Asian sex tours draw community concern

By Andy Shah
December 3, 1998

Students and community activists concerned with women's rights presented an information session on "Asian sex tours" on Tuesday, saying these tours exploit women and children in Asia.

Sex tours take men to Asian countries, like the Philippines and Thailand, and direct them to bars where they seek out sexual partners. The tours attract clients from around the world.

Students and community activists said these tours exploit and abuse women.

"In a foreign city, men can abuse women and children," said Maryann Szyskowski, a fourth-year women's studies student and a member of Captive Daughters, a women's rights organization.

The presentation was organized by students in the Asian Pacific American Leadership Development Program, a two-quarter course focusing on building leadership through projects and internships.

"It is a complex and challenging topic, but we wanted people to be aware of it," said Nguyen Phan, a sixth-year political science student.

Students presented clips from the TV program "Leeza," which did a special on sex tours, and community members gave speeches at the event.

Activists said many women become prostitutes in these countries because they face poverty and have to support themselves and their families.

"People justify sex tourism by saying that it's a product of poverty, but it's hurting and exploiting the women," Szyskowski said.

Jenny Stanger, media coordinator of Captive Daughters, said the tour operators bank on the "exoticization" of Asian women by claiming that they have "ancient sex secrets."

"Men persuade themselves that sex is part of their culture and they are just a more amorous people," she said. "But the Philippines, for example, is a Catholic country, and this type of behavior isn't practiced by most women."

Stanger added that globalization has affected the situation.

"For example, a lot of the guys who go to these girls are American military men who are there on rest and recreation leave," she said.

The "Leeza" clips gave examples of the lives of prostitutes.

Josephine, who works in the famous Pilipino red-light district of Olongapo, said in a "Leeza" clip that her daily routine consisted of prostituting herself at night, going to sleep, waking up in the afternoon, taking a bath and going back to work again.

She said that bar owners take big cuts out of the women's incomes.

And she recently discovered that she has HIV.

"I wanted to commit suicide," Josephine said.

Glenda, who also works in Olongapo, told "Leeza" that poverty pushed her into prostitution.

"I hate to work in the bars, but what can I do?" Glenda said.

But some tour operators said that not all companies provide sex tours.

Bill McKnight, operator of Asian Flower Tours, said that his company provides tours of the Philippines and helps men find potential wives, but does not operate sex tours.

"It would increase my profits to do sex tours, but it's against my moral convictions," McKnight said. "And if a guy wanted to have sex, I don't understand why he doesn't just go to Las Vegas instead of halfway around the world."

Stanger said that to combat the problem, Captive Daughters organized strikes at Los Angeles International Airport and letter-writing campaigns.

The group is also trying to get the Ventura-based Philippine Adventure Tours, which allegedly organizes sex tours, shut down by filing a civil suit charging the company with false advertising.

"If we can get one shut down, it'll be easier to shut most of them down," Stanger said.

Szyskowski said that the Internet, where many men get information about the tours, should be regulated to ban this type of information.

Equality Now, a New York-based group that spearheaded the effort to shut down these companies, recently got Norman Barabash, operator of Big Apple Oriental Tours, banned from the Philippines.

Stanger said that it will be "very difficult" to shut these companies down.

"There's only so much we can do," she said. "It's really hard to get evidence to prosecute anybody because women and children are often afraid to testify."

Stanger said that conditions in the Philippines are not improving.

"Things are not getting better there," she said.

But she said that the American government has made attempts to address the problem. President Clinton formed a council that is working on this issue.

Kei Nagao, Undergraduate Student Association Council general representative and member of the leadership class, said the issue affects Americans.

"When it's our military men going there and having sex with these women, only we can say something about it," Nagao said.

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