Thai victims exposed in US human trafficking

[webfact]

Thai victims exposed in US human trafficking 

By Wasamon Audjarint 
The Nation

 

 

Recent high-profile cases in Thailand are a reminder of the scourge of human trafficking. The Nation’s Wasamon Audjarint reports from the US cities of Houston and Los Angeles on sex trafficking rings involving Thai women often working in seemingly legitimate massage parlours – as well as their journeys out of illicit sex work.
 

AFTER SPENDING days roaming the streets of Houston, Texas, the sprawling, one-storey buildings with their massive footprints were ubiquitous. The offices of Elijah Rising, in their nondescript brown building on the Southwest Freeway, appeared to be no exception – except as the former quarters of Angela, a so-called “day spa” where six Thai sex workers, the victims of human trafficking, had been forced to work.

 

“They were never able to realise they were victims,” said Samantha Hernandez, social enterprise director of Elijah Rising, an NGO fighting to end human trafficking and social exploitation, as she led a bus tour in her office’s Houston neighbourhood.

 

 

Without Hernandez’s guidance, it would be impossible for outsiders to know that some of the buildings, otherwise indistinguishable from their neighbours, have been closed after being discovered to host brothels. Others are still in business.

 

In regards to its present quarters, Elijah Rising, which seeks to raise religious awareness and takes an activist approach, intervened with the property owner in 2013 and the brothel operators were evicted.

 

The building hosts offices of the NGO but also an exhibition and replica of Angela Day Spa, showing the living conditions in which the Thai victims were forced to live.

 

 

 

Inside behind the tinted windows, the trappings of a brothel are more apparent. An ATM is on the premises, as brothels normally do not accept credit cards. A more sinister aspect is a surveillance room, which is meant to enable control over the sex workers, while a seedy feature is a special spray bottle to hold condoms.

 

“The pimp was a Korean and he was part of a big sex trafficking ring,” Hernandez said. “Being that, his control methods were very efficient.

 “When I started talking about sex trafficking, [the victims] just thought ‘I’m an illegal alien, speak little English and won’t have any luck’.”

 

Samantha Hernandez

 

Uncovering illegal businesses such as Angela’s, however, only exposes the tip of the iceberg in terms of the total number of victims being trafficked in a sex industry that is underground by its very nature. Given that East Asia and the Asia-Pacific are the points of origin from which most people are trafficked to the United States, it is no surprise that Asian brothels are over-represented in Houston’s landscape.

 

“We also see a lot of Mandarin-speaking, Thai and Korean sex workers, and also Vietnamese,” she said.

 

That demographic of victims does not only apply to Houston. Four hours away by air, a nondescript Thai massage parlour, again with blackened windows, is easily spotted in the East Hollywood neighbourhood of Los Angeles.

 

“Most massage parlours here operate legally. But you’ll hardly know if they do anything ‘backstage’,” said attorney Panida Rzonca as she led a tour around the area’s “Thai Town”.

 

Legitimate massage parlour in Thai Town, claimed by the Thai CDC to be helpful with assistances

 

The six blocks of Thai Town in East Hollywood, known for authentic Thai cuisine, including durian, is also ground zero for assistance for Thai trafficking victims. The federal government-funded Thai Community Development Centre (Thai CDC) operates in the area, but while organisations such as Elijah Rising take an active role confronting sex traffickers, the Thai CDC mainly offers support to victims once they are rescued from exploitative conditions.

 

Panida, the organisation’s lead attorney, recently assisted victims of a sex trafficking ring that was exposed in Minnesota last year. About 1,000 Thai women had been forced into sex work and victimised.

 

The Thai CDC’s job includes providing temporary shelter, assisting former victims to apply for “T” visas, which allow certain trafficking victims and their families to remain and work temporarily in the US, and providing English language education.

 

Most former victims end up working in restaurants or legitimate massage parlours. 

 

“Most victims choose to continue making money in the US, not only for the economic opportunity but also because they are scared about their family members’ welfare if they are found back in Thailand,” Panida said.

 

“Victims are most likely traumatised by their traffickers’ threats that they will harm their loved ones back home if they are ever found to have escaped,” she added.

 

Banner of a Thai massage parlour in Houston

 

While Hernandez indicated that Thai victims feared being confronted by US authorities for illegally entering the country to work legally, another legal source working with Thai victims, who asked to remain anonymous, said some had |entered the country through legal channels.

 

“But what was illegal was their registration procedure and the treatment they received – which we call modern-day slavery,” the source said

“If they entered the US illegally, that is counted as violating administrative law, while in trafficking they become the victims of violations of criminal law. This knowledge should be disseminated so that no one fears coming to authorities if their rights are infringed.”

 

The Thai CDC started working on the Minnesota case in 2016 with the cooperation of Thai authorities and the diplomatic corps in the US, but their role was generally limited.

 

“As attorneys in the US, we have a strong sense of the confidentiality of the victims. We can’t even inform Thai authorities whom we are helping,” she said. “Thai embassies and consulates here also appear to not have legal teams of their own to work on these kinds of cases.”

 

Thai CDC founder and executive director Chanchanit Martorell also said more cooperation between Thai authorities and NGOs should be encouraged to pursue prosecutions.

 

Chanchanit Martorell

 

“We have exchanged information with Thai agencies. Yet many of our requests to them are not resolved,” Chanchanit said “It’s crucial to give victims a fair chance in the justice system, not only for their rights and humane standards, but also to encourage future victims to step forward,” Chanchani added. “[Justice] shouldn’t be realised at a mere face-saving, surface level.” 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30339169

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-02-19

[Raymonddiaz]

most of Thais women working overseas knew in advance they are going to be sex workers. The only excuse they found acceptable is they are feeding their families back home .

[ChrisY1]

This story will no doubt raise the anger of many Thais on social media .....probably much more so than the real issue of child prostitution trafficking, here in Thailand.

[kaorop]

Ahhh with this, 'nice inoccent thais are victims to foriegn criminals' and 'thailand happiest economy'. I can see the propagander wing is in full flight..

[Lee4Life]

3 hours ago, Raymonddiaz said:

most of Thais women working overseas knew in advance they are going to be sex workers. The only excuse they found acceptable is they are feeding their families back home .

And you know this how?

[DoctorG]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Angela, a so-called “day spa” where six Thai sex workers, the victims of human trafficking, had been forced to work.

 

“They were never able to realise they were victims,” said Samantha Hernandez, social enterprise director of Elijah Rising, an NGO fighting to end human trafficking and social exploitation

So, they did not consider themselves victims until these do-gooders turned up to tell them.

The easiest way to overcome the exploitation aspect is to decriminalise prostitution. This was done in Australia and guess what? The country did not fall into mayhem. Brothels are licenced and regulated and individual prostitutes can work from home alone without fearing the police.

Is there organised crime involved in brothels? Yes, but street prostitution is all but eliminated.

[lamecn]

18 minutes ago, Lee4Life said:

And you know this how?

I know of more cases where Thai women have managed to snare naive Westerners to pay for their tickets and visas to Farang Land, and once with their feet on the ground in the West, they drop the "boy friend" and start working in massage parlors; sending home enough money to buy land and build a big house back home in the village.

I've heard about Thai women asking their mother what they can do to support the family, and the answers have been: "Go and sell yourself". 

 

[Bluespunk]

Let’s hope the scum trafficking and sexually exploiting these victims are punished severely.  

[cat handler]

No victims here, these girls were working in Pattaya but had the opportunity to go to the US and earn twice as much, of course they jumped at the chance. 

[Kolantaman]

Get customer names...bust them...fine them $100 k for partaking in this sick activity of sex slavery....use the 100k fine to fly the girls back to Thailand and pay for their bachelor's degree plus 10k for successfully graduating.....oh and for those who say the women want this work and volunteer willingly....how about we throw you in jail too i bet you partake in sexual massages or hiw about better and we force you into sexual servitude and see how ypu like it....you sick $#[email protected]. Hernandez is a super hero.....she deserves a hero of the year award!!! 

[steven100]

1 minute ago, Kolantaman said:

Get customer names...bust them...fine them $100 k for partaking in this sick activity of sex slavery....use the 100k fine to fly the girls back to Thailand and pay for their bachelor's degree plus 10k for successfully graduating.....oh and for those who say the women want this work and volunteer willingly....how about we throw you in jail too i bet you partake in sexual massages or hiw about better and we force you into sexual servitude and see how ypu like it....you sick $#[email protected]. Hernandez is a super hero.....she deserves a hero of the year award!!! 

They are aware their job isn't going to be the receptionist at a local bank.  It happens all over the world and they weren't forced to go.

Not sick,  just supply and demand. 

[hansnl]

Many years ago, when I was young and stupid, some friend asked me if I might be interested meeting a Thai woman.

I paid her ticket, guaranteed her, invited her, and there she was.

Nice looking woman, spoke some English, and disappeared.

Found out she was working in a club.

Went back to Thailand and came back again three months later, I understand.

Trafficking?

Don't think so.

 

[Grumpy Duck]

I have seen how many "victims" are created. Some come to the US on student visas, with no work permits learn of big tips working massage. Then when caught in illegal activity, (allowing a customer to "finish themselves" is no different than giving them a tug) police offer "testify that your boss hired you for sex acts" and you won't go to jail. 

 

Note: I did part time IT work for a chain of massage establishments/spas in California and saw this first hand. Most workers were Vietnamese almost all were legal citizens some US born. 

[lvr181]

47 minutes ago, steven100 said:

and they weren't forced to go.

How do you know that? Your unquestionable reliable source is?

 

If they were not forced to go, did they have the opportunity/freedom to decide about their work and work 'conditions'?

 

Your comment (yet again) is made while wearing blinkers or looking through rose coloured spectacles. Just try and grasp the 'big picture' for once. 

[wanderluster]

the americans love to tell and condemn the rest of the world about human trafficking but they never look in their own back yards..   the worlds policemen they like to think but really they are the worst scum.

[Baerboxer]

1 hour ago, Grumpy Duck said:

I have seen how many "victims" are created. Some come to the US on student visas, with no work permits learn of big tips working massage. Then when caught in illegal activity, (allowing a customer to "finish themselves" is no different than giving them a tug) police offer "testify that your boss hired you for sex acts" and you won't go to jail. 

 

Note: I did part time IT work for a chain of massage establishments/spas in California and saw this first hand. Most workers were Vietnamese almost all were legal citizens some US born. 

"allowing a customer to "finish themselves" is no different than giving them a tug"

 

"saw this first hand."

 

Righto mate, thanks for the insight 

 

[bkkgriz]

That map. Woof. Chicago has been moved to Detroit. Atlanta appears to be in Kansas City. DC has swapped places with Atlanta. LA is now in Mexico, south of Arizona and Vegas is now in New Mexico. I realize geography is not taught anymore, but that map is an embarrassment. 

[Mac98]

6 hours ago, Kolantaman said:

Get customer names...bust them...fine them $100 k for partaking in this sick activity of sex slavery....use the 100k fine to fly the girls back to Thailand and pay for their bachelor's degree plus 10k for successfully graduating.....oh and for those who say the women want this work and volunteer willingly....how about we throw you in jail too i bet you partake in sexual massages or hiw about better and we force you into sexual servitude and see how ypu like it....you sick $#[email protected]. Hernandez is a super hero.....she deserves a hero of the year award!!! 

Yes, there is always a sign on the front door of every massage shop that certifies if their workers are provided by "Human Traffickers International". Or did you mean this $100k fine and jail time should also apply when the workers sought work there of their own free will? Or did you mean anywhere around the world, including where a happy ending is legal? When you go to bed at night do you get sweaty worrying about all the people around the world doing nasty things. Oh, we're all drowning in a sea of sex! Praise the lord, here comes the NGO tout to shoot another clip of people milling around on Walking Street while a voice over claims thousands of underage girls are held as sex slaves inside, just so they can raise money and drive their Lexus to work from their estate, which most probably has illegal aliens working as servants.

[Lee4Life]

10 hours ago, lamecn said:

I know of more cases where Thai women have managed to snare naive Westerners to pay for their tickets and visas to Farang Land, and once with their feet on the ground in the West, they drop the "boy friend" and start working in massage parlors; sending home enough money to buy land and build a big house back home in the village.

I've heard about Thai women asking their mother what they can do to support the family, and the answers have been: "Go and sell yourself". 

 

I'm afraid the type of Human Trafficking in this article has nothing to do with the type of scenario you are talking about, they aren't talking about women who use their boyfriends or husbands as a way to get to western countries. They are talking about women who have been tricked into going there on the pretense that they will have lucrative jobs and then end up working in the sex industry. 

    

[Cadbury]

10 hours ago, steven100 said:

They are aware their job isn't going to be the receptionist at a local bank.  It happens all over the world and they weren't forced to go.

Not sick,  just supply and demand. 

And you Steven speaking as an expert on international prostitution I take your word for it.

[StayinThailand2much]

 

16 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai victims exposed in US human trafficking 

 

Oh my god, were they drugged and shanghaied?? 

 

At least they, probably, came back with a wad of dollars, unlike some Thai lasses I know, who went voluntarily to Malaysia, Hong Kong, etc., to get rich quick, but came back to Thailand without a penny, but tales about prisons there.

 

[StayinThailand2much]

2 hours ago, Lee4Life said:

I'm afraid the type of Human Trafficking in this article has nothing to do with the type of scenario you are talking about, they aren't talking about women who use their boyfriends or husbands as a way to get to western countries. They are talking about women who have been tricked into going there on the pretense that they will have lucrative jobs and then end up working in the sex industry. 

 

Evil foreign trafficker: "So, I have to tell you that, instead of working at the restaurant, you will have to provide sex for horny Americans..." - Innocent Thai lass: "Oh, no. I am so innocent. Please don't do that to me!" - Evil foreigner: "I'm afraid, that I won't pay your return ticket to Thailand if you don't agree to drop your knickers. And the next Thai consulate is 50 miles away; you'd have to travel there on your own, on the Greyhound bus, spending all your last cash..." - Innocent Thai lass: "All right, then..." (The innocent Thai maiden was later rescued from the evil falang man.)

[Lee4Life]

9 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Evil foreign trafficker: "So, I have to tell you that, instead of working at the restaurant, you will have to provide sex for horny Americans..." - Innocent Thai lass: "Oh, no. I am so innocent. Please don't do that to me!" - Evil foreigner: "I'm afraid, that I won't pay your return ticket to Thailand if you don't agree to drop your knickers. And the next Thai consulate is 50 miles away; you'd have to travel there on your own, on the Greyhound bus, spending all your last cash..." - Innocent Thai lass: "All right, then..." (The innocent Thai maiden was later rescued from the evil falang man.)

Your view point is biased because of who and what you expose yourself to, my experience with the people here has been good, largely because of who and what I chose to expose myself to. If you think there are no women here of good character then maybe it's because you only frequent places where there are none, or you listen to those who do such. The other problem is that many of the women who have made poor lifestyle choices have been helped along by men who themselves make poor lifestyle choices. Thanks for providing the excellent example above, except it is biased...you should have really left the "farang" out.

[StayinThailand2much]

27 minutes ago, Lee4Life said:

Your view point is biased because of who and what you expose yourself to, my experience with the people here has been good, largely because of who and what I chose to expose myself to. If you think there are no women here of good character then maybe it's because you only frequent places where there are none, or you listen to those who do such. The other problem is that many of the women who have made poor lifestyle choices have been helped along by men who themselves make poor lifestyle choices...

What does "my experience with the people here as been good" to do with the news item of 'Thai victims of trafficking in the U.S.'?? - No-one will object if, to make your point of 'my experience with the people...' you posted your own topic, titled: "I'm so happy..." All I did, was commenting the news item. Who are you to criticise me, and making assumptions. Do that with your acquaintances, but leave me out of it!