Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight. I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Rebekah Schipper. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 4
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
Voice 1
Nightlight is a group that works with sex workers in Bangkok, Thailand. The members of Nightlight bring light to the dark world of the sex industry. Today’s Spotlight is on Nightlight.
Voice 2
Pim used to be a sex worker in Bangkok. She told the BBC her story*.
Voice 3
I grew up in the country. I lived with my parents. They were farmers. I helped them in the fields. We were poor. But we always had enough money to live.
When I was fifteen [15] my family started to fall apart. My father drank alcohol a lot, but it became worse and worse. He started becoming violent. So, my mother, sister and I moved out.
I wanted to study to become a health worker. But I had to leave school when my parents separated. I found a job as a day labourer, harvesting crops for a local farmer. I did not like the job. It paid only a small amount each day.
At about that same time my friend moved to Bangkok. When she returned for a visit she told me she was earning a lot of money. She said she was serving food. But, people in the village began talking. They said that she was doing something other than serving food.
My friend asked me to come to Bangkok with her to work. At that time I was too young and afraid. But a few years later I had given birth to a daughter. And my husband and I had separated. So, I changed my mind. I went to Bangkok.
I left my baby with my mother and told her I was going to earn money. But I did not tell my mother what I was doing for the money. I still have not told her. She would be so ashamed.
Voice 1
In Bangkok Pim became a sex worker. She had sex with men for money. She sent money home to her mother and baby. Many women around the world are sex workers like Pim. Some of them feel that it is the only way to make money. It is the only way to support themselves and their families. But sometimes people force women to be sex workers. People buy, sell and trade women. They use women as sex slaves.
Voice 2
Most women do not want to be sex workers. It is a dark world. It is a world filled with shame, violence, and fear. Pim said,
Voice 3
“I wish I had never become a sex worker. I think some foreign men think it is okay to pay for sex in Thailand. They think the girls actually want to do this. But these men do not understand that most of us have no choice. We are just trying to earn money for our families and waiting for the chance to leave.”
Voice 1
Nightlight is a group in Thailand. Members of Nightlight understand that the life of a sex worker can be difficult and dangerous. They understand that most women would like to have a different life. That is why Nightlight works to take women off the streets. Nightlight helps women learn skills and start a new life. Nightlight helps bring women out of the dark, and into the light.
Voice 2
Nightlight works in an area of Bangkok that has a growing sex business. Many women and children work in very poor conditions here. Their lives are very difficult.
Voice 1
But Nightlight works to improve their lives. The group offers job training and education to sex workers. This helps women begin a new life in a safe job. These new skills help them provide for their families without having to feel shame. For example, Pim now works making jewellery. People at Nightlight taught her this skill. Pim said,
Voice 3
“...A friend of mine told me about Nightlight... Since I have started working for Nightlight, my life is so much better. I do not earn as much as I did in the bars, but it is worth it. And people here listen to me and care for me.”
Voice 2
Nightlight also teaches women about the risks of working in the sex industry. There are many diseases that could harm the workers. Nightlight provides health care for many women. The group wants to keep women free from disease. And to keep the women off of the streets, Nightlight provides shelter. The women may stay in the shelter for safety.
Voice 1
But Nightlight does not only work with sex workers. The group also works in the community. The members educate the community about the sex industry. Many people do not even know that there is a sex trade. They do not know that people sell women. So, Nightlight teaches the community about this process. The group encourages the community to get involved in stopping the sex trade industry. Nightlight asks community members to pressure their governments to make new laws. Governments can help stop the trading of women.
Voice 2
And finally, Nightlight works to bring light to dark places. The sex industry is a dark world. It is a world filled with fear, sadness, shame and violence. It is an uncaring, unloving world, a place where many women feel alone. It is like a world without light.
Voice 1
So, how does Nightlight bring light to this dark world? The group tells people about Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus is love and mercy. Jesus cares for all people. With Jesus there is no fear or sadness. And there is no reason to feel alone. Knowing Jesus is one way to have light in a dark world.
Voice 2
Thanks to Nightlight some women in Bangkok are slowly learning that it is possible to end sex work. There is another life for them. With the help of Nightlight they are gaining new skills, staying healthy and safe, and learning about Jesus, the light of the world.
Voice 4
The sex trade is now the third largest criminal money making industry in the world. It follows the illegal trade of weapons and drugs. The United Nations estimates that the trade can make more than twelve thousand million [12,000,000,000] dollars each year. There are ways you can help stop the trading of human beings. The first and most important way is to learn about the problem. You can visit the web links on the bottom of this script page to learn more information. And you can see if there are any groups in your area that work against the illegal trading of women.
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