Sex trafficking in Thailand

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Sex trafficking in Thailand refers to human trafficking for the sex industry in Thailand . The United Nations defines human trafficking as follows: “Recruiting, transporting, moving, harboring or taking in people through the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, through kidnapping, fraud, deception, abuse of power or the exploitation of particular helplessness or by granting for the purpose of exploitation ”. Thailand is a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking in the sex industry. In 2019, Thailand was classified as a "Tier 2 Watchlist" country for human trafficking. This means that the country is making significant efforts to meet the minimum anti-trafficking requirements, but the number of casualties is increasing and it has failed to demonstrate any noticeable improvements in anti-trafficking. 43 other countries are also ranked as “Tier 2 watchlist” nations, including Saudi Arabia , Bangladesh and Guatemala .

Pattern of exploitation

In the case of Thai sex industry victims of human trafficking, there are basically two main patterns that occur in the process of exploitation. A well-established pattern is that people from villages in poor regions are recruited under false pretenses to travel to the cities to work. Sometimes they are abducted to other countries. A new emerging pattern is that victims are being dragged off to other countries directly from the villages. The Foundation for Women found that women who are directly recruited without intermediaries often experience more violence and more severe forms of sexual exploitation. After a person is brought to the destination country, they are forced to work in brothels.

Victims are also transported from Thailand to other, richer Asian countries. It is estimated that 100,000 to 200,000 Thai women work in the sex industry overseas. In Japan alone, for example, there are said to be 50,000 to 70,000 women. The average age of these women is 12 to 16 years.

Many victims are also brought to Thailand to work in the sex industry. In recent years there have been many cases of people from Myanmar , Cambodia and Laos being abducted to brothels in Thailand. They were picked up in northern provinces such as Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai , central regions and eastern provinces such as Trat , Samut Prakan , Samut Sakhon , Chonburi , Chumphon , Songkhla , Narathiwat and Pattani . At least 80,000 people have been sold into the sex industry since 1990. The majority of sex workers in Thailand are foreigners. An estimated 75,000 children are currently being forced into prostitution in Thailand.

history

In the 18th century, Thailand was heavily industrialized. The prices for food and shelter rose rapidly. This moved many people to move to the cities to work in factories. This increased the demand for prostitution there. Commercialized sex was just a small industry in Thailand back then. This only grew during the Korean and Vietnam War in the 1950s and 1970s. The demand increased rapidly due to the stationed soldiers. In particular, women from poorer regions in Thailand moved near military bases to offer sexual services for the soldiers stationed there. After the wars, the emerging sex industry continued to exist and grew steadily through sex tourists as well as investment and promotion of the sex industry by the Thai government.

It has been estimated that around 400,000 people were working in the sex industry in the 1990s. Today, the sex industry in Thailand is $ 6.4 billion and has three to five million customers annually.

causes

Different reasons are given by scientists and experts as to why people end up in the sex industry. Economic, family and religious reasons are given. It has often been argued that people are forced to sell sex for neglect, kidnapping and trafficking, and to repay debts.

Economic reasons

The economic situation in Thailand is cited as one of the main reasons. This is especially true for families who work in agriculture in the north of the country. Lisa Rende Taylor, an anthropologist who researched human trafficking in the sex industry in Thailand, concluded that the sex industry in Thailand is so large because of the large economic differences between rural areas and Bangkok, as well as between Thailand and other Asian states there.

In doing so, the children often try to do a variety of other simple jobs to make money. This includes washing dishes, working in sweatshops (for example for the manufacture of clothes) and begging. But since they don't earn much money there, they often go into the sex industry. Girls can earn enough money through prostitution to secure property and status for their families.

The victims are not only Thai. Overseas people are often easy to get into sex work as they expect poverty, unemployment, broken families and unstable governments in their home countries.

The role of the family

Many experts believe that poverty and a lack of education are the main reasons for human trafficking in Thailand. Rende Taylor's research showed that girls from rich and poor households are both victims. The more education a girl had received, the greater the risk of becoming a victim because expectations of the girl's income and the cost of education were high. Girls who were allowed to attend school up to 9th or even 12th grade have to earn higher incomes compared to sisters who were not in school for so long. They are expected to move to the cities and make lots of money for the family. After moving to the city and not being able to find the job they want there, they allow themselves to be pushed into the sex industry in order to be able to support their families financially. Many of the girls see it as their duty to “pay back” the family's investments in them and to look after the family's welfare.

Rende Taylor also found that with multiple sisters, often the middle or youngest daughter is the one who ends up in the sex industry. The eldest daughter often stays with the family and supports the parents with household chores, farming and bringing up the younger siblings. The middle sisters are expected to provide financial support to the family. The youngest sisters can often attend school longer because they are co-financed by the income of their older siblings. However, as previously described, this is a circumstance that increases the risk of falling victim to human trafficking.

Religious ideas

90% of the population in Thailand are Buddhists . The acceptance of prostitution and human trafficking, especially in northern regions, is supported by religious ideas. The Buddhist belief assumes that "every soul in its life inhabits several bodies and the quality of life depends on how the soul behaved in the previous life". Virtuous behavior that leads to better rebirth includes financial support from parents. It is irrelevant what kind of work has to be done for this. It is believed that by supporting the family, virtue outweighs the sin of working in the sex industry. It is estimated that $ 300 million is sent annually by sex workers to their families in Thailand.

Sex industry in Thailand

It is estimated that 40,000 children under the age of 16 were working in the sex industry in Thailand in 2000. A survey said that 54% of these worked in the north, 29% in the northeast and 10% in the center of the country. A lot of money is made here. It is estimated that between 1993 and 1995 prostitution earned $ 22.5 billion to $ 27 billion.

Trafficking methods

Common methods used by human traffickers to force their victims into prostitution include violence, coercion, lending money to the family so that debts must be repaid with usurious interest later, marriage fraud, threats and theft of identification documents. Often girls are also lured in by pretending that they can work as a dancer, waitress, housemaid or saleswoman at the destination.

Recruiting from other girls is also a common trafficking scam. "Older" prostitutes are encouraged to bring in young new girls for the pimps. These then have to work in brothels or “massage parlors”. The traders are looking for willing victims in poorer villages. Then they offer the parents a sum to sell the girl. When the girl has reached the age of 12, the dealer comes by with the cash and takes the "goods" with him.

demand

One of the reasons girls and young women are being recruited into prostitution is market demand. It advertises youth, virginity and innocence in order to increase the demand for children in the sex industry. Scientific research has shown that the characteristics of Thai women that make them attractive to men are their "simplicity, loyalty, affection and innocence".

There are two types of men who use trafficked children. The first type are pedophiles who are actively looking for children of a certain age group. The second type are "casual abusers" who have sex with children when they are offered it. In doing so, they are not exclusively sexually attracted to children. These men are often sex tourists or men who travel to other countries to have sex there.

The increase in HIV infections is another reason why ever younger girls are being recruited. The sex industry advertises that younger girls are not infected with the disease.

Sex trafficking in boys and men

Men and boys are also traded in Thailand. The Thai government often offers these victims less protection than female victims. Non-governmental organizations also often focus on female victims. The reasons they get into the sex industry are similar to those of women. These include nationality or ethnicity, residency status, drug addiction, family indebtedness, employment history (already worked in the sex industry), and law enforcement failures. Many of the male sex workers in Chiang Mai are migrants from Myanmar or from neighboring tribes in northern Thailand. Governments do not grant citizenship to members of these tribes, so they can only work illegally and thus easily become victims of human trafficking.

Men and boys who are involved in the sex industry mostly work in "massage parlors" and bars. A 2017 study said that 80% of respondents were between the ages of 15 and 24. Studies found strong correlations between sex workers' ethnic background and the type of work they do in the sex industry. For example, Burmese migrants sell themselves out of nightclubs and bars in Chiang Mai. The men from the tribes of the north tend to work from massage parlors. Many of these men and boys are pushed into the sex industry by discrimination and poor pay in other areas such as construction or factories.

There is little legal and social support for men and boys in the sex industry. They have a great social stigma attached to them. Men and boys are not taken seriously as victims of sexual violence. In addition, they are also often discriminated against because of their migration background, ethnic origin, residence status, lack of language skills, lack of education and sexual orientation.

Recognition of male victims in the global fight against human trafficking

The lack of public discourse, lack of commitment and lack of legal and social support, as well as insufficient research on the subject of sexual exploitation of men and boys can be explained by antiquated ideas about masculinity (regarding male sexuality, dominance and male behavior). Men are portrayed as sexually dominant and there is a social notion that men are rarely or rarely victims of sexual violence. This attitude is reflected in the lack of support from male victims of human trafficking for the sex industry. Experts say that the alleged strength and resilience of young men prevent them from seeking help. It also prevents anti-trafficking organizations from targeting or caring for male victims. In addition, there are no organizations that specialize in male victims. In the networks that support male victims, the special needs of the victims are often not taken into account. This includes specific help that is required due to a migration background, sexual orientation, drug abuse, socio-economic background and health problems. There is a double stigma on male victims of the sex industry for being homosexual or engaging in homosexual acts and having sex work at the same time. The shame and stigma make it difficult for victims to seek help or to set up self-help groups. Male victims are more likely to be arrested by the police than female victims and they also experience more police violence.

Risks to Victims

HIV / AIDS , other sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies are major risks for victims of human trafficking for the sex industry. Victims are under the control of their owners after being smuggled to another country. Therefore, they have no way of negotiating with the suitors to protect themselves from disease and pregnancy.

In the 1990s, Thai sex workers were believed that if it were their "destiny" they would only get pregnant or contract disease. As a result, the victims did not protect themselves with condoms and did not visit doctors regularly. Because of this, the risk of getting pregnant or getting sick was higher for her. Most of these girls were between 12 and 16 years old and were taken to brothels in the destination countries.

Protection and Prevention

Laws

There are several laws in place since the 1990s to curb the sex trafficking and protect victims.

In 1992 the Thai government initiated a program to work with families and society to change society's "positive" attitudes towards child prostitution. Laws against sex trafficking have also been introduced.

In 1996, Thailand passed a new law to suppress and prevent prostitution. Even adult prostitution is a crime that “disturbs public morality”. If people are convicted, they must pay fines and the minors are forcibly placed in social or government institutions. If the parents sell their children into the sex trade, they too are severely punished for it.

In 1997, Thailand passed a law against human trafficking. All victims are included, regardless of their origin. However, Thai law did not recognize adult men as victims of human trafficking.

In 2008 a new law against human trafficking was passed. This was the Anti-Trafficking in Person Act BE 2551. The definition of human trafficking mentioned there also included men and is based on the Palermo Protocol.

In 1999 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on the treatment of women and children trafficked in human beings. These are guidelines for authorities on how to take action against human traffickers and how to provide “social assistance for women and children who have been victims of human trafficking”.

Thailand is currently implementing its second National Plan for the Suppression and Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings. New national plans are continually being drawn up by authorities and non-governmental organizations.

In addition, Thailand has signed several bilateral letters of intent with other countries against human trafficking. With Cambodia in 2003, with Laos in 2005 and with Myanmar in 2009. In addition to the Thai-Lao MOU and the Thai-Myanmar MOU, there are additional action plans, and case management has been implemented to resolve transnational difficulties.

In 2018, the Anti-Money Laundering Bureau (AMLO) issued injunctions on assets worth more than 509 million baht ($ 15.73 million) in human trafficking cases, compared to 14 million baht ($ 432,770) in 2017. The government has specialized anti-trafficking departments within the Bangkok Criminal Court, the Attorney General (OAG) and the Royal Thai Police (RTP).

International agreements

The Palermo Protocol, which is part of the United Nations Convention on Organized Crime, contains a definition of human trafficking and calls on all signatories to pass anti-trafficking laws and to cooperate with other countries in combating human trafficking. By December 2014, it had been signed by 166 countries, including Thailand.

Thailand ratified the Palermo Protocol on October 17, 2013. The country is also a member of COMMIT Process (Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative Against Human Trafficking), a network of six countries against human trafficking (Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam) . A work plan and regional action plans are drawn up annually by the members for COMMIT. Thailand is committed to fighting human trafficking and has a lot of international support for this.

Individual evidence

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  4. ↑ a b c d e f Lisa Rende Taylor: Dangerous Trade ‐ offs: The Behavioral Ecology of Child Labor and Prostitution in Rural Northern Thailand . In: Current Anthropology . 46, No. 3, June 2005, pp. 411-431. doi : 10.1086 / 430079 .
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