nonfiction
Tourist
By Marie Rogers
I ’ m a self-proclaimed “ people watcher .” I especially love to observe and learn in unfamiliar cultures . I ’ m typically more interested in analyzing the similarities and differences in a place rather than shopping or engaging in a tourist attraction . But every once in a while when traveling , I enjoy fully embracing my tourist status . I was able to immerse as a tourist last year in Kusadasi , Turkey – a port city near the ancient ruins of Ephesus . I was in the area for a conference , and a group of us escaped for an afternoon of shopping . We walked through the streets lined with shops and were frequently enticed by shopkeepers to purchase their unique merchandise .
A conversation I had with one shopkeeper revealed that five to six cruise ships dock at the port each day during the peek of tourist season . When I commented on how successful his business must be , he readily agreed .
As we were perusing all the jewelry , pottery , and fabric , suddenly another kind of business emerged – SEX . It ’ s a lucrative industry throughout the world and even in Ephesus the tourists have an option to buy its product – PEOPLE .
Sex tourism is a growing industry . Criminals are smart and in areas where tourism drives an economy they see demand . There are people who travel to foreign destinations in order to have a secret sex-vacation , spending their time buying and using children , women , or men . And the suppliers ’ greed gets to a point where they wish for every tourist to desire their product . While an American colleague of mine who lives in Bangkok was running errands one afternoon , he was stopped in the middle of the street and handed a list of children available for purchase . Another friend was in a hotel lobby in China and was offered a menu of women .
Wait . Don ’ t get too comfortable . Sex tourism is not an “ over there ” issue . I can tell similar stories that have happened in none other than the United States of America .
Major sporting events are hot spots for sex tourism . The World Cup , Olympics , and Super Bowl draw in thousands of spectators and tourists . Just as shopkeepers stock up their supply rooms for the increase of demand , so do those who traffick human beings and sell them as sex slaves .
Children are often innocent victims of the sex industry . “ Maria is . . . prostituted by her aunt . Maria is obliged to sell her body exclusively to foreign tourists in Costa Rica ; she only works mornings , as she has to attend school in the afternoon . Maria is in fifth grade ” ( from the U . S . Department of Justice : Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section ).
How Can We Respond ?
The roots of the tree need to be cut out . If we only chop away branches or even take a chain saw to the trunk , the roots still exist . But what if we cut out the roots and planted new life-giving trees ?
There are many root causes to sex tourism and slavery : poverty , greed , corruption , broken relationships , violence , abuse , addiction , and … you get the picture . New trees need to be planted … a tree that ’ s a functioning family unit , one that gives us permission for full disclosure in our church communities and leads to redemption , one that loves unconditionally and walks along side people struggling with addictions , one that puts aside our own selfish desires and ends poverty , one that allows every person to have clean drinking water and food . I ’ m not saying these trees don ’ t exist , but I know we need to plant more and cut out the roots of the ruined ones .
Together , as a community , we can do this . There ’ s an abolitionist movement happening today . Join us .
Artwork by Ryan Hanberry
2