Another article I am choosing for my research paper is Morphological shifts in Southeast Asian Prostitution: The Long Twentieth Century. This article focuses on the history of prostitution and how it has contributed to the sex tourism that is seen in today in the region. The article first discusses traditional prostitution in the area. Tagliacozzo (2008) states that years ago, prostitution was not as widespread, there were other sexual tenures that took place. Temporary marriages were much popular. Some had the choice to pursue this route while others were pressured by family and the general public to become involved. Later on, the buying of slaves became very popular. This is something the Chinese took notice of and started to begin operations around. The concept of concubines also became popular. Certain governments started to take notice of the demand and started to tax prostitution. “The Siamese monarchy lost little time in realizing the potential profits to be made from the institution, as taxing prostitution could generate substantial reserves of revenue. In the middle of the eighteenth century, for instance, 50,000 baht/annum was made from this trade…” (Tagliacozzo 2008:255).
Colonialism is another factor that has contributed to the sex tourism industry. When colonizers came to the different Southeastern Countries, they brought new ideologies with them (Tagliacozzo 2008). They forced these ideas on people. Tagliacozzo (2008) mentioned that a majority of the prostitution that took place at that time was in the control of colonializes. They controlled the ports in which slaves were brought in and out of the host country. At the ports, “women were cordoned off by race and sent to serve in the brothels that had purchased them ((Tagliacozzo 2008:258). Poverty caused by colonizers also helped with sex tourism. Poor women would rely on the money of colonializes though prostitution. The colonizers also regulated the ages of the women that could participate in prostitution. For example in Vietnam, white women, they had to be 21 while the locals had to be 18 (Tagliacozzo 2008) The government also gave copper bracelets to prostitutes and made medical exams mandatory (Tagliacozzo 2008).
The final contributor Tagliacozzo (2008) mentions is the military presence in these countries especially in the 20th century. The presence of the United States during the Vietnam War caused an increase in prostitution. Soldiers were far away from home and lonely. People in the area took notice of the potential money that could be made from the soldiers and seized the opportunity. Tagliacozzo (2008) states that Japan’s military influence did the same thing during World War II. “ … the Japanese military saw Southeast Asian women as pawns to appease its own war-weary soldiers” (Tagliacozzo 2008:261). This lead to many women trying to hid/disguise themselves when around Japanese soldiers. Many women were unlucky. (Tagliacozzo 2008) goes on later mention that Thailand and the Philippines are two of the countries that have the highest sex tourism.
In all, there is a long rooted history of prostitution in this region. History/tradition, colonialism and military presence were three major influences. Their affects are still present today. Some people are still practicing customs that were used years ago. They use it as an excuse for carrying on the tradition of prostitution. It can take many different forms for example, temporary marriages. Colonialism pushed more and more women into the industry. They controlled the ports where slaves were shipped into and influenced the poverty in these areas. Due to soldiers being lonely in these areas during wartimes, there was a boost in sex tourism.
Tagliacozzo, Eric. 2008. “Morphological Shifts in Southeast Asian Prostitution: The Long Twentieth Century.” Journal of Global History 3(2):251-273 (http://search.proquest.com.jproxy.lib.ecu.edu/docview/229035234?accountid=10639). doi: http://dx.doi.org.jproxy.lib.ecu.edu/10.1017/S1740022808002635.