Beautiful as it is, Thailand has a dark reputation when it comes to human trafficking. A US State Department 2014 report ranks Thailand as a Tier 3 country in term of human trafficking. This means it is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women and children subjected sex trafficking and forced labor, including working under inhumane conditions in garment factories, serving as unpaid domestic helpers, working hazardous jobs or being forced to beg in the streets. 

Aside from Thailand itself, other victims of trafficking can come from neighboring countries like Myanmar and Vietnam to as far as China, Russia, Uzbekistan, India and even Fiji. Many don’t have to be persuaded, forced or fooled into being trafficked; some travel to Thailand to actively seek out traffickers in the misguided hope they might actually find a better life. Depending who they end up with their destination countries can be Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Russia, Western Europe, South Korea and even the United States. 

Fighting Back 

The good news is that the Thai authorities are taking a more active role in the fight against human trafficking. Since amending the law in 2008 Thailand has prohibited all forms of trafficking and prescribes penalties ranging from four to 10 years’ imprisonment. These penalties are considered proportionate to those meted for other serious offenses like rape. 

The Thai government has also improved its anti-trafficking data collection, allowing them and international law enforcement bodies monitoring human trafficking access to more accurate reports on prosecutions and convictions involving these cases. 

In 2013 the Thai government reported investigating 674 trafficking cases, up from 306 cases in 2012. A total of 483 suspected traffickers were prosecuted; broken down to 374 for sex trafficking, 56 for forced begging, and the rest for other forms of forced labor. 

Of that total number 225 traffickers were convicted. Most of them received sentences ranging from one to seven years’ imprisonment, while 29 were meted prison sentences over seven years. Another 31 were meted sentences of less than one year in jail. 

For 2014, the government said, 595 victims of human trafficking were identified, 280 cases investigated, 115 cases prosecuted and 104 people convicted. 

To combat human trafficking, Thailand gave legal papers to 1.6 million undocumented migrant workers last year. The government said this would make them less vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking and ensure they would not hesitate to ask for help from the government or law enforcement agencies. 

Avoid Being Mistaken for a Human Trafficker 

If you happen to be accompanying your Thai lady friend out of the country make sure you are both leaving the country legally and through an identified point of exit and entry. Also make sure she has the right documents such as ID cards and a valid passport or visa of the country of destination, where applicable. 

If you happen to spot activity similar to human trafficking you should report this to authorities immediately. Thai Singles does not condone or support human trafficking for sex, labor or whatever reason. And neither should you.

Our team in Thailand

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