Japan: Moral (and other) problems with enjo kosai
Enjo kosai is the practice among a certain social class of school aged Japanese girls of dating older men in exchange for money. Sometimes that dating includes sexual intercourse. Sometimes it is limited to sexual activity that does not include intercourse. Sometimes it is limited to dinner and (perhaps) holding hands. 12-16-2002

What would Mohammed do?
Two weeks ago, a Nigerian fashion writer's throwaway remark – that Mohammed would have approved of the Miss World pageant and probably would have chosen a wife from among the contestants – sparked riots that killed 220 people, left thousands homeless and earned the author, Isioma Daniel, a fatwa. 12-4-2002

India's love affair with hi-tech flirting
The short messaging service (SMS) used by mobile telephones is creating a revolution in India, and among other things, it has revived the country's famed Kama Sutra spirit of sexual freedom, long-suppressed by the intrusion of prudish values into the country. 11-8-2002

Pakistan honor killings persist
The fact that as many as 211 Pakistani women perished in the name of "honor" in the first four months of the year belies claims by the military government that it has taken strict measures to stop this primitive tradition. 6-22-2002 

Human trafficking: Asia's persistent tragedy
A seminar this week on the scourge of human trafficking in East Asia has underscored the tragedies, but workable solutions are elusive. Many factors are at the root of the problem: poverty, ruthless and efficient criminal syndicates, lethargic and "gender-blind" governments, and widespread demand for cheap labor and sex. 10-10-2002

School gives trafficked women lessons in hope
At a school on this island north of Bangkok, around 250 girls and women are busy taking English-language lessons and other courses to prepare them for the new lives they will lead once they leave its premises. 9-28-2002

Korea's new 'comfort women'
In an effort to keep US soldiers happy, more than 5,000 women, mostly from the Philippines and Russia, are used as "comfort women" in a prostitution network in South Korea, a United Nations agency reported on Tuesday. 9-5-2002

Female Muslim preachers fight HIV/AIDS
It was midday and the female Muslim preachers at a seminar on HIV/AIDS seemed ready for a break when one of them spoke into a microphone: "Men should also be given this kind of training because they are the ones buying sex when they could have it free at home." 7-9-2002

Asian sexual taboos hinder AIDS knowledge
The specter of HIV/AIDS moving from the margins of society to the mainstream should prod Asians into taking a hard look at taboos that help spread the pandemic - including how openly they talk about sex. 7-9-2002

Asia ripe for HIV/AIDS crisis
AIDS killed 435,000 people in the Asia-Pacific region last year, according to a new report released on Tuesday. And countries across the region are rife with the correct conditions to propel AIDS from a killer disease that is still on the margins to a regional pandemic. 7-4-2002

AIDS: China's titanic threat
The recent warning by the Chinese government that HIV/AIDS is spreading rapidly in the country and that new and urgent measures are needed to combat the infection marks an important step in the fight against HIV/AIDS. 5-22-2002  

Young Thai men taught to respect women
"Before, while reading newspapers, I often asked myself why there are more and more abuse cases in our society," said 19-year-old Therapong Thongkrathok, who comes from the northeasternern Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima. 5-17-2002

Indonesian prisons begin to accept HIV threat
Indonesian prison authorities have long known about the rampant drug use and drug-dealing in the country's jails, but many of them have chosen to play dumb due to their part in the trade, say activists here. 4-20-2002

No condoms, please, we're Chinese men
Liu Jie has become used to multi-tasking. But for the past few years, one particular item in her list of duties had become quite a challenge to accomplish: family planning, largely because she has to introduce contraceptive use to the employees. 4-11-2002

Prostitution in Russia should be legalized, believe Duma deputies
Prospects for legalizing prostitution in Russia were discussed at an MN roundtable by leading sexologists and legal experts, Interior Ministry officials, and State Duma deputies. 3-31-2002

Fast-money sex trade lures Hong Kong maids
Marie is seated at a corner table, her profile flickering amid the confusion of lights at a popular disco where she works. She is one of the latest recruits in a virtual army of heavily made-up young Asian women who enliven Hong Kong's entertainment district of Wan Chai. 1-30-2002 

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