Modern Babylon?: Prostituting Children in Thailand

by Heather Montgomery

Child prostitution became one of the key concerns of the international community in the 1990s. World congresses were held, international and national laws were changed and concern over "commercially sexually exploited children" rose dramatically. Rarely, however, were the children who worked as prostitutes consulted or questioned in this process, and the voices of these children brought into focus. This book is the first to address the children directly, to examine their daily lives, their motivations and their perceptions of what they do. Based on 15 months of fieldwork in a Thai tourist community that survived through child prostitution, this book draws on anthropological theories on childhood and kinship to contextualize the experiences of this group of Thai child prostitutes and to contrast these with the stereotypes held of them by those outside their community.

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Grayson Gilbert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heavily influenced through Oxford's anthropological studies (as she wrote this during her PhD candidacy), but overall, a fairly helpful book that dispels some common myths. Presents a different perspective in child prostitution - however, Montgomery brigs no viable solutions to the table. A difficult read, per the content.

The views of the author were what I expected from a secular work.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

An extremely difficult to read (because of the subject matter, not the writing) ethnography on child prostitution in Thailand. I did not agree with many of her conclusions, but her information is vital to help understand the mess of child prostitution in Thailand.