Complicated Situation
In the Thai culture, there are so many dynamics in play. 94% of the population is Buddhist and quite frankly it is hard to tell where Thai culture ends and Buddhism begins. It is also steeped in extreme family obligation, the need to provide for your parents and siblings.
When Samaritan Creations rescues a woman from the Red Light District, parental pressure plays a huge factor. But not in the way you think. As parents, we sometimes have to sit back and watch our kids live with the consequences of their decisions. We would be praising God that our kids are leaving an unhealthy lifestyle. Many young women are selling themselves because of their parents. Parents know what they are doing...and read this carefully...they are encouraging it. You see, these families are poor, very poor. In Thailand as well as many developing countries, there is no government aid, no welfare, and no unemployment benefits. This truly is a “you don’t work, you don’t eat” society. Now let’s revisit this problem with this new information. When a young woman sells herself, she is providing for her entire family. Not only is she being degraded by wearing a number and being sold like a commodity, she is faced with the family pressure to “perform and provide.” She is caught in a situation where there really doesn’t appear to be a way out.
This post is going to be one of many to shine a light on the complicated nature of what Samaritan Creations does. There are so many layers to this problem that at times you may want to quit. Talk about an unbalanced playing field. It’s liking looking at Mount Everest and trying to figure out how to climb it with improper equipment. But we have one important factor on our side, God. He levels the playing field. For us, we just need to focus on the One Woman...
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