In northern Thailand poverty, political turmoil, sex tourism and cultural dynamics converge to create a booming sex industry. The purpose of this article is to examine how the dynamics of supply and demand feed into prostitution in that region, with attention to available information on human trafficking. While the line separating prostitution and sex trafficking is difficult to establish, there is ample evidence that both co-exist in the region. Understanding this phenomenon requires an exploration of both the demand and supply sides as well as their interaction. Such an exploration, it is hoped, will contribute to the positive development of policy and practice. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

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Southeast Asia policy approach Eurasia parallel economy policy development prostitution policy strategy Thailand trafficking Asia