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Boys have 'nothing to lose' by selling their bodies

Published on Nov 18, 2002, The Nation

The booming male flesh market here is sucking in more and more students and street boys, child and youth activists said.

"The youngest boy to come here was only four years old and had serious eyes brimming with pain," said Kheenthong Pheerachan, who works at the rehabilitation centre for homeless children in San Kamphaeng district.

Paithoon Kaewthep, 18, a procurer turned volunteer activist, said part-time male prostitution had become something of a fashion among students at high schools, vocational colleges and universities.

"They think guys have nothing to lose by selling sex. Some try it just for the experience. But most want the money," he said.

"Besides earning enough to cover their living expenses, they want extra cash for drugs, mobile phones, luxury apartments and most of all for hanging out at night-spots," he said.

New faces entering the flesh trade on a casual basis come from high schools, primary schools, vocational schools and colleges, he said.

"I have many friends still involved in this business. From what they tell me, about half of the male students I knew are now prostitutes," he said. Paithoon is advising the WY group, a bunch of teens calling themselves "We are your friend", on educating peers to minimise risky behaviour.

There is no need for agents now. The Internet is the medium for students while direct sales is the channel of choice for homeless boys, the two activists said.

"Sometimes the boys sell flowers and sex together on the street. They age from seven to 14. They ply their trade mostly around the beer bars on Loi Khroa Road and the Night Bazaar," researcher Anuchun Hualsong said.

Overall, sex problems among Chiang Mai teens are growing at the same rate as the population, just like the Aids problem, said Ratchanee Sri-onthong who conducted a study on the high-risk segment of Chiang Mai youth. The drug problem, however, is outpacing population growth, she said.

"All the problems are interrelated, though. They get hooked on drugs, need money and will do anything to get their hands on some, including selling their bodies and stealing," she said.

"It's hard to deal with each problem separately. We need to tackle all the problems at the same time."

It is impossible to make these at-risk groups give up all their bad habits, Ratchanee said. The most practical approach is to minimise their risk behaviour as much as possible.

Paithoon's group approaches the sexually active - including male and female prostitutes and free-sex devotees - and tries to convince them to at least use condoms.

"You might feel there has been a major campaign on Aids and safe sex. In fact, it did not reach the teen groups. They don't read the papers and change TV channels when they see the messages, and they still don't use condoms. Many are still too shy to buy them," a teen activist said from direct experience.

"We use our strong point of being teens to reach the target group and educate them in our own way. It's more efficient," he said.

Kheenthong's team tackles the homeless-children trap by providing them with shelter, a family-like environment and career training in hopes of gradually healing their painful memories as best they can.

Thailand Research Fund's Pinthip Cha-em said a network had been set up to link all teen groups with risky behaviour - male and female prostitutes, the homeless, violent gangsters and drug addicts - in order to seek effective solutions for them. The network is on a participatory research basis, she added.

Kamol Sukin

THE NATION, CHIANG MAI