By Morgan Blythe
This summer, I was an intern with Dton Naam Foundation, a non-profit organization that offers boys and transgender sex workers the opportunity to leave the sex industry and holistically rebuild their lives through social work and counseling sessions, job training, art courses, Bible courses and more.
Dton Naam reaches out to those working in various red light districts in Bangkok, Thailand, a place where sex tourism is deeply rooted. Sex tourism is a planned vacation with sex being the primary motivation, often to countries where the laws around prostitution are lax, not well enforced, or non- existent. I interned for this foundation throughout the summer and saw the reality and disparity behind what sex tourism actually is, and it broke my heart.
Thailand is considered the land of smiles. They greet you with a warm and kind smile that instantly brings comfort. I adore that warmth. However, through the warmth, there is a truth that is evident. The exploitation of human beings is both visible and hidden on many streets, in many places, throughout Bangkok. There are establishments in which people are being told over and over again that they are worth around $15 (500 to 600 baht) for a night.
That is how much their body is worth.
That is how much they are told they are worth.
They are worth so much more than that. They are worth Jesus Christ, in his eternal radiance, taking their sin and shame on a cross and covering them with his blood. I want them to know that. SO many people want them to know that.
That is what Dton Naam does.
The foundation provides opportunities for workers to leave the sex industry and pursue healing. Through Dton Naam there is an opportunity for eternal hope to be found, for an education, for a job, and for community through the efforts and obedience of the staff and supporters.
Dton Naam is the only foundation providing this for those working in the sex industry who are transgender.
Here are some really difficult facts:
In Thailand, 70% of the national income is generated by tourism. Of that 70%, 60% is specifically created by sex tourism.
There are around 10,000 ladyboy sex workers in Bangkok alone. There are many other ladyboys trying to find legitimate, healthy jobs, but a high percentage ends up in prostitution. Dton Naam is the only specialized organization reaching out to them, providing an opportunity for healing.
Photo Credits: Morgan Blythe
Something I learned this summer:
I am sinful. There is nothing in me that is good apart from Christ. The same evil that resides in the customers in these red light districts is the same evil that was once in me before Jesus found me.
How can we help?
The video below reveals dissociation with humanity that these human beings endure as they provide for themselves and/or their families.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5hPY3uPHPc
Though this is in Thailand, there IS something you can do.
You can donate. Donate so students, who have decided to leave the red light districts, can pursue an education. Donate so they have food to eat and money to send to their families so they don’t have to go back to the bars. Donate to change lives.
https://www.dtonnaam.org/donate/
Pray. Pray for strongholds in Thailand to be broken. Pray for strength for the staff at Dton Naam and other foundations who are actively fighting against exploitation. Pray for the students and pray for healing.
There is something we can do. If you want to know more about this foundation, visit their website and educate yourself about this issue.