Join me in weeping
Posted by tom | Dec 18, 2006for, praying for, and taking action on behalf of those caught in prostitution and sexual slavery in Asian countries. No longer satisfied with shipping off their women as picture brides, Camboida, the Philippines and Thailand have become the places to visit for those seeking sex with minors and teenage girls, according to a study conducted by Johns Hopkins University. The presence of U.S. military bases helped build these industries in the Philippines, Thailand and South Korea. In 2002:
Of the 41 U.S. military camps in Korea, the 12 biggest are served by nearby "camptowns," where bar owners licensed by the Korean government sell tax-free alchohol to G.I.s (Korean civilians are not allowed in the bars.) Some 2 million customers visited the camptowns in 2000, the last year for which figures are available, according to Korea's Cutlure and Tourism Ministry. Troops at all the military installations in Korea are briefed on the consequences of engaging in illegal acticities, including the one-year jail term that paying for sex can bring under U.S. military law (Donald MacIntyre, Base Instincts: Filipina and Russian Women Are Being Sold into Sexual Slavery in the Seedy Bars and Nightclubs That Serve U.S. Military Bases in South Korea, Time Asia, August 12, 2002).
It has been estimated the 2-14% of the gross domestic product of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Tahiland is from sex tourism (Mata Press Service, Asia Hunts Sex Tourists, The Asian Pacific Post, September 7, 2005). -- Excerpted from Kathy Khangs' Freedom in Sexuality in More Than Serving Tea: Asian American Women on Expections, Relationships, Leadership and Faith, Downers Grove: IL: IVP, 2006, pp.89-90).
To be a part of addressing these concerns and related ones, connect with International Justice Mission, led by IVCF alum Gary Haugen and recently covered by Time in Cambodia's Child Sex Crackdown. FYI: They'll have a booth at http://www.urbana.org, Gary will speak at Jubilee 2007 and LCBC in the spring, Bill Clark will speak at Grantham Brethren-in-Christ in the Spring.
