15 May 2023

I was able to photograph another child being brought down “Soi Cowboy”. The picture can be found in the gallery. This was a small, possibly female child, being carried by a male. I did not see her mother or anyone in the area that was associated with the child other than the person carrying her. I have tried not to assume much in this research because of unknown cultural differences but as I sat in my usual spot, I asked one of the waitresses her opinion. I asked her if this was normal for people to bring their children down this street. She shrugged and said, “Tourists”. She went on to explain that some Thai people are forced to bring their children to work because of no other alternatives but they would not bring them to the go-go bars. This is something she has seen foreign tourists do and she could not understand. She explained to me that this could be a dangerous area and is no place for children.

I also noticed several high school or college-age people traversing the street as well. When I asked about this, I was told there was a local college nearby on the far side of the street and this was the shortest route from the BTS (train) station. Soi Cowboy was not very busy this evening, afforded a better opportunity to study the people entering and leaving the area. This is a genuine tourist attraction and can draw a very eclectic crowd, from old to young, and every gender and sexual orientation can be found here and treated equally. This could also contribute to the difficulty in predator identification in that no one questions the actions of any other patrons. This is something that can be explored later.