On December 4th, 2010 the Cambodia Daily published an article on the MST Project chapter in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. While there are points within the article that we agree with, there are several other points that we believe do not accurately reflect who we are as the MST Project or what our primary goal is.
Below are the points that we would like to address and bring further clarification to:
1. On page 9 of the article the following quote appears “The MST Project - the name stands for Men and the Sex Trade - was founded several years ago in Bangkok, where a group of preachers took to the city’s red-light districts…”
The MST Project was founded on November 1st, 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand. The leadership and staff of the MST Project are not preachers, but rather ordinary men, from all walks of life, who profess a common faith. The goal of the MST Project is not to “preach”, but rather to share our own life story, with it's many up’s and down’s, with those men who stop and choose to engage in conversation with us. We have always desired our approach to be one that is deeply personal and personally relevant.
2. On page 10 of the article the following quote appears “…saying that MST even encourages men to engage in masturbation – a hard choice given the ease of access to sex…”
The MST Project does not encourage masturbation. The above quote was taken out of its original context. What was shared with the reporter was a story from one of our staff in Bangkok, Thailand and a conversation that he had.
“When I asked the men why he chooses to sleep with prostitutes he said that his only desire was to achieve an orgasm, nothing more. I asked him if he was also looking for love and intimacy during his time with prostitutes and he reiterated that he was only interested in achieving an orgasm. I then told him that if an orgasm was all he wanted/needed then perhaps masturbation would be a better alternative, as it was quicker, cheaper and there were no risks involved. My comment was only meant to cause him to think of his reasons behind his actions. It was at this point that he pondered my comment for a few seconds and then acknowledged that perhaps there was some part of him that desired love and intimacy, even during an encounter with a prostitute.
3. On page 11 of the article the following quote appears “Now we are just asking them not to go to the brothels…”
Our volunteer; John, was misquoted here. Since our ministry takes place in ‘hostess bar’ areas, the subject of brothels was rarely even brought up. The MST Project is more than just asking a man to stop going to hostess bars or brothels. We try to build friendships with the men whom we meet and pursue more meetings with them if they are willing to. We look to listen and share and be available for those wanting to change patterns in their life.
4. On page 10 of the article it implies that we only reach out to Western men but we also reach out to other men in the area who speaks English i.e. Japanese, Indian etc. Indeed we have several non-Western men on the team and welcome other nationalities to join. However we recognize that there is a need for another Christian ministry to reach out to Khmer men as that is not our focus. We want to emphasize that simply because we are reaching out to Western tourists and expatriates who visit/frequent red-light districts does not mean that we do not recognize that sexual exploitation does not primarily happen by Khmer men - simply that there is still a need to focus on Western tourists and expatriates living in Cambodia and being English speakers we are in a position where we can do that.
5. Also on page 11 of the article it says that “their (MST volunteers) goal is to keep men out of the brothel the volunteers will not walk away from these talks even if they drag on for hours…”
We do not believe that we can keep people out of the brothel simply by talking to them. We talk to people for an extended time because we believe that by developing a relationship with a man that we have the right to invite them to consider alternatives and if open to it a relationship with God.
6. There is an ‘Alliance of Christian abolitionist groups’ in Cambodia but it is far from ‘lecturing prostitutes’ and very much about ‘providing concrete assistance in a range of ways’. One organization, Precious Women, which reaches out to girls in bars and beer gardens summarizes it in this way;
“All women are created unique and equal by God. All women have the same value in society. All women shall be protected and supported”.
Precious Women is exploring ways that they can develop supportive relationships with girls helping them to do training and find alternative employment.
The MST project is not about labeling people “good” or “bad”. It is about developing relationships with men. It is has never been about judgment, shame, or guilt.
If you would like more information or to schedule an interview with the MST Project, please contact us at info@mstproject.com
