In assuming most men going on holiday alone to Thailand, are going to have sex with prostituted women or men?

[Grennie]

It is estimated that about 1% of Thailand's GDP is earned through sexual exploitation tourism.

In 2003 (the last year for which full figures are available) some 545,000 British residents arrived on visits. If you remove the children, and the British citizens visiting for business or reasons other than a holiday, you arrive at about 489,000—314,000 men and 175,000 women. That is 139,000 more British men than women coming to Thailand for a holiday—a gap of 28 per cent.

In no other international holiday destination, is there such a big difference in the number of women and men travelling there. There is no obvious reason for this apart from prostitution.

"And yes, I do believe I would go up to your husband and make my accusation. "

Really? And you think you have the moral duty and right to harrass my husband without any cause apart from he is male, perhaps sitting alone having coffee or shopping and is in Thailand?

Ok, yes - non aggressive normal behaviour.

brooncoo unlike some of the other posters on this thread who have been valiantly defending the right of men to choose to holiday in the sex tourism capital of the universe unchallenged, it's easy to see why you're so invested in this.

Yep. He has been there several times. He knows what goes on there. He still goes back. He clearly approves of it all.

So you really think it is ok to make insinuations that my husband is a rapist, sex tourist or approves of the Thai sex industry because he has been there. You really are disgusting and way out of order to make such attacks on a member of my family.

Has he ever spoken out about it?

Are you making accusations that my husband is a rapist?

If he has never spoken out against it the most you can do is assume he disapproves of prostitution on an industrial scale, and the rape of children.

If my Nigel went on repeated male-only holidays to the sex tourism capital of the universe (would NEVER happen), I would not be on an internet forum using him as an example of why men who choose to holiday in the sex tourism capital of the universe should not be challenged about it. I would tell him that people will think he's a paedophile, I would not be yelling at people telling them to shut up about mass scale of rape of women and children because of my Nigel.

Is that to me Flora? Yo really have no clue what you are talking about. Bt carry on insinuating that my husband is a rapist or sex tourist.

Assuming he has never physically taken part in the exploitation of women in Thailand, or children, or other men, how would I know to avoid him and focus on someone else? Does he wear a shirt with some sort of slogan decrying the sex industry? Would I find him carrying a placard and picketing a go go bar? In other words, what is there to distinguish him from the 7 out of 10 men who go there specifically to have sex with prostituted women, men, or children?

Yes it was to you brooncoo but if you read my posts, you'll see I'm talking about your behaviour.

Is your husband a rapist or paedophile? I don't know. Does he repeatedly go on male-only holidays to the sex tourism capital of the universe? Yes he does. Would I challenge him about this if I met him? Yes I would.

I wish people would get as upset about the abuse of women and children in Thailand, as they do about 'my nigel' being thought of or assumed to be a punter/rapist.

Yet another fit of the vapours about 'calling my husband a rapist' when we have established that the majority of male lone travellers to Thailand are there for the sex tourism.

If anyone did go up and accuse lone male travellers in Thailand rapists, (and I'd applaud anyone who did) they would be correct in upwards of 70% of cases. That's what's shocking ffs.

"Is your husband a rapist or paedophile? I don't know. Does he repeatedly go on male-only holidays to the sex tourism capital of the universe? Yes he does. Would I challenge him about this if I met him? Yes I would."

No he doesn't. He goes on business or usually with his children and wife. But that wouldn't stop some of you it seems approaching him to harass tell him he is a rapist.

Your attitude stinks and telling women on mumsnet that their husbands are rapists because you think you know everything about them, enough to judge is just disgusting. And don't hide behind the hideous sex industry that exists in Thailand - there is no excuse to make these disgusting claims against a member of this sites family.

brooncoo you said he goes with his football team for an annual tournament? You said you don't "necessarily think he was with prostitutes but who knows TBH. I choose to trust him though." so it's not unreasonable to assume he was there on a male-only trip. If that's not correct and in fact he only goes on business or with you and kids, you might want to reconsider how you describe his trips to the sex tourism capital of the universe where the majority of men are there specifically to rape women and children.

What disgusting claims are getting you all lathered up? That I don't know if he's a rapist? You may trust your nigel, most women trust their husbands. Most if not all posters on this board don't know him from any of the other men travelling to the sex tourism capital of the universe, the majority of whom are there to rape women and children. Where are you going with this? Do you really expect complete strangers on the internet to assure you that your husband and his football team have only the most honourable intentions and genuinely held interest in temples and beaches?

Ooh, trawling back searching my posts. I said he has been several times (might only have been once actually) to an annual football tournament.

And yes I choose to trust him on the trip or two with his team, and on his business trips. I could never say for sure he had never done such or such - but as I said I choose to trust him.

Why you seem to be so keen to convince me otherwise, I find very strange - why are you so keen to do this? Strange way to get your kicks.

If I were a man I wouldn't give two hoots what some random internet warriors thought, if I fancied going to Thailand to backpack, dive, meditate or kickbox.

Life is too short to live by what others think so would not worry about visiting Amsterdam alone either. Or Berlin, the US or anywhere else that has a reputation for high prostitute numbers.

My guess is that the proportion of innocent men who travel alone to Thailand couldn't give two hoots either and to expect them to call other men up on their antics is sheer lunacy.

Reading the words you wrote because you've now decided to backtrack on what you said is hardly trawling. If you want to have a quick trawl back yourself, you'll see that you launched into math because she said "If I were a man and didn't want someone to call me a rapist to my face then I wouldn't go alone to Thailand." and you got the vapours on behalf of your nigel.

I am keen to discuss the normalisation of this behaviour by British men and perhaps what can be done about it. So far, the Male Feelings Protection Squad have consumed most of the thread policing language to ensure that no precious male feelings are wounded (even hypothetically) by our attempts to discuss the mass rape of women and children by men in a racist and sexist context.

I do this because am a feminist and I get zero kicks. It is thoroughly depressing to live in a society where men walk among us who are travelling thousands of miles to rape women and children. It's even more depressing to be told we can't challenge any men who travel to the sex tourism capital of the universe where the majority of male travellers are there to rape women and children because we might offend the minority who are meeting the bare minimum standards of human decency, who are not actually doing anything to stop this horrendous situation, they're simply not directly perpetuating it. Apparently the feelings of these men must be protected. Still no violin small enough...

I haven't actually counted the posts in this thread, but I'm pretty sure the 'male feelings protections quad' are outnumbered.

I have not backtracked. Just because you claim so, does not actually make it so.

if a man goes alone to Thailand (could be many different reasons) - I wouldn't feel justified or arrogant or rude enough to go up to him and call him a rapist to his face. Strange behaviour.

I wouldn't say it to his face either.

But I would definitely think it. I would certainly assume it.

Unfortunate, huh? But 70%... Wow. That's depressing.

Out of my extensive circle of friends, friends-of-friends, aquaintances, colleagues and relations, I only know of one man who travels to Thailand alone from time-to-time.

I absolutely assume he goes there for nefarious reasons. He may well not, and if he doesn't, it's unfortunate. But I completely assume he goes there to partake of the sex industry.

Why wouldn't I assume it...? No other men I know have cause to go there alone. And I know lots of (lovely) men.

Where did you get 70% from? I live here and that seems utter nonsense!!!