But to confuse matters a little, when it comes to commercial sex, that is prostitution, the age of consent is not 15, but 18. So what is the age of consent in Thailand? Thai law states that the age of consent is 15 years of age. Worst of all, the owner of the bar was fully aware of the situation. A few of the girls even came from the same village in Surin. If my memory serves me right, there were 4 girls aged under 16, and about the same number again aged If we turn back the clock a few years, one particular Soi Cowboy bar rightfully had the reputation of being something of a paedophile's playground. But is the problem really that widespread? Actually, I believe it is… Unfortunately there are a few bar owners who may truly believe that all of their girls are of legal age, when in fact one or two are not.
Most Western bar owners are careful when hiring staff and wouldn't dream of hiring an underage girl, but there are aįew who will take underage girls on, so long as the girl in question is not blatantly obviously underage. There is a misconception that if a girl works in a bar, especially a Western owned or managed bar, that she will be of legal age. Is there a problem with underage girls and foreign men in Thailand? While many Western men may come to Thailand specifically for the purpose of being naughty with the ladies of the night, most of these guys would be horrified at thought of getting into bed with someone young, someone not of legal age. Right now there are Western men engaging in sexual activities with underage girls (and boys). He was not the first foreigner to be convicted of such charges in Thailand, and he won't be the last. Last week Steve Prowler was extradited to the US to face charges relating to having sex with kids abroad after serving a year in a Thai jail. Talk of fraudsters, thieves, hell, even the word terrorist does not elicit such a strong reaction.
There's something about the word paedophile that elicits a strongly negative response in people.