A few nights ago we were on our way out of the red lights when our 7-year-old friend "Fon" called us to come over. She brought us behind a fast food restaurant where her dad was sitting. She was so proud that her dad was there, being the only kid working the streets that had a father present at all.
As Fon led us behind the restaurant, four young Australian men came over. They asked whose daughter the girl was and then told her dad she was beautiful. (Giving them the benefit of the doubt, they seemed concerned about whether this adorable little 7-year-old was with her parents.) They all put some money into Fon's begging cup and talked to us, asking what we were doing in Thailand. The Aussies shared about their personal lives as well, mentioning how much they loved Thailand and how lucky we were to get to be staying for so long.
At one point Fon grabbed one of the guys by the hand and took him over to the nearby 7-11. Both of them were beaming when she came back with her arms loaded up with toys and ice cream.
As they left, they asked where a certain plaza was. One of my fellow teammates later informed me that the plaza they were looking for houses the primary sex bars in the area.
Often we are blind to how our own personal sin affects others. I think those guys adored Fon and wanted to help her family out a little. But I doubt they realized that it was their own adult sex tourism that brings Fon into this vulnerable situation. They don't think about how their support of the red light districts creates a dangerous atmosphere within which parents are willing to risk their kids because it has become the most lucrative spot available to make money. They probably don't consider that some of the girls in those sex bars started out begging on the streets just like Fon, that many if not most of them got their start when they were still legally children, and that they wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't the only option they knew. They don't see that their frequenting of the sex bars brings Fon to that area and puts here that much more at risk, both now and in her future.
They're not the only ones that can be blind. How many of us think about how own materialism and desire to accumulate possessions is also affecting kids like Fon? Researchers and child advocates in Thailand are seeing materialism overtake poverty as the primary factor behind families selling their daughters into prostitution (see Sexually Exploited Children, ed. Phyllis Kilborn and Majorie McDermid). You don't have to be here long to see that the materialism is modeled on American materialism - just look at the prevalence of American brands, songs, movies, and models and the American-style Christmas decorations in the expensive stores. And several authors of chapters within Sexually Exploited Children, who know these families best, make the same point - our decisions and example in terms of how we flaunt our materialism are having a real effect on the lives of these children.
I pray that I can learn to be less self-focused, even in terms of my sin. I pray that I can realize that my sins do not hurt me alone, but affect others around me. I pray that I can take more seriously my own responsibility for the terrible things in this world, even those that at first glance seem to have little to do with my own actions. And I pray that I may humbly keep myself from judgement of others, knowing that the things I bring to their attention are likely happening in my own life as well.
As Fon led us behind the restaurant, four young Australian men came over. They asked whose daughter the girl was and then told her dad she was beautiful. (Giving them the benefit of the doubt, they seemed concerned about whether this adorable little 7-year-old was with her parents.) They all put some money into Fon's begging cup and talked to us, asking what we were doing in Thailand. The Aussies shared about their personal lives as well, mentioning how much they loved Thailand and how lucky we were to get to be staying for so long.
At one point Fon grabbed one of the guys by the hand and took him over to the nearby 7-11. Both of them were beaming when she came back with her arms loaded up with toys and ice cream.
As they left, they asked where a certain plaza was. One of my fellow teammates later informed me that the plaza they were looking for houses the primary sex bars in the area.
Often we are blind to how our own personal sin affects others. I think those guys adored Fon and wanted to help her family out a little. But I doubt they realized that it was their own adult sex tourism that brings Fon into this vulnerable situation. They don't think about how their support of the red light districts creates a dangerous atmosphere within which parents are willing to risk their kids because it has become the most lucrative spot available to make money. They probably don't consider that some of the girls in those sex bars started out begging on the streets just like Fon, that many if not most of them got their start when they were still legally children, and that they wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't the only option they knew. They don't see that their frequenting of the sex bars brings Fon to that area and puts here that much more at risk, both now and in her future.
They're not the only ones that can be blind. How many of us think about how own materialism and desire to accumulate possessions is also affecting kids like Fon? Researchers and child advocates in Thailand are seeing materialism overtake poverty as the primary factor behind families selling their daughters into prostitution (see Sexually Exploited Children, ed. Phyllis Kilborn and Majorie McDermid). You don't have to be here long to see that the materialism is modeled on American materialism - just look at the prevalence of American brands, songs, movies, and models and the American-style Christmas decorations in the expensive stores. And several authors of chapters within Sexually Exploited Children, who know these families best, make the same point - our decisions and example in terms of how we flaunt our materialism are having a real effect on the lives of these children.
I pray that I can learn to be less self-focused, even in terms of my sin. I pray that I can realize that my sins do not hurt me alone, but affect others around me. I pray that I can take more seriously my own responsibility for the terrible things in this world, even those that at first glance seem to have little to do with my own actions. And I pray that I may humbly keep myself from judgement of others, knowing that the things I bring to their attention are likely happening in my own life as well.
1 comment:
great post jon, learning a lot...
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