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PROJECTS // Thailand / Nepal / Exhibitions
"Many NGOs and government departments reported a figure of 200,000 prostitutes in Thailand, but the figures were conservative estimates." The exhibition from our time in Thailand is a movement, an advocate, and simply a story of pain, joy, hope and heartache. It is a collection of images by a group of international photographers and artists relating to child trafficking in SE Asia for sexual exploitation. Eight of us spent two weeks travelling in Thailand and Myanmar - documenting, researching, meeting and conversing about this issue. Our aim was to capture the beauty of those most at risk of being trafficked as well as informing you about what is really happening in this region. Our initial few days in Bangkok and Pattaya were spent in the red light districts where we experienced the 'normality' of the sex industry: playing Connect Four with girls working in the bar, spending time with their children, and capturing the nightlife. From there we headed north into the Golden Triangle Region - the borderlands of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. Here we spent time with three different organisations working with the aftercare and rehabilitation of children who have been trafficked and/or with education and prevention work targeting those most at risk. The issues are complex, national, international, political, financial, cultural, legal, deliberate and organised, as well as innocent, ignorant and well intended. Much of our research directed us to the vulnerability of the Akha people who live across five nations in SE Asia. Their situation involves questions of statehood and identity which positions tem in such a vulnerable place allowing exploitation to be carried out in various forms, yet all degrading in inhuman. It was such an honour to partner with both local and international men and women passionate about protecting the purity and innocence of children in SE Asia. Thankyou to all who allowed this journey to take place, it has been priceless. Testimonies"What's stuck with me the most from my travels over the last year is the same-ness of human beings all over the world. Take away culture - tradition, climate, clothing, religion, diet, economy, ethics - and the core of the individual, at base level, is incredibly familiar, wherever or whoever you are. Whether it's my English school friend, the daughter of a rural Indian pastor, or an ex-prostitute from Thailand, I've noticed a common desire for acceptance: in it's deepest form - love. We're created that way, with a need for love. Culture affects how we understand or perceive "love", and, influencing how our pursuit of it expresses itself. Prostitute and client. Same basic desire. Some people would never admit it to themselves or to others. But if we take that perspective, and realise we're the same too, we cannot judge either. And as a Christian - a recipient of Christ's love - my greatest challenge and purpose in life is to love both." "Thailand was a stellar experience. I went expecting much and experienced more. This opportunity was for me... life-changing. I learned new things, I cried, I laughed and I made the most of every moment. I felt so overwhelmed for the children still in the sex trade stuck in the vicious cycle of debt bondage. There were also the young guys and girls who are doing this to support their families with no means of making a living anywhere else. We can't fight it with our own supposed means of conquering. We need to pray, that's the only way we're going to see progress. This is the most important thing we could possibly do, and then comes every other important thing. Having Jesus means having hope, and these children need hope." Partnered Ministries:www.projlife.com  Last updated April 2008 Copyright 2008 |