Detail from painting at Casa del Centenario, Pompeii (PD)*
The ancient Roman city of Pompeii was known for its hedonism. Archaeologic evidence has been found of numerous brothels. Erotic art was common in homes. Phallic symbols were used all over the city, as signs of fertility and good fortune [1].
This may sound titillating to us. We have not though progressed far, in the centuries since. Sex tourism is widely advertised today. Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, Brazil, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia are among the countries that derive income from it [2].
Those who plan their vacations around the sexual activities – legal and illegal – available in foreign countries are unlikely to consider their impact on the local men, women, and children selling their bodies (and souls) to survive.
Rationalizations abound. Sex is mere sport. What’s the harm, after all? Life is all about new experiences. No one back home will know. It’s actually legal overseas, so why fight the urge? Or, if not exactly legal, it’s culturally accepted. That makes it OK. Plus, tourism dollars contribute to the local economy. Wink, wink.
But the comparisons to Pompeii run deep. Prostitutes in the ancient city worked on the streets or in dark and confined cells, without so much as windows or doors. And the reality is that they were slaves, cut off from any possibility of help.
England abolished the slave trade in 1807 and slavery in 1833. The United States fought a Civil War over the question of slavery. Yet sexual slavery persists to the present day [3]. And a major lure for sex tourists is the ready availability of child prostitutes [4].
Sex tourism feeds the beast. We cannot claim to be civilized until this evil is eradicated. Given human nature, it is unlikely ever to be.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jer. 17: 9).
*Please, note that I have selected a comparatively tame image, so as to spare readers’ sensibility. Far more graphic artwork has been uncovered at Pompeii.
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[1] The Conversation, Arts + Culture, “The grim reality of the brothels of Pompeii”, https://theconversation.com/the-grim-reality-of-the-brothels-of-pompeii-88853.
[2] Huffington Post (Oyster), “The Most Popular Countries for Sex Tourism” by Lara Grant, 9/1/15, updated 12/6/17, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/oyster/the-most-popular-countrie_b_8067520.html.
[3] International Justice Mission, https://www.ijm.org/.
[4] Wikipedia, “Sex tourism”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_tourism.
ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse 
Great post. Very informative.
In Canada, I think it is just a matter of time until prostitution and brothels are legalized in the name of “harm reduction.”
Thank you, Chris. I see legalized prostitution in our future, as well.
Great post .You did well.
Thank you, Rachana! Your opinion means alot to me. 🙂
Anna ji I am surprised how can one manage law with literature but you did so .Your every post quotes from Bible also enchanted me.You are poet by heart
Your kindness overwhelms me, Rachana. You, however, are the poet. ❤
You are true poet. Helping anyone is great job . By Praising you ,I try to follow your track.I am unable to do what you are but something will print in my mind too.
God bless you, Rachana. ❤
Many thanks.Now God will surely bless me because His always bind with His devotees.💖🙏🙏
I am very straight forward.You are poet first.In Hindi Hazari prasad dvivedi said that literature must awaken the people.
It is humanity which makes us poet. Amazingly you are very sensitive.Doing great job.God is always with you.💖💖
You bring tears to my eyes, Rachana. I am not worthy of such high praise. But I will try to live up to it. ❤
You bring tears to my eyes, Rachana. I do not deserve such high praise. But I will do my best to live up to it. ❤
It’s your simplicity and majesty.But means alot for me.Your deal which is not interesting
Sorry.
You are natural poet .
God reveals through our work.Therefore you are doing your best and inspiring us for such noble work.
I am aghast that there is a ‘demand’ for child prostitutes, and that it continues because of the unwillingness of the authorities to enforce the laws which exist. Not that such laws ought to be necessary. And we like to think that we are civilised.
The world seems to grow darker everyday.
Ghastly it is, horrific and worse still some countries allow babies in brothels..
My fortune if you are thinking so.💖💖
Thank you for writing about a difficult topic, but one that is so important for us to understand, in our day.
great article, thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you!
I love it. Can I share this on my website http://www.xratedtoyz.com?
Of course.
This is another horrific post and well written and I will share. You should include Egypt in this especially the Red Sea Resorts and Luxor, the greed for money is the basis for this. These places are well known for their attractions to both Egyptian and Foreigners.
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