Thailand
What springs to mind when someone mentions
Thailand?
Beautiful beaches, clear waters, stunning temples
with almost unbelievable architecture?
For me, the thought of Thailand conjures up a very
different image.
The modern face of Thailand
A vast country, with once proud roots, I was
inspired to use Thailand as a location for my latest novel. Titled Caught in Traffick, the book centres on
the complex and dangerous world of child sex trafficking in Thailand. I chose
Thailand, due to its reputation as a sink hole of depravity. A reputation,
which in my opinion, is well-deserved.
Human Trafficking – An Overview
The trafficking of human beings is not a new
problem. It dates back many millennia and continues to grow at an alarming
level. Trafficking takes many forms; adults are trafficked for many reasons,
including; the sex trade, forced labour, illegal organ donation, forced
marriage, debt bondage, and domestic servitude.
Girls who are little more than children are sold into the sex trade
Children are trafficked for the child sex trade,
forced labour and illegal adoptions. They are also recruited and forced to
serve in lesser known schemes, such as illicit sports and gambling activities. Children
are also recruited for children’s armies where, amongst other things, they
serve as dispensable suicide bombers. Unbelievable but true.
A young girl recruited into someone's personal army
Conservative estimates put the figure of adults and
children currently enslaved by human trafficking at an astonishing 29 million;
27% of this number are children. Human
trafficking has now surpassed the sale of illegal arms in terms of criminal
activity, and is a growing international problem surpassed only by the drug
trade. It is big business for those involved, generating over $10 billion in
illegal revenue. The laws currently in place to protect victims are numerous
and complex. Statistic vary, but it is agreed that few perpetrators are brought
to justice. A 2007 US State Department report put the figure at approximately 1
in 800 people.
Child Sex Trafficking in Thailand
While I am aware that children are sexually
exploited the world over; there are few places on earth that they are more
vulnerable and less protected by their own Government than in Thailand.
Young girls on the street approached by a punter
The children’s charity The Sold Project estimates that there are around 60,000 children
involved in the commercial sex trade in Thailand*.
Girls outside a sex club await "clients"
Thailand’s reputation as a place where one can go
and indulge in sexual activity with children with little chance of redress,
makes it a magnet for paedophiles. Those
responsible for supplying these depraved men (or women) with their wretched
victims are well-organised, cunning and arrogant. Safe in the knowledge that to
avoid prosecution, all that is required is a well-placed bribe; they continue
their heinous trade unchecked and unchallenged. The children come from a
variety of sources. Poor local families who have debts, which they can never
hope to repay, are often forced to sell their children to these gangs. Other
parents believe that their children are going to a better life, with an education
or a job prospect. This is almost never the case.
The streets teem with sex workers
Less common, is the abduction of children who are
then forced into prostitution. Some of these children are those of holiday
makers, and while rare, it does happen. There are an average of seven non Thai children
a year who are kidnapped in Thailand. Whether the children are locally sold, or
dramatically abducted, a similar fate awaits them all.
A high percentage of the ill-fated children will be
sold into prostitution and while prostitution is officially illegal in
Thailand, it is estimated that the trade is worth around $6.4 billion per
annum, making it an essential part of the Thai economy.
Bright lights and sex workers
Many children will die in service to the gangs who own them.
Many contract sexually transmitted diseases, which are not treated. Others will
die from botched abortions, while some will die from violence at the hands of
their captors or clients. Many children
are simply thrown out on the streets once they have outlived their usefulness.
Unable to survive alone, they soon succumb to hunger, cold and illness.
Government Response
Corruption and organised crime undermine even the
best anti-trafficking efforts; so, why don’t the Government and the police do
something about it?
Sex worker being questioned
Consider that at the time of writing, the average
police officer in Thailand earns approximately £163 per MONTH at entry level,
rising to only £350 a month for a more senior officer. In addition, they have
to buy their own uniform, guns, and even bullets! It is small wonder they lack
motivation, and have a reputation for being corrupt and easy to bribe.
A 2008 article in The Economist noted;
“In
Thailand’s most sensational crimes, the prime suspects are often the police”.
Some efforts have been made;
In 2015, the Government brought charges against 34
officials, including those in mid to high posts. The Government also
investigated five cases where officials accepted bribes. It is a start, but it
is nowhere near enough.
The Government’s efforts to protect potential
victims of trafficking are inadequate. In 2015, 720 people were identified as
at risk from trafficking. This in a country where tens of thousands of people
are trafficked; it is a drop in the ocean. One of the main problems is the
sheer volume of people pouring into Thailand from such a wide diversity of
other countries. With migrants from Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma, China,
North Korea, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Russia, The United States
and the United Kingdom, it is small wonder that the screening process is
ineffectual and failing those most in need of help.
Soldiers patrolling the borders
Smuggling/trafficking camps have been identified on
many parts of the Thai border, but given the sheer size of Thailand’s borders;
patrolling them effectively, is akin to holding back the tide. Many victims are
brought in by sea; with this in mind, the Government do raid fishing boats on a
regular basis, but again, it is pathetically insufficient.
Police raiding a fishing boat with slave labour aboard
The Government has few effective resources in
relation to dealing with trafficked children. Often separated from their
parents in being smuggled over the borders, the children can face years in a
holding centre, or deportation. Those unlucky enough to fall into the hands of
traffickers can expect to be sold into the sex trade or other labour based
slavery. The Thai police do seem to have
maintained an effective cooperation with international law enforcement when
child sex cases involve foreign perpetrators. However, the Government fall
woefully short of providing a safe environment for the children to give
evidence. Often, they are forced to testify in front of the alleged
perpetrators, and have to give their personal details, which leaves them and
their families open to retribution and retaliation from the gangs.
Vulnerable children are put at risk by having to testify in front of the perpetrators
In terms of prevention, the Government refused
entry to over 500 known sex offenders in 2015, compared to only 98 the previous
year. In that at least, a modicum of progress was made. They also organised
some training for officials and those in the tourist industry in relation to
child trafficking and its prevention. The Government also report having a surveillance
agency of trained operatives who are placed in high risk areas of child sex
trafficking, and who supposedly report to the police. However, as we have
already seen, corruption is such, that for a few hundred baht, many crimes will
go unchallenged and unpunished.
Government anti-trafficking advert
From the above, we can see that the Thai Government
are making a few efforts to bring perpetrators to justice, but their efforts
continue to be hampered by gangs of organised crime. Thailand was at one time
on the lowest tier, imposed by the US Government – tier 3 – in relation to the
efforts it was making in relation to human trafficking. Tier 3 status could trigger
non-trade related sanctions and is viewed as very serious. In 2016, the US
Government lifted the tier 3 rating, lifting it to tier 2. This was met with
protests from Human Rights groups, who say the action was politically motivated
and did nothing to address the issues of trafficking, which is still rife,
especially in the fishing and sex industries.
Caught in Traffick – The Novel
It is against this backdrop of corruption and
perversion that my novel Caught in Traffick is set.
The book is the sequel to my best selling debut
book, Known to Social Services, and
sees the main character, social worker Diane Foster caught up in a complex and
frightening web of criminal exploitation of the worst kind.
Book Festival Section winner and prequel to Caught in Traffic, my debut book, Known to Social Services
Focusing mainly on the kidnap of two European
children, Caught in Traffick aims to highlight the issue of child trafficking for the sex
trade. I also draw attention to the marked differences between the abduction of
European children and the ensuing media drama, against the almost
unacknowledged disappearance of local children, who elicit an apathetic
response.
For research purposes, I read extensively and spoke to people who work in anti-trafficking organisations. Their insight was invaluable. The Internet is of course a mine of information and I found dozens of useful websites. From children's charities, who are dedicated to the eradication of child trafficking, to UK Government Agencies who combat the problem from a criminal perspective; all went towards building the picture and helped with the emerging storyline.
As a qualified child protection social worker I am
more than aware of the issues which are faced by many of the world’s children.
While Caught in Traffick is a novel, I am acutely aware that this is an all too
horrifically real issue for tens of thousands of children. It is my heartfelt
hope that through the medium of writing, I can bring some additional attention
and action to this hideous practice.
Caught in Traffick is available from Amazon in
paperback or Kindle format;
*https://www.thesoldproject.com/child-human-trafficking-thailand/
**http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2016/258876.htm
Links
Twitter; @freyabarrington
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Freya
A very interesting, harrowing read, Freya. It's unbelievable that human beings can treat each other this way, especially the exploitation of young trusting children. Well done for highlighting this terrible evil.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Julia, I appreciate you taking the trouble to read and comment. Not everyone can read material like this but it won't go away simply because we ignore it. x
DeleteThank you very much for sharing information that will be much helpful for making coursework my effective.
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