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**Lvnufcdc** · 07-03-2006, 01:19 PM

Quote[/b] ]I was wondering if these "suicide girls" were just as common in Thailand as they are here on my tiny island.

Makiyo, your question reminded me of something I read a couple days ago. From that, it seems that your assumption is true - but only for a certain segment of the Thai female population. Let me quote part of the aforementioned work, Stephen Leather's Private Dancer:

Self-mutilation is a common phenomenon amongst the girls involved in prostitution. Many have scars on their wrists, not from serious suicide attempts but from superficial cuts, usually
carried out in a rage under the influence of drugs or drink.

For much of their lives the girls have little or no control over their environment or their relationships. Women are generally subservient to men in Thai culture, and throughout their childhoods they are under strict control as to where they can go and what they can do.

In the poorer areas of the country, especially in rural communities, sexual abuse is common. Many are abused by their brothers or fathers or by male relatives, actions over which they have no control. Often the girls themselves are unwilling to complain of the abuse, accepting it as the norm.

Even when the girls leave the environment of their village and move to Bangkok, the family continues to exert control on them with requests for financial assistance. No matter how much the girls earn, they are often unable to save because of the family's ever-increasing demands.

In an effort to establish some sort of meaningful relationship, the girls often become involved with Thai men working in the bar environment - DJs, waiters, and touts. Often these men have been working in the bars much longer than the girls and tend to be older and more experienced. As a result, they are adept at getting the girls to give them money and early on in the relationship they begin to exert control over them.

The girls then find themselves trapped between the demands of their family and the demands of their newly-acquired boyfriend.

To aggravate the situation, the Thai boyfriends usually refuse to wear condoms, which frequently results in pregnancy. If the girl keeps the baby, as many do, she has yet another demand on her, emotionally and financially. All through her life, the girl has little or no control over her surroundings, and as a result anger and resentment builds up until it cannot be
contained any longer. But when it is finally released, it is often directed inwards, at herself.

The girl feels that she is worthless, that in some way she is responsible for her own predicament, and as such she tries to hurt, to punish, herself.

There is one more thing I'd like to add to the above: the author only mentions cutting the wrists, but another frequented method of attempted suicide in these cases is hanging.

PS: this is definitely a weird topic though... I better row my little boat to happier waters

07-03-2006, 01:19 PM	#4
Lvnufcdc Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 404 Senior Member	Quote[/b] ]I was wondering if these "suicide girls" were just as common in Thailand as they are here on my tiny island. Makiyo, your question reminded me of something I read a couple days ago. From that, it seems that your assumption is true - but only for a certain segment of the Thai female population. Let me quote part of the aforementioned work, Stephen Leather's Private Dancer: Self-mutilation is a common phenomenon amongst the girls involved in prostitution. Many have scars on their wrists, not from serious suicide attempts but from superficial cuts, usually carried out in a rage under the influence of drugs or drink. For much of their lives the girls have little or no control over their environment or their relationships. Women are generally subservient to men in Thai culture, and throughout their childhoods they are under strict control as to where they can go and what they can do. In the poorer areas of the country, especially in rural communities, sexual abuse is common. Many are abused by their brothers or fathers or by male relatives, actions over which they have no control. Often the girls themselves are unwilling to complain of the abuse, accepting it as the norm. Even when the girls leave the environment of their village and move to Bangkok, the family continues to exert control on them with requests for financial assistance. No matter how much the girls earn, they are often unable to save because of the family's ever-increasing demands. In an effort to establish some sort of meaningful relationship, the girls often become involved with Thai men working in the bar environment - DJs, waiters, and touts. Often these men have been working in the bars much longer than the girls and tend to be older and more experienced. As a result, they are adept at getting the girls to give them money and early on in the relationship they begin to exert control over them. The girls then find themselves trapped between the demands of their family and the demands of their newly-acquired boyfriend. To aggravate the situation, the Thai boyfriends usually refuse to wear condoms, which frequently results in pregnancy. If the girl keeps the baby, as many do, she has yet another demand on her, emotionally and financially. All through her life, the girl has little or no control over her surroundings, and as a result anger and resentment builds up until it cannot be contained any longer. But when it is finally released, it is often directed inwards, at herself. The girl feels that she is worthless, that in some way she is responsible for her own predicament, and as such she tries to hurt, to punish, herself. There is one more thing I'd like to add to the above: the author only mentions cutting the wrists, but another frequented method of attempted suicide in these cases is hanging. PS: this is definitely a weird topic though... I better row my little boat to happier waters
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