Bachman 1

Philip Bachman
DAlessio
UWRT 1102-023
2/11/2016
Proposal
The topic my group chose to research was feminism. There are many different issues that
surround feminism in todayss society. My group chose to look into issue surrounding birthing
rights for women in other countries. Genital mutilations in Africa, prostitution in Thailand, and
child policies in China were some of the topics we chose to look into.
I didnt know a lot of information about prostitution in Thailand before I began
researching the subject. Most of what I knew was general information that is heard by everyone
through various media outlets. I knew that prostitution existed all over the world and that there
are many different forms in which prostitution occurs. I have seen many TV shows and movies,
such as The Hangover: Part II where some aspect of prostitution occurs. When dealing with
prostitution, in regards to feminism, there are often two sides. Many feminists believe that it is
the womans body and she has the right to do what she wants with it. However, in many other
countries such as Thailand, women are often forced into prostitution and feminists push to give
women more rights and social justice.
What interests me the most about prostitution in Thailand is that such a high percentage
of the economy is built upon the prostitution industry. An estimated ten percent of Thailands
total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) comes from prostitution. That is roughly 6.4 billion dollars

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each year. (Havocscope) I find this interesting because it makes up such a large portion of the
economy and money spent on tourism. Despite being uncommon for prostitution, Ko Samui, a
resort island in Thailand, is home to over 10,000 prostitutes and ten percent of all tourism money
generated in Ko Samui is done so by the sex trade. It makes you wonder whether or not the
government allows prostitution to continue just so they can make more money. Organizations
like the Foundation for Women are trying to put an end to prostitution and gain rights for
women who are struggling do to the amount of money the trade makes.
The most important questions I would like to find answers to are: Does the government
of Thailand do nothing about prostitution because it makes them too much money or because
there are no laws against prostitution? Are there firsthand accounts from prostitutes who escaped
their life and speak out about the struggles they endured? Is there any other issues with
feminism in Thailand that need to be addressed? What happens to the babies born as a result of
prostitution? Many of the Thailand women who get involved in prostitution due so to support
their families financially so I find it hard to believe they would keep a baby born with a stranger.
I think that I will find the answer to my questions in documentaries filmed in Thailand
about the prostitution. These documentaries will provide me with an understanding and an inside
look of what life is like for prostitutes. Government documents such as bills and laws would also
provide a good information about what happens to the children born from prostitution and
Thailand prostitution overall. An additional resource where I could find answers is in
autobiography written by prostitutes. These books written by women can often be found on
feminist websites dedicated to ending prostitution and increasing activism and support.
If the results of my research are so numerous, I will narrow it to a specific city or place in
Thailand such as Bangkok or Ko Samui. Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand and it also is

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home to most of the feminism groups and prostitutes. Being the capital city, the government will
prostitutes. Ko Samui is a resort island in Thailand where you can enter a bar and leave with
someone for the night. If my preliminary research turns up with very little information, I can
broaden my subject to cover more locations where prostitution occurs frequently such as Mexico
and Bangladesh. Additionally, I can broaden my subject area from not only prostitution but also
to other terrible acts such as human trafficking and child prostitution. All of which are common
in Thailand.