LAOS (TR) – Luang Prabang, the ancient capital of this Southeast Asian nation, is known as a World Heritage Site. However, recent reports have revealed the reality of ongoing sexual exploitation, born out of the darkness of poverty and inequality.
In many cases, the victims of sexual exploitation are children preyed upon by Japanese visitors, reports TBS News (Jan. 8).
Rieko Kuniya, a Japanese resident living in the area, runs a guesthouse and has been providing support, including shelter, to children from poor families for the past three years, including sheltering them.
“Human trafficking, and even organ trafficking. And some children are being used as errand boys for drugs,” Kuniya says.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a sharp increase in unemployment. Coupled with rising prices, living conditions have worsened. As well, the number of children unable to attend school is increasing.
In particular, in the ethnic minority villages that Kuniya supports, language barriers mean few people can find stable employment.
As a result, girls are disappearing from villages one after another — and they are winding up working as prostitutes, many of whom are targeted by Japanese visitors.
“When they reach the age of 13 or 14, I often find myself thinking, ‘I haven’t seen that girl in a while.’ When I ask their mother, she doesn’t answer,” says Kuniya.
They are believed to be sold to prostitution rings. Kuniya knows of one girl who returned to her village after working at a brothel run by a Chinese person. She didn’t stop prostituting herself upon her return.
“Now that she knows how to make money in one night, she [even now] puts on heavy makeup and a miniskirt and goes to nightclubs at night to look for someone,” Kuniya says.
“Aged 14 and up”
Girls sold in rural areas are sent to prostitution facilities in various locations via brokers.
A reporter for TBS notes that a building in downtown Vientiane is a hotel-style brothel where prostitution is taking place. At first glance, it looks like a normal hotel, but upon entering the premises, women can be seen entering one after another through the back door.
“Girls aged 14 and up,” a tout says. When asked about 13-year-old girls, the tout affirms that they are also available.
Most of the customers are Chinese or Korean, but recently the number of Japanese customers seems to be increasing, according to a person connected to the facility.
“The other day, six or seven Japanese customers came to stay. Japanese customers will choose even the most unpopular girls,” the person tells the network.
“Refrain from illegal activities”
Child prostitution is punishable in Laos, but enforcement has yet to fully catch up compared to neighboring countries like Thailand and Cambodia, where enforcement has been strengthened.
Social media is fueling the increase in the number of Japanese buyers of sex. “Arrived at Vientiane Airport, the Lolita Mecca,” one person wrote. Another said, “I couldn’t help but choose a girl wearing her school uniform.”
The Japanese Embassy in Laos is aware of the problem. Last June, the embassy posted a warning on its website after confirming that Japanese people in the country had made posts on social media that made reference to child prostitution.
According to the warning, Laotian law criminalizes prostitution itself, regardless of whether the person is under 18. Furthermore, the Laotian law prohibiting child prostitution and child pornography includes a provision for “crimes committed overseas.”
“Anyone traveling to or staying in Laos is asked to comply with the laws of both countries and strictly refrain from engaging in any illegal activities,” the warning stated.
“Guid them around brothels like tours”
There have also been notable cases of the illegal sale and purchase of obscene videos of Laotian girls, apparently filmed by Japanese people without permission.
As to the type of Japanese coming to Laos for child prostitution, a man familiar with local conditions tells the network, “[Japanese buyers] are in their 50s or 60s. Many of them have financial means. Their occupations include bankers, doctors and lawyers.”
Furthermore, he says, there are several Japanese people living in Laos who introduce brothels and girls to people who have come from Japan to purchase sex.
“Japanese people living in Laos are central to the prostitution network,” he says. “When tourists from Japan arrive, they not only provide them with various information, but some even guide them around brothels like tours.”
“This illegal business will never disappear”
Working off a tip, the network visited a prostitution hotspot for Japanese visitors.
According to the network, several brothels disguised as restaurants and shops are quietly operating along unlit streets. Inside one business, girls can be seen, one of whom, according to the owner, is 16 years old.
“Do you get Japanese customers?” the reporter asks.
“Japanese people come here frequently. They buy girls here and take them out,” the owner responds.
The network concludes that the practice is indeed widespread.
A man familiar with Japanese prostitution in Laos sums up the situation as a case of supply and demand. He says, “Because there are people who want to buy girls, there will also be people who want to sell them. As long as there is demand, this illegal business will never disappear from society.”
