Sex Slavery

Sex tourism is an industry that relies on the existence of racism and classism. These oppressive institutions are magnified through the lives of the children, women and transwomen who are involved in the global sex industry. It is important to realize that sex tourism can only exist so long as these underlying systems of stratification are in place.

The economy of the sex trade works through a series of relationships that are based on othering or devaluing certain individuals. In this case, the sex workers are considered as lesser. They are usually subordinated by institutions of either race or class (or both) that allow their oppressors to easily identify and exploit them (Roland, 152). Those who utilize the services of sex workers are often of a different race and a higher class than the workers themselves. Those who benefit most from sex work are those who are stealing the profits from the workers: the pimps or mistresses who control the workers or the brothels.

This economy is often based on modern day slavery. The sex tourism industry is comprised of three main types of slavery:

• Human trafficking

• Contract systems

• Debt bondage

Depending upon the economy and political situation of a given area, any one of these types of slavery can occur.

Human trafficking involves the capture, sale or trickery involved in moving a person from one area to another for the purposes of exploitation (FitzGibbon, 82). Women and children are frequently trafficked into the sex trade. Sometimes they are promised a well-paying job in a new location, but then are forced into sex work upon their arrival. Other times their families sell them into slavery, or they are captured and held as sex slaves. Mail order brides sometimes, but not always, fall into the category of trafficked sex slaves.

Many sex workers are also held in slavery through contract systems. They have a contract with their pimp or mistress that details how many customers they will have to serve, and what amenities or protections they will receive in return (FitzGibbon, 85).

Debt bondage in this circumstance includes the use of sex work to pay off a debt (Bales, 4). Sex workers must earn a certain amount of money through their work to pay off their debt, or they must engage in sexual acts with whomever they are indebted to in order to clear their debt. Debt bondage is a particularly difficult cycle to break because when a person is released from bondage they often do not have any skills or resources to support themselves and are forced to acquire new debt.

It is important to note that of course not all sex workers are in a position of slavery. Sex workers engage in sex work for a variety of reasons and slavery is just one of the possible reasons.


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Works Cited

Bales, Kevin. Understanding Global Slavery: A Reader. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005.

FitzGibbon, Kathleen. “Modern Day Slavery? The Scope of Trafficking in Persons in Africa.” African Security Review 12.1 (2003). 81-89.

Roland, L. Kaifa. “Tourism and the Negrificacion of Cuban Identity.” Transforming Anthropology 14.2 (2006). 151-162.

Today's blog is brought to you in action-adventure book form!




After a difficult day of work as the CEO of a multinational corporation, Big Spending Bob decides he is finally going to book a vacation. He is really interested in that sex tourism trip to Thailand his pal Jimmy was talking about. Bob knows he can book the trip online but he wants to make sure that his vacation plans are completely discreet so he takes a cab over to his local travel agency.







Although Bob is a little apprehensive Smooth Talking Sam, the travel agent, is able to sooth his fears. Sam shows Bob pictures of the beautiful women who will escort him during his trip to Thailand, tells him about the luxurious beaches he can visit and warns him that this low-price offer is ending soon.




Bob writes a check to the travel agency and with that the deal is complete.



In Thailand Lucy begins her day of work. She has been a sex worker since the age of 13 when her father died. She solicits sex to tourists on the street, and is also part of a travel agency. She is an escort to mostly white American tourists. She interprets for them, shows them the "local culture" and engages in sexual activities with the tourists. She really dislikes her job, but she knows she must continue working in order to support her family.



When Bob arrives in Thailand, Lucy serves as his interpreter and escorts Bob on all of his vacationing endeavors. Bob relaxes on the beach, drinks in the local bars, and enjoys spending as much time with Lucy as suits him. By the time his vacation is over, Bob decides that the trip was exactly what he needed and plans to book another one soon. Bob feels really great about his trip.










Lucy says goodbye, thankful that she doesn't have another customer until tomorrow...











The story printed above is a fictional account, but it is based on the actual histories and narratives of women involved in the global sex tourism industry. This particular story is a combination of common narratives, and ironically, this story is not nearly the most tragic of those works. While some women and children are sold into the global sex trade, around half of the women involved “…entered for pragmatic reasons and with a general sense of awareness of the choice they were making” (International Labour Organization).

In Southeast Asia, sex work tends to be one of the better paying careers for young women without an education. Because of economic hardships in the area, the sex industry continues to grow. Women cannot afford to receive educations and turn to sex work for income. Unfortunately, sex work carries extreme health risks including sexually transmitted diseases and infections, cancers caused by taking birth control for excessive periods of time and complications from frequent miscarriages or abortions.

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