Human Trafficking

[cdnvic]

I found this report interesting as it names the efforts of many developing countries to stem the tide of human trafficking, but Thailand was conspicuously absent, despite much evidence pointing to this country being a "Hub" of the trade.

Full text at: http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/0603/ijge/gj08.htm

Exerpts below...

Discouraging Sex Tourism. The Government of Brazil is fighting sex tourism by asking hotels to be active in discouraging child prostitution on their premises. Hotels participating in the program receive an extra "star" in their quality rating. Brazil also distributes brochures to visiting tourists making them aware of the penalties associated with exploiting minors. The Government of The Gambia asks visitors to give information to the police about sex tourists and the sexual exploitation of children through a special tip system. The government requires fingerprints before residence permits are issued to foreigners in order to check criminal records to prevent known exploiters from operating in the country. The Tourism Bill before the National Assembly provides protective measures for children against sex tourists. The Gambian Government and the Government of The Netherlands set up a special police unit to monitor and track Dutch pedophiles in The Gambia.

Source-Destination Cooperation. UAE police and Uzbek non-governmental organizations are working together on the rescue and repatriation of victims. The UAE also is working with the Government of Bangladesh to sensitively repatriate child camel jockeys. The Government of Saudi Arabia has opened an information center in Sri Lanka, a major source country for foreign labor, to provide briefings for foreign workers on their rights and responsibilities and on cultural mores in Saudi Arabia. This is done in an attempt to better acquaint potential workers -- especially women -- with the lifestyle they will be expected to lead in the Kingdom and helps prevent misunderstandings with employers. Separate entry lines for foreign workers at airports in Saudi Arabia are used to give workers information on rights and responsibilities and points-of-contact should they need assistance. The United Kingdom has appointed prosecutors as liaison magistrates in source countries as well as in Spain, Italy, and France.

Rewarding Law Enforcement. In Andhra Pradesh, India, a law enforcement officer's performance appraisal is linked to his or her efforts to apprehend and investigate human traffickers.

Victim Assistance. The Government of Morocco provides social workers to facilitate the repatriation of child maids to families. Moroccan diplomats in destination countries are trained about trafficking and actively go into Moroccan expatriate communities to look for victims. The Government of Sri Lanka assigns welfare officers to its embassies in countries in the Middle East to assist trafficking victims. The Kyrgyz Republic has labor offices to identify vulnerable nationals working in Russia. Police officers in Ukraine work closely with an active network of non-governmental organizations to assist victims.

Border Monitoring. In Nepal, former victims work alongside Nepalese border officials to identify traffickers and victims at key crossing points. The former victims are able to spot potential victims and provide assistance. The Government of Colombia has sent officials to the airports to identify and talk with likely trafficking victims as they are sitting and waiting to fly out. In many cases, they have succeeded in educating women about the dangers of traffickers and many potential victims elected not to leave. The Government of Romania facilitates cross-border law enforcement cooperation and assists in the coordinated anti-trafficking, joint law enforcement operation throughout the region.

Witness Protection. The Government of Sri Lanka encourages the use of video-taped testimony from children and other victims as evidence in trials of traffickers to decrease the trauma of the victims.

Government-NGO Cooperation on Law Enforcement. The Government of Thailand brings together government and NGO officials in an interagency working group to develop and implement comprehensive anti-TIP strategies. NGOs work to identify victims, pass that information along to the government, which can raid brothels, then refers victims' names and addresses to the NGOs for shelter and assistance. NGOs uncover information, such as the traffickers' names and addresses, from the victims and then pass that information back to the government to assist police work. The process makes for a regular exchange of information at a tactical level. A similar law enforcement Task Force exists in Edo State, Nigeria.

Shining A Light on Patrons. In addition to closing brothels that employ trafficking victims, South Korean police have threatened to publish the names of brothel owners and patrons. Many of the owners are prominent citizens and this strategy has proven to be a real deterrent.

[cdnvic]

Here's another report from Chaing Mai (Aug. 03)

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND – It was a warm and sticky Friday night when investigators swooped into one of this provincial capital's back-street brothels searching for women and children trafficked from neighboring Burma. Within hours the raid was over, and the owner of the brothel was in police custody. Investigators say weeks of surveillance and covert visits paid off: six of the 29 women rescued were minors and more than half had been coerced into their work. But not everyone was relieved.

Local migrant advocacy groups say the Chiang Mai raid, like other actions taken against human trafficking, had netted Burmese women voluntarily engaged in prostitution. Now, they say, those women may be worse off than before.

But researchers and field workers who know Thailand's entrenched sex industry say that cases of outright slavery, where women are sold into bondage and forced to work, are dwarfed by desperate stories of poverty and exploitation. Many are more wary of the gung-ho brothel busts that land women in detention than of the traffickers who profit from the trade.

Full text at.. http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0829/p09s02-woap.html

[Guest IT Manager]

I always worry about xtians getting involved in things they have no knowledge of, including people trafficking and sex slavery.

They always seem to have an extra agenda. xtian science monitor included.

[mouse]

Yes Thailand is doing something about human trafficking in that they require farang to have 400,000 Baht in the Bank. That discourages many Thai woman from permanently importing the men to Thailand. Cause if they do so despite the stringent requirements, then they do not get to spend that 400,000 Baht. Could it be that I am on to something here!?

[cdnvic]

I think there's too many bigwigs with their finger in the pie for them to take any serious action. Look at Cambodia, with less money, and an even less efficient government/police they manage to make arrests all the time. Don't see alot here.

You might be onto something... the gangs and pervs spend alot of money here I imagine.

cv