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Burma’s economy pushes under-age girls to sex trade
Wed 04 Oct 2006,
Banyol Kin, Marn, IMNA
Most sex workers claim that the economic environment had forced them into the sex trade, according to a Rangoon (Yangon) based journalist who conducted interviews for a survey on sex workers.
“Most of them are uneducated and want to earn more money. They are between ages of 15 to 25 because at this age they can sell themselves for a better price,” said the Rangoon based journalist who did not want to be named for security reasons.
Some local residents who are very poor want to earn more money so they work in the sex industry at a young age, said a taxi driver, who uses to work as a broker between customers and sex workers in Rangoon.
“I saw a girl of 11 years old from Thar Mwo Township sell herself one time for Kyat 20,000 kyat (15$USD) but when a consumer saw she was so young he gave Kyat 10,000 kyat (7 $USD) and let her go home,” said the taxi driver who took the
customer to the girl.
While a normal worker can earn Kyat 1,000 per day, the lower level sex worker can earn Kyat 2,000. This is for women who work independently along the road side, said the journalist.
“The people who make a connection with broker ask about Kyat 10,000 for one time but they only get 50 percent,” she said.
A source who used to work with UNAIDS in Burma said “The places we can see sex worker are at station, in bars, Karaoke bars, luxury beauty parlours, restaurants, hairdressers.”
According to our research even some troop’s families resort to sex trade in the restaurant near military barracks, said Dr. Kyaw Nyunt, general secretary for Democratic Alliance of Burma and an economist.
The situation in our country today unstable and we are not sure what will happen tomorrow, said Nai Tim Tun a local businessman.
Burma is one of Asia’s poorest countries; its economy is riddled with corruption military-run enterprises control key industries, and corruption and severe mismanagement are the hallmarks of a black-market-riven economy. Prostitution and HIV/Aids are major problems, according to BBC news world service.
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