking." Thailand - Coalition Against Trafficking of Women. Web. 08 May 2011. <http://www.catwinternational.org/factbook/Thailand.php>.
Anthony Greenfield
ReplyDeleteIf one of the precepts of Buddhism is to refrain from sex outside of marriage, how could a woman transform that into a message to sell herself into prostitution? It is unfortunate that women feel the need to help out financially by entering into sex trafficking, but it is not only on their terms. Men use their forceful ways and their political power to exploit women in the most disturbing ways.
Catholicism has made many great strives to help educate the people of Thailand. Although education will help the people rise out of poverty eventually, it will not help the human trafficking situation immediately. Human trafficking makes up about 50-60 percent of the government's revenue, and educating the people will give little aid to this problem (Factbook on Sexual Exploitation).
http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/thailand.htm
http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/thailand
Tim Sakow
ReplyDeleteYou can't say that woman willing go into prostitution because often it is not a matter of choice, but a choice of a "businessman" that buys her for a price. There is a difference between simply prostitution and sex trafficking. Prostitution and sex trafficking often go hand in hand, but sex trafficking is transporting and trading people across borders as materials. Prostitution in Thailand can be found as a good way of creating revenue for family members, but trafficking is on a buy and sell basis. Once a person is bought or sold, they are no longer a person in the eyes of the owner. The people involved are see as slave laborers and sex slaves without pay and often harsh and inhospitable living conditions. Those who are being trafficked do not have any rights and are often stripped of an identity. So would you agree that the general understanding of prostitution is different from that of sex trafficking? And would you also agree that those who are forced into the business have broken one of the Five Precepts?
http://www.endvawnow.org/en/articles/548-sex-trafficking-acts-means-and-purpose.html
Jennifer Elovitz
ReplyDeleteRE: Kate Molinari
You are correct that this is definitely not the case for ALL Muslims in Thailand. I should have stated that. However, it does not seem valid to state that the MAJORITY of Muslims in Thailand are moderates, especially considering that the Muslim population in Thailand is already small to begin with.
There are two groups of Muslims in Thailand. One group has integrated into general society and maintains peaceful relations with the state--these are the moderates in Northern Thailand. But the Muslims in Southern Thailand are definitely Puritans who have continuous conflicts with the state and a history of separatist tendencies (Tearing Apart the Land: Islam and Legitimacy in Southern Thailand). These Malay-speaking Muslims in the South interpret Islam more harshly.
All in all, the southern Thai Muslims are definitely puritans. They disappeared briefly in the 1980s-90s, but the Southern Thai conflict has come back since 2004.
McCargo, Duncan. "Tearing Apart the Land: Islam and Legitimacy in Southern Thailand." Tearing Apart the Land: Islam and Legitimacy in Southern Thailand. Web. 15 May 2011. .
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Elovitz
ReplyDeleteRE: Anthony Greenfield
When I stated the Buddhism precept, I did not mean for it to be interpreted as "women enter into prostitution because of this precept." I was only stating that when they enter into prostitution, it is a VIOLATION of this precept. It is not the Buddhist precrepts that encourage women to enter into prostitution. It is the fact that Buddhist views obviously make men superior to women. As I said, some women felt that they could gain additional merit by serving men in various ways, and prostitution was able to be rationalized in this context. When a woman enters into prostitution, she believes that she is improving her karma because she is able to help out her family financially. This motivates and encourages women to enter into prostitution because if they purify their karma, they increase their chance of reaching nirvana or being born into the next life as a male, thereby given much more respect than in this life as a female.
While you are correct that the education organizations may not directly help the human trafficking problem immediately, it may help other injustices within Thailand. There are many other problems within the country, so this aspect should be looked at HOLISTICALLY, instead of just at the human trafficking issue alone. Organizations that are inspired by the principles of Catholic Social Teaching to change hatred into love in within Thailand society are slowly but surely improving the overall moral compass of the country. Education is just a small start to increasing the morals within Thailand, but it is still a good start. As you said, education will eventually help people rise out of poverty, and this alone may slowly help decrease the high rate of prostitution within the country.
“Catholic Social Teaching." Major Themes Dignity. Office for Social Justice. Web. 11 May 2011. .
“The Influence Of Thai Buddhism on Prostitution." Buddhism and Prostitution. Web. 11 May 2011. .
Andrea Vilchez
ReplyDeleteBuddhism, as you have stated, has become a major influence in the development of Thailand’s moral compass—particularly shaping their views on prostitution and sex trafficking. While I must agree that women often use Buddhist teachings of karma and merit to justify their prostitution, I feel that a clear distinction between prostitution and sex trafficking is needed. While the two terminologies are often juxtaposed in order to show relation, the two terms have very different definitions. While prostitution constitutes the voluntary selling of the woman’s own body, sex trafficking entails forceful entry, or coercion into prostitution (“Sex Work” versus “Prostitution”). In the case of self-prostitution, the woman can indeed use karma and merit in vain attempts to justify her actions. However, in cases of sex trafficking, the victims have not chosen to sell themselves but have rather been forced into doing so by a third party. Whereas this is still a violation of third precept, in cases of sex trafficking, such a violation is not voluntary.
While it is a known fact that Catholic organizations are working to inculcate Catholic Social Teaching into Thai society, prostitution still remains a major issue throughout the country. Although Catholicism is slowly growing as an influence in the social situation in Thailand, prostitution and sex trafficking remain an increasing problem in Thai society. While missionaries have been at work, attempting to suppress sex trafficking for more than half a century, the issue only seems to be escalating in magnitude, possibly indicating a deficiency in Catholic social work.
Kristof, Nicholas D. ""Sex Work" versus "Prostitution" - NYTimes.com." Globalization and Human Rights - Nicholas D. Kristof Blog - NYTimes.com. The New York Times, 23 Jan. 2006. Web. 17 May 2011. http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/01/23/sex-work-versus-prostitution/.
Jennifer Elovitz
ReplyDeleteRE: Tim Sakow
I did not say that women willingly go into prostitution because they WANT to be prostitutes. I understand and agree that there is a difference between prostitution and sex trafficking. Yes, prostitution in Thailand can be found as a good way of creating revenue for family members, and the innate biases found in Buddhism have produced social conditions in Thailand that accept and encourage it. Due to the fact that women feel that they can both aid their families financially and improve their karma by serving men, some women do in fact choose to enter into prostitution. It is unfortunate, but that is what they feel they must do in desperate times.
I would not agree that those who are FORCED into the business (sex trafficking) have broken one of the Five Precepts of Buddhism. It is true, as you state, that those who are forced into sex trafficking receive no pay and are forced to live in inhospitable conditions. It is wrong to say that they have broken one of the Five Precepts when they are stripped of their rights and identity and are not able to make their own decisions. As for those who CHOOSE to enter into the business (prostitution), the Buddhist values seem to be contradictory. Prostitution is clearly a violation of the third precept, yet women are still not looked down upon by their families when they enter into prostitution. These clashing ideas are hard to understand how a woman could improve her karma, yet violate a principle at the same time. As Kate stated in her own blog post, buddhism has no set moral code (“Buddhism in Thailand, the Buddhist Religion”), therefore the religion cannot create boundaries on respecting the human person.
http://www.thaiworldview.com/bouddha/bouddha4.htm
http://www.sexwork.com/Thailand/buddhism.html
http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/precepts.html>
Jennifer Elovitz
ReplyDeleteRE: Andrea Vilchez
You are right; prostitution and sex trafficking are very different. I was speaking in terms of self-prostitution when I stated that women often use karma and merit in attempts to justify their actions when they enter into prostitution, but I see where it can be unclear among the two in my essay. Those who are forced into sex trafficking are definitely not violating any of the five precepts, since they no longer have any control over their bodies and are stripped of all their rights as a human being.
The prostitution and sex trafficking issues in Thailand are definitely still escalating today in Thailand, despite the work of the missionaries. The missionaries and Catholic organizations are definitely at work in Thailand, however. They are guided by Catholic Social Teaching and are trying to put an end to many immoral situations and crimes within the society, not only prostitution and sex trafficking. They are starting small right now, with education, but that is better than nothing. They are definitely doing more for the people than the Thai government is doing! They are trying to help improve the lives of the people little by little, even if education is all they can do right now. Education will take many of the people very far in life, and education is a right that the people should have.
http://www.depdc.org
http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/precepts.html
http://www.catwinternational.org/factbook/Thailand.php