Dirk Currier, an American pastor who has worked with Thrive Rescue Home, a Thailand-based sex trafficking victim rehabilitation organization, had a difficult time grasping the reality of the scene at Thailand’s Pattaya Beach. For as far as he could see, streets were lined with thousands of women, men and “lady boys,” all of whom were marketing themselves in Thailand’s ever growing and prosperous sex industry.

Currier attempted to count the numbers, but gave up when his tally quickly exceeded 100.

“There were too many to count,” Currier said in an interview with Mint Press News.

Currier’s experience reflects the reality in Thailand. In a country that outlaws prostitution on the books, the practice is rampant — and it’s fueling a sex trade devastating the lives of not only Thai women, but women and children across the globe who are bought and sold to fuel the demand.

Statistics regarding the number of prostitutes in Thailand vary greatly, as it’s an elusive, unregulated industry. Yet the Center for the Protection of Children’s Rights estimated there to be 2 million prostitutes in Thailand in 1996, 800,000 of whom were alleged to be younger than 11 years of age. Thailand’s Ministry of Health puts the number of sex-related establishments at 20,000, with a combined employee count of 700,000 in 1999.

The stories of those who entered the industry generally fall under two categories: forced trade or economic desperation.

“The majority of the trafficking victims identified within Thailand are migrants from Thailand’s neighboring countries who are forced, coerced or defrauded into labor or commercial sexual exploitation or children placed in the sex trade; conservative estimates have this population numbering in the tens of thousands of victims,” the UNCHR states in its 2012 Trafficking in Persons Report.

Thailand: international sex trafficking hub

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) identifies Thailand as the world’s major source and destination of those who are victimized by the sex trade industry — this includes women, children and men.

“The majority of the trafficking victims identified within Thailand are migrants from Thailand’s neighboring countries who are forced, coerced or defrauded into labor or commercial sexual exploitation or children placed in the sex trade; conservative estimates have this population numbering in the tens of thousands of victims,” the report states.

The U.S. is not innocent in the plague of sex trafficking and prostitution that has permeated the culture of Thailand. While prostitution is a trade that dates back centuries, it rose to prevalence in Thailand with the arrival of U.S. soldiers stationed in the country during the Vietnam War.

Even then, prostitution was deemed illegal in the country, thanks to pressure from the United Nations. Provisions were enacted in 1966 for entertainment establishments featuring exotic dancers, which snowballed and fueled the prostitution and sex trade industry.

“… Military prostitution was transformed to cater to an expanding civilian market,” a 2009 Thailand Law Journal Report states. “Government encouragement of the prostitution and tourism industries fueled the demand for tourism-prostitution services.”

When the soldiers left, prostitution in Thailand did not.

It has almost been one year since we arrived here in Pattaya Thailand. I remember it like it was just yesterday. The time has gone by so fast and the vision of Thrive Rescue Home has become a reality in this city. From our hearts to paper, to reality! There have been so many memorable moments here, like our first girl coming into the home. She was timid, drugged from the previous institution. Now she is happy and excited about her future! I feel that we have made a progress, starting to take back what the devil has stolen. Thats why we are here; to rescue, restore and release hope. This year was just the beginning!

2013 is going to be a great year. We are excited about opening another Thrive Rescue home here in Pattaya, and a Thrive Urban Youth Center. The need is great, but because of you, the provision is greater! The love is overwhelming, and light is getting brighter in this city we call home.

We will do great things for God in 2013! Join us, join the movement, join the calling, and be a part of the answer! It is our time to rise up, call out, and see God's mighty power at work where ever we go!

Love God, Love People, Live Powerfully,

~ Jeremy & Jenifer

This weeks been really good, I’ve settled in well it feels like I’ve known people here for years already! I was greeted at the airport by a car full of gorgeous children. I’ve spent the week getting to know the people who work here, the children, the work itself and the area. I’m starting to get used to how hot it is and the extreme thunderstorms and flooding.

The children go to school during the day apart from one girl who’s 18. Another intern and I wake the children up to get them ready every morning. I love their sleepy faces and they always want a hug first thing. One of my jobs here is to look after the 18 year old girl during the day and spend time doing things such as art, reading, writing, playing music and walking. She’s had a really traumatic past, so I feel lucky to be able to work with her and hopefully see her progress even more than she has whilst being at the home. I can’t share their personal stories of their past and why they were rescued, or share photographs of them. (They are gorgeous though really really cute children) I think they deserve to not have their stories on the internet that they might read one day. The house is really encouraging, the children aren’t treated as victims at all. They’re brought up as family and encouraged to be ambitious and have self-belief.

The city Pattaya where I’m living is amazing and awful at the same time. It’s full of sex tourism so there are ‘massage parlors’ everywhere and prostitution along the beach front. There are sweaty old European men with women and girls at least half their age. And there are children being exploited here for sex. With pedophiles openly funding this. I’ve learnt that it’s a really complicated process to rescue a child from the sex trade and it’s not a matter of going to these places where they are, taking them back here and that’s them rescued. It takes legal action, the government and parents involvement. There’s massive corruption here within the police force and government, it can be biased and unfair.

But it’s do-able. When you look at the children here at the home and their rescues, it’s definitely worth all the hard work.

 

By: Jenny, Thrive Intern

Sun grew up in a home full of poverty, extreme abuse and neglect. When Sun was 10 years old, her mother starting selling her to pedophiles coming to Thailand for sex with underage children. For two years the men exploited Sun, while she endured countless rapes. She was hurting, scared and confused about what was happening to her.

Sun eventually sought help and was heard and rescued! She is now being cared for and loved at Thrive Rescue Home. Here she is able to play, heal from her past trauma and hurt and look towards a bright future. She enjoys things that she missed for those two years like playing with dolls, coloring, singing and dancing! Sun now knows that she is precious and valuable and loved by God. She is also a great source of encouragement for the other girls at Thrive through her constant smile and big-sister character. Thank you for being part of her rescue!

The call of the street echo’s in the minds of the prostitutes that have been rescued. “Come back, every thing will be ok.” The evil spirits call, “Come and forget, come and live on the street where life is easy, there are no worries, fast money flows!”

The truth is, the street is where the life is sucked out of you. Money does not flow as you would think it does. The average amount a John pay is between 200 and 500 baht on beach road. There are rats, big rats, crawling around at night. In the day without shelter you are out in the hot sun. It is a relentless cycle of death, that has been masked in the appearance of Honor.

Let me explain. Most prostitutes are sent or trafficked in order to make money for their parents and family. This is what they see as honoring there parents and family. This is so backwards, Proverbs 13:22 says, “a good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children”.

This is the city we live in, these are the people that we love, these are the people God loves, and this is the reason we are here!

A life in the day of Thrive Rescue Home looks something like this. Seek God, get in His Word, pray for strength, wisdom, favor and finances. Make sure the kids are ready for school and pray they don’t succumb, to the teachings of the temple school, that God will protect their minds and that they will have a Christian school to go to soon!

Meet with staff, and interns about the day, organization is key. Morning Bible study with moms and Thai staff. Case work and counseling is next, with ex-prostitutes. It is always interesting to find out what is going through their minds. We find that all of them have been abused, all of them have been lied to and all of them have been hurt. Renewing their mind with the word of God and loving them with patience is the key.

Pick up our awesome kids, bring them home, of course snack time, home work if any, and then dinner. After dinner there are chores, showers, family time, then bed at 8:30pm. Throughout our routine we are constantly developing trust and working with our kids through some of the toughest things you can imagine!

Art therapy, counseling, and every day living the Word of God transforms our Girls from the dark places they were to the bright place they are. Inspiring them to dream about the future God has for them!

When they go to bed we get to work for about an hour or so on our lap tops and start tweeting, Facebooking, emailing, Skyping, and calling our partners who are making this happen.

We are so honored to be here loving our girls, kids and moms, and people of this city!
This is the time, this is the hour, for us to rise up and do some thing! Loving God, and loving people is a way of life, it is called the life of Faith. It is not always easy, but it is very rewarding! The good times far out way the challenges and it is in the power of God that we rest and over come!

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (KJV) 14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. 15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish

-Jeremy Kraus
Founder

One of the things that really takes some getting used to here in Thailand is the bluntness.

In Thailand, it is okay to call someone fat…but it is highly offensive to ever show the bottom of your foot or point at anything with your feet. As an American citizen, I am familiar with scenarios where it is just flat out rude to call someone fat or big or tell them something “bad” about the way they look. It is highly offensive in the States. But believe it or not, here, it is just like saying “you have blue eyes” or “your hair is brown.” The Thai people will tell you over and over again every day if they think you are big or if they think your skin is too dark or too pale or if you have acne or whatever…and it is not considered offensive.

At first, when we were leaving the airport and one of the people picking us up told me to sit up front because “she was size small” and “I was size big”…I wasn’t really sure what to make of these comments about my weight. And later, when another Thai told me that I was the same size of a cow…wasn’t really sure how to take that one either. But I have found that it has, in a way, boosted my self-confidence.

We have tried explaining to some of our Thai friends that calling someone big or fat is offensive to “Falang” (foreigners)…and every time we tell them that, they look at us with a confused look (kinda like the one you had when you read above about the feet) and say “why?”

So I ask you. Why? Why is it offensive to talk about someone’s weight? It’s because we have a bad association with it, right? Oh yes. In America, we have to look like Barbies or super models in order to be beautiful…or at least, we think we do. Maybe it is because of what society thinks…maybe it is because of what our parents think…maybe it is from some other source. Whatever the case may be…it is quite common to think it offensive when talking about someone’s weight.

But it shouldn’t be.

The fact of the matter is, you look like what you look like. That may change with age, surgeries, and gym visits…but whatever stage your body is in, you should feel comfortable with yourself. Your body is an AMAZING thing! Think of all of the work it has to do each day just to keep you alive! Give it some credit every once in a while!

Don’t waste your life comparing yourself to the beauty of other people…chances are, they are not happy about living in their skin either. And stop trying to “be” them…you will miss the great advantage of being YOU!

I am not going to come home telling everyone they are fat. But the Thai’s might be onto something. It is okay to be you…whoever you may be and whatever you may look like. Your body is going to change your whole life. It’s never going to be as perfect as you want it to be…and even if it gets close, it won’t stay that way forever. Love yourself. And instead of complaining about how you look or feel…pour that time and energy into someone else’s life. THAT. That will make a long-lasting difference.

My name is Darien Marie McClung. I have light brown hair, bright blue eyes, pale skin, and I cannot remember ever being smaller than a size 10. I am beautiful and I have confidence in myself. Partly because I was compared to the size of a cow.

If you would like to follow Darien's personal blog, you can find it here: www.tiedtothailand.com

Human Trafficking, most of us have heard about it, maybe you even give to help stop it. but have you ever met some who has been trafficked? Have you ever seen, the oppression in the eyes of the one who has been trafficked? Have you ever been involved with a rescue?

My name is Jeremy, founder of Thrive Rescue Home. My wife Jen and I get to see these things daily. We live in Pattaya, Thailand, the world Capitol for child sex trafficking, and we are here to stop it!

3 years ago we came to Thailand, and fell in love with Pattaya, many pastors from surrounding areas said “Why do you like it there, it is the Sodom & Gomorrah of Thailand” All I could say was, “I don’t know but I feel drawn to it!” Later after we returned home to the U.S. we would find out what needs the city had and that it was the capitol for child sex trafficking. This is why are hearts were drawn here, this is why we needed to come back. For the girls, for the women, and for the families on the street that were being trafficked, abused, and at risk.

We are here to Rescue, Restore, & Release Hope back into the lives of these precious people!

This is a big task, some may say impossible, but that's what we are here to do. And that's what you are here to do, “the impossible”!

5 times God says in his word that we can do the impossible, that is our calling! If we want to see change, we are going to have to take steps of compassion toward the impossible situations of the world and watch God work through us!

The mission for Christians is simple; Love God, Love others!

Together we can stop human trafficking. Together we are changing the world, and every day God’s kingdom is getting bigger and brighter in the world as we know it!

If God has purposed you to go out into the highways and byways and to reach those that people forget, then do it. Get up! Don’t ignore the stirring in your heart! There will be times when you may see someone who has been oppressed by demons get delivered and ask Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. That same person could start a revival in their city! He may use you to heal a woman with a growth on her neck that heals instantly! He may also call you to stretch your faith and pray for a blind man who doesn’t receive his sight immediately. God may ask for you to have the faith to continue to pray for this man even after you’ve gone home, after you think it could be a lost cause. Then you get to find out a few weeks later that, that same man can not only see perfectly, but he has read the entire bible and people are being saved because that city has known him his whole life as a blind beggar! If you ignore those around you who are silently reaching out for help then you could miss that opportunity to free not only a single person but an entire city! In those moments of self-doubt that you must remember those victories! Those victories are times when you have reminded that devil that he is not in control and that you are going out into the highways and byways with a BIG God and nothing will overpower Him! God has purposed you for something specific, if you ignore what God has called you to do, you will try to find things to fill that hole in your life but nothing will...God has placed a desire, a passion, a purpose in each of us. Ask Him what it is your purpose...I guarantee it will be the most fulfilling experience of your life!

Today I write to you, with excitement and joy in my heart because we are seeing the dream that God has given us come to pass! We have dreamed, we have planned, we have run with the dream and we have worked hard, and now we have attained the 1st part of our dream!

God is mighty! We have 3 beautiful kids in our home, and I am daily reminded of how great God’s love is for us. We have 4 beds left, and they will be filled shortly. We are here to change lives and that's exactly what we are doing.

Yesterday we were playing volleyball with our kids and having a great time! As we hit the ball back and forth over the net, some times under, I couldn’t help but realize how great the fathers love is for us. These children have been taken from the worst situations and brought into the best of situations! They have been brought from dark situations and abuse to a safe home. They are learning to be kids again, they are learning to dream again, they are learning that they can eat whenever they get hungry! They are not just learning about God's love, but they are experiencing His love and Joy first hand!

The Bible says, “Unless we become like children we cannot enter the kingdom of God”. I don’t know about you but I like hanging with kids. Nothing is impossible in their eyes, because they haven’t learned about limits, and I think that is just the way God wants it!

We are so blessed to be a part in the rescue and restoration of these precious lives!

Earlier this summer I watched the movie Babel. It focused on the fact that mankind’s language and communication is more than difficult because the tower of Babel incident. Ever since God confused mankind’s language, communication has been a struggle and barrier.

In my short time in Thailand so far, I have hit this language barrier many times. I never realized how much I took for granted being able to ask the kids “How was your day at school?” or “What is your favorite color?” and them being able to understand, or more importantly, me being able to understand their answer. Hitting this barrier over and over is tiring.

Thankfully, God did not leave us helpless. He gave us other unspoken languages to communicate with each other with such as music, touch and love. Though language would be extremely helpful in situations like this, I have found these unspoken languages to be even stronger than words. No words can say what a hug can say or holding ones hand can communicate. Human touch is one of the basic human needs. No matter how many times I tell the kids I love them, a hug always shows it more than words.

Some say that music is the universal language. I will add my two cents and expand that quote to say that music is the universal language of the soul. No matter what language or culture one may come from, nothing communicates so many different emotions universally than music. And nothing can pull so many people together as one to worship one God together like music can. It is in the moments when a crazy Thai hip-hop song is playing and we can all dance crazily together or when a worship song plays and we worship God together where I have found my moments of joy here in Thailand.