Introduction
Human trafficking, or trafficking in persons (TIP), is a heinous crime occurring in every part of the society in the world today. It is considered one of the ghastliest forms of human rights violation because of the involuntary manner in which the victims are recruited, transported and subsequently subjected to various types of torture and exploitation. Based on a global report on trafficking in persons by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), approximately 1 to 3 million persons are trafficked every year worldwide. The highest number of trafficked persons being females for sexual exploitation followed by men for forced labor. As one of the most profitable criminal industry and lowest risk after drug-related crimes, human trafficking has become rampant in Thailand due to its relative economic prosperity. Thus, this paper explores human trafficking in Thailand as well as find efficient and practical solutions to fight the heinous crime against humanity.
The scope of Human Trafficking in Thailand
According to UNODC countries are classified as perpetrators of TIP depending on the activities, they involve themselves in spreading the vice which includes; sending traffickers, receiving or acting as transit destinations ( Jones, Engstrom, Hilliard & Sungakawan, 2011). Most of the countries hold one status, fewer hold two conditions while it is difficult to find a state containing the three statutes. Thailand is one of the countries that is involved in all three laws of human trafficking. In a 2016 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP), Thailand’s tier was as status three because of its failure to comply with Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) after rising from Tier 2 Watch List (United State government, 2016).
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The US State Department estimates that one-third of Thailand citizens are trafficked by organized groups to work overseas (United States Department, 2016). Most of them are sent in Asian countries, Europe and the United States. The victims who are lured being promised well -paying jobs in the aviation and hotel industry end up working as prostitutes in their countries of destination. Usually, the "high promising jobs" comes with a cost including meeting their travel expenses in advance. Besides, upon arrival to their destination, Thai women are forced to pay money sent to the trafficking agencies by rendering sexual services to at least 500 customers within a given period before they are given their commission. They are also required to pay for basic service in the brothels such as food and clothes. Their stay in the brothels is accompanied by even other challenges including rape, assault and sometimes death. The modus operandi of traffickers makes it difficult for immigration officers to arrest and prosecute the traffickers as most of them acquire the right documentation for their victims including passports, visas, and air tickets.
Apart from traffickers sending Thai nationals overseas for sexual exploitation, Thailand is also a destination country for illegal immigrants and TIP. Thailand is one of the developing countries enjoying relative economic prosperity compared to its neighboring countries. Thus, these present traffickers with an opportunity to forcefully or voluntary defraud unlawful immigrants to sexual exploitation and forced labor. The methodologies used by the traffickers to bring the victims into the country are very dangerous. In most instances, the victims are hidden under heavy loads of goods to avoid the inspection agencies from getting hold of them at the borders ( Jones, Engstrom, Hilliard & Sungakawan2011). Only a few victims can arrive at their destination safely as most of them die of suffocation. Female illegal immigrants are forced to work in commercial sex business such as clubs, brothels and massage parlors. As a result, they are leading to a tremendous increase in commercial sex in the country. According to Opanovych (2016), Thailand has been categorized as one of the largest sex tour operators in the world today. Street clubs in every part of the town are filled with explicit advertisements of types of sex services offered. The facilities are provided at incredibly lower prices, with the average service pay being $ 15. This money does go the prostitutes but local Thai traffickers and Russian Mafia who control and are the primary beneficiaries ( Opanovych, 2016). Illegal sexual workers are forced to engage in countless sexual activities to raise more money. Besides, their documents are confiscated, physically abused and held in captivity to lose connecting with the outside world.
Apart from not getting the promised jobs, they are subjected to forced labor. The problem of forced labor and exploitation rises from the fact that the top management in factories has to pay the traffickers a substantial amount of money for smuggling illegal immigrants into Thailand and subsequently factories. The money is later deducted from their salaries making it difficult for them to change their lives. In most cases, the fees are exorbitantly high, giving rise to “debt bondage”, a tool meant to control, abuse and exploit the workers. According to the Labor Rights and Promotion Network, it is estimated that approximately 80 to 90 percent of illegal immigrants working in various factories are in a debt bondage situation ( Shelley,2013). Besides, brokers and employers have detained them against their will preventing them from changing jobs or escaping.
Labor exploitation of victims of human trafficking is not only in the factories but also in the fishing industry. Workers in the fishing industry are forced to work under long and uncompensated working hours posing a threat to their mental and physical state. They also have to endure working under harsh conditions including sleeping in damp and limited spaces with poor lighting. According to the international labor organizations (ILO), more than 4,000 people were trafficked from Cambodian and sold to boat operators in Thailand ( Mutaqin,2018). From their witness statement collected from some of them, life is so unbearable to the extent that they are forced to commit suicide through jumping from the ship. Their illegal status, little negotiating power, vulnerability and lack of knowledge about their rights forcing them to endure the conditions ( Mutaqin,2018).
Last but not least children, disabled and the elderly are trafficked into Thailand to become beggars. According to an investigation by the Amnesty International, children are lured bought from low-income families out of desperation to pay their debts and brought illegally into the country ( Sakdiyakorn & Vichitrananda,2010). The children or the elderly are kept in particular rented houses by the criminal organizations and forced to commit offenses such as begging for money. The traffickers place them at specific begging points and collect the money earned without paying them anything. They are only provided with basic things such as food and shelter. Beggars who try to hide the funds raised are punished by being assaulted leading to serious bodily harm. In some worst cases, the criminal organizations have specific body organs removed for sale.
Discussion
Currently, the Thailand government is a Tier 3 under US watch list having not eliminated human trafficking ( Shelley,2013) . To fully comply with the minimum regulations and reduce the heinous act, the Thailand government can utilize specific strategies among them adopting specific legal tools. The Anti- Human Trafficking Act as passed by the UN convention provides that the authorities have the rights to arrest, prosecute and convict individuals involved in the trafficking of persons including men, women, and children for commercial gains. The act which also has an Anti -Money Laundering Act also gives the authorities the right to seize, confiscate and freeze all the proceeds of human trafficking. By using law enforcement agencies, the Thailand government will be able to deal with this problem. Worldwide these acts have been the most effective in fighting drug traffickers through dissuasive sentences and punishing those guilty.
Most of the victims of human trafficking worker under threats and intimidation from their exploiters. The Thailand government should be proactively involved in creating laws that will protect the victims against harassment when it comes to reporting human trafficking crimes. Besides, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDS) should be allocated with multidisciplinary teams that will in recognizing victims of human trafficking who have had their documents confiscated and non-physical indicators of trafficking outside urban areas.
In conclusion, human trafficking is a heinous crime that not only erodes human dignity but also results in physical and mental torture. In Thailand, victims of human trafficking get subjected to sexual exploitation, forced labor, and extended working conditions. In most cases, their work goes unpaid to the extent of going into debt bondage. The international community has been at the forefront of preventing and suppressing the crimes by drafting and passing various human security-related acts. However, Thailand as a nation can contain these heinous acts through strengthening their legal laws and regulation, adding more law enforcement agencies and working together with the victims to help arrest the traffickers.
References
Jones, L., Engstrom, D., Hilliard, P., & Sungakawan, D. (2011). Human trafficking between Thailand and Japan: lessons in recruitment, transit, and control. International journal of social welfare , 20 (2), 203-211.
Mutaqin, Z. Z. (2018). Modern-day Slavery at Sea: Human Trafficking in the Thai Fishing Industry. Journal of East Asia and International Law (JEAIL) , 11 (1), 75-76.
Opanovych, N. (2016). Human trafficking for sexual exploitation in Thailand. Securitologia , 1 , 103-110.
Sakdiyakorn, M., & Vichitrananda, S. (2010). Corruption, human trafficking, and human rights: The case of forced labor and sexual exploitation in Thailand. NACC Journal , 3 (1), 54-66.
Shelley, L. (2013). Human trafficking as a form of transnational crime. In Human trafficking (pp. 128-149). Willan.
U.S. Department of State, 2016 Trafficking in Persons Report - United States of America, June 2016.
