Week 3, Blog #3 Child Exploitation & Abuse - Youth Sex Workers

In March 2003, Chris Hansen traveled with Dateline NBC to Cambodia and aided in the rescue of over 30 very young children involved in sex work. The images of the children were frightening. Locked away in a brothel they were as young as five with an understanding of bartering and enough English to strike a deal with their visiting customers from the west. I was concerned initially watching the video because after reading the article from Montgomery I was able to understand that child sex work in South East Asia is not just a violation of the CRC but also a political, social, and economic circumstance (Montgomery, 2007).

I was fortunate enough to be able to locate follow-up videos from 2008 on four of the girls that were rescued from Cambodia (Hansen, 2008). Viewing the rescue efforts I was extremely pleased to see the girls smiling and talking about their future. An unnamed organization had taken them in and was caring for them. They were attending school, learning martial arts and dance and although they had been removed from the brothel at such young ages they understood what they had been through and how they were rescued from such a dark place.

Filial piety is a form of obligation for the child to support the family financially (Montgomery, 2007). Montgomery discussed filial duty in response to the child sex workers in Thailand that she was able to observe. Through ethnographic interviewing Montgomery attempted to gather understanding about the dynamics of child sex work in the area she called, Baan Nua.

It was honorable to me that the children felt a sense of indebtedness to their parents. Being able to provide for the family they expressed a feeling of pride and their own autonomy. Listening to the retellings it reminded of the interviews of the kids that ran away from home. They too were able to justify their experiences of living on the street and define it from a place of empowerment.

If the children in Baan Nua felt empowered, than the interview by Rubenson in Ho Chi Minh, China told a different tale, “I would like to live decently as everyone else. But, please, think about this: everyone has a happy family, but for me the family is pain. When we were children they neglected us. They did not send us to school. Now when we are able to make money they exploit us. They use all different ways to get our money. Many times I feel I hate my parents extremely, deep in my blood and to my bones” (Rubenson, 2005, p. 407).

The above reference was not everyone’s experience but a depiction that Western Culture is more apt to understand. We want to believe that sex workers are ashamed and hate what they do. I think there is a consensus thought that these prostitutes are children and adults for that matter, which have been abused by their parents. It’s difficult for our society to view that it’s honorable for a child to sell themselves in order to support their family. It’s even harder to understand the parents that allow their children to be placed in such harmful situations both physically and psychologically.

Montgomery, an anthropologist discussed her ethical dilemmas while in Baan Nua when she stated, “To my mind, and in the modern western ideal, parents are expected to make sacrifices for their children; the child is vulnerable, in need of protection from adults, has the right to an education, should not work and should be protected from sexual relations either with other children or adults before the age of 16” (Montgomery, 2007, p. 416). This is my own understanding of children. I share this ideal. Montgomery’s words mirror my exact feelings.

Nevertheless, I can understand the dilemma that these populations face. Baan Nua functioned as a community only because of the children. They were the glue that held the village together, both financially and socially (Montgomery, 2007). When families live in areas where there are no jobs, no education, and no opportunities a tough decision must be made in order to sustain life.

Hansen, C (Correspondent). (2003, March). Children for Sale [Television series episode]. Dateline . New York: NBC.

Hansen, C (Correspondent). (2008, August). They Have a Future [Television series episode]. Dateline . New York: NBC.

Montgomery, H. (2007). Working with child prostitues in Thailand: Problems of practice and interpretation. Childhood, 14(4), 415.

Rubenson, B., Hanh, L. T., Hojer., B., Johansson, E. (2005). Young sex-workers in ho chi minh city telling their life stories. Childhood, 12(3), 391.