prosecute sex tourists, contact AG Holder, Obama, your Congressperson

[bos1]

Update: Women's Action 12.4/27.2
May 2009

Sex Tourism: Big Apple Oriental Tours Acquitted of State Criminal Charges. Federal Action Needed to Prosecute G.F. Tours and other U.S.-Based Sex Tour Operators.

In 1996, Equality Now launched a Women’s Action campaign calling for the prosecution of Big Apple Oriental Tours (BAOT). At the time, the company was advertising a twelve-day trip to the Philippines for sex tourists at the cost of $2,195, which included transportation, airfare, hotel room, and the ability of the sex tourist to “select your companion upon arrival in Angeles City” in a commercial sex transaction that would be brokered by a BAOT representative at the customer’s request.
...
The New York legal landscape has now changed to make it easier to prosecute sex tour operators.
...
In October 2005, Equality Now issued Women’s Action 27.1 calling for federal U.S. law enforcement agencies to end sex tourism, in particular, to investigate and prosecute Gunter Frentz, the owner/operator of G.F. Tours (formerly known as G&F Tours). G.F. Tours openly advertises its sex tours online, and posted testimonials from previous G.F. sex tourists that clearly illustrated the purpose of the tour. One G.F. sex tourist explained, “for a 350 baht fee ($14), I could take her back to my hotel, f**k her all night…and tip her 1000 baht ($40) in the morning, or whenever I was done with her.”
...
Please write to the new U.S. Attorney General and call on him to prosecute Gunter Frentz, the owner/operator of G.F. Tours, and other sex tour operators for knowingly and openly transporting individuals to other countries with the intent of engaging in prostitution in violation of the Mann Act and Travel Act. Reiterate that sex tourism is a criminal act that exploits and harms women, and very often children, while it supports a multi-billion dollar industry in human trafficking. Urge the Attorney General to clarify to all federal prosecutors that the Department of Justice policy is to prosecute U.S.-based sex tour operators.

Letters should be addressed to:

U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr.
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20530, USA
Fax: + 1 202-307-6777
E-mail: [e-mail]

FULL TEXT at http://equalitynow.org/english/actions/action_1204-2702_en.html

[Taverner]

1. Some of us don't see the immorality of Commercial Sex

Just an extension of Capitalism, I'm afraid

Why can you sell your labor, your image, your work but not your body? Does your body belong to the state or something?

Granted, I don't go to CSWs - but porn works for me.

[bos1]

2. this is about women forced into prostitution, not about free choice. eom

[Taverner]

3. I lived in Thailand. I did HIV prevention at the brothels.

Yes, there are cases of young girls (some even as young as 6) sold into prostitution.

But the majority of CSWs on the sex tours are between 16-24. Most are uneducated women from rural areas, and many make lots of money. Not just by Thai standards, but by ours.

Granted, they also go through 3-5 "Johns" in a night - the American CSW might be lucky if she gets 1