Filmmaker Stuart Kershaw and his producing partner Samantha Fazackerley embark on a nine month long adventure through Thailand’s red light district to investigate the largest sex industry in the world. Their exploration of international sex tourism defies expectations, in a shocking journey that is as brutal in its honesty as it is surprising in its conclusions.
Once known as ‘the world brothel’, Thailand has developed a reputation as a hunting ground for sexual deviants and abusive systems of male dominance. In this view, men flock there knowing that they will be treated like kings in return for relatively little money, finding a haven in which women are always kind, subservient and less expensive to upkeep than Western women.
The Virgin Trade addresses many of the questions raised by this industry, asking: Who is the victim? Who is to blame? Who decides 'right' from 'wrong'? Do parents sell their children into brothels to finance lavish Western lifestyles? Do orphans fill the demand, smuggled into sex work after disasters like the 2004 tsunami? The Virgin Trade bulldozes a host of Thailand’s urban myths whilst viciously affirming widespread exploitation and deceit.
Contradictions spiral as the film questions even what the word “prostitute” means. And when one of the filmmakers takes two bar girls on vacation to find out, his personal and professional life edges toward disaster when he gets more than he bargained for.
LEARN MORE:
Visit In The Dark Productions' website.
Read The Virgin Trade's Electric Sky page.
RELATED SITES:
The Guttmacher InstituteInternational Women’s Health Coalition
About Spotlight
Spotlight is a Link TV weekly presentation of investigative reports from around the world. Commentary is provided by prominent authors and journalists. This episode is hosted by Lakshmi Chaudhry, who has been a reporter and editor for independent publications, including Mother Jones and AlterNet, for over six years. She is currently a senior editor at In These Times.
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