Thailand improves anti-human trafficking efforts

[parmo2]

I know of this by personal experience , a Phils gf was stopped and I investigated it all. The sponsor USA the immigration requirements etc will be the same in Thailand. It cost me a lot of wasted tickets .

It is America imposing its will on other nations, in this case feminist will. The number of trafficked prostitutes is tiny in the west, despite what feminist write

[sarahv]

I've been conducting research in Thailand over the past 2 years on the topic of human trafficking. I've found that it is Thailand's strict immigration laws that are making migrants vulnerable and susceptible to being trafficked. This is because when something is illegal it makes it more profitable for criminals (think about prohibition in 1930s U.S.). With increased enforcement comes increased criminality as migrants have to now pay more to traffickers. So unless the current Junta has recently granted citizenship to the majority of illegal migrants, the situation has not improved. From what I have been hearing they have been cracking down on illegal migrants even more, which will just increase the migrants' vulnerability and hence increase the number of trafficking victims within the country. The U.S. grant will not be of any help to the situation if immigration laws within Thailand are not changed first.

[Emptyset]

I've been conducting research in Thailand over the past 2 years on the topic of human trafficking. I've found that it is Thailand's strict immigration laws that are making migrants vulnerable and susceptible to being trafficked. This is because when something is illegal it makes it more profitable for criminals (think about prohibition in 1930s U.S.). With increased enforcement comes increased criminality as migrants have to now pay more to traffickers. So unless the current Junta has recently granted citizenship to the majority of illegal migrants, the situation has not improved. From what I have been hearing they have been cracking down on illegal migrants even more, which will just increase the migrants' vulnerability and hence increase the number of trafficking victims within the country. The U.S. grant will not be of any help to the situation if immigration laws within Thailand are not changed first.

Yes, I think they are cracking down very heavily right now, see this post: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/733731-thailand-to-build-villages-for-migrant-workers/?p=7963263

The coup might also delay negotiations which were ongoing with neighboring countries on migrant rights etc.

[Crushdepth]

A few questions.

Is Tarit there for the DSI or is he now a gone burger?

Was the US cash handed over prior to the coup or is the US not really that unfriendly to Thailand?

At least the UN has the sensibility to see the wood among the trees in assisting and helping for improvement. Well done to them and the Junta for removing the deadwood from these organisations. Hopefully progress can be made on this issue which is a blight on Thailand.

This is a good example of how the US anti-coup rhetoric is just hot air - they continue to collaborate with the junta where it suits them.

Tarit got axed. No complaints were received.

[dcutman]

good article to read

Thailand Makes Compelling Case To the U.S. For Upgrade in State Department's 2014 TIP Report

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/thailand-makes-compelling-case-u-110000926.html

Judgement day for Thailand comes next week.

[Travel2003]

human trafficking is also a code word to include prostitution........harsh reality check....until ALL (male, female, trans) prostitution is sorted out in Thailand the Country will never be taken off the list

Thailand is not unique in this.

Travel around and you will see that each and every ASEAN country has this.

However,

Thailand is the only country in the world which refuses to ratify the UN treaty on forced labor to help the victims and punish perpetrators.

[englishoak]

human trafficking is also a code word to include prostitution........harsh reality check....until ALL (male, female, trans) prostitution is sorted out in Thailand the Country will never be taken off the list

Thailand is not unique in this.

Travel around and you will see that each and every ASEAN country has this.

However,

Thailand is the only country in the world which refuses to ratify the UN treaty on forced labor to help the victims and punish perpetrators.

Imagine that ? now i wonder why ?

[lomatopo]

Thailand’s Military Government Votes ‘Yes’ On Forced Labor

A new U.N. treaty punishing perpetrators of forced labor passed Wednesday in a meeting of the 185 nations that comprise the International Labor Organization (ILO). While a handful of Gulf states abstained, only one nation voted against the measure to stop modern slavery: Thailand.

The treaty requires signatory nations to identify and release victims of forced labor, provide them with access to compensation, and punish those who benefit from the underground trade, which produces $150 billion in illegal profits annually and enslaves an estimated 21 million people worldwide. In Thailand, forced labor underpins the seafood industry, which accounts for much of the country’s recent GDP growth. While human rights groups have drawn attention to the issue before, the Guardian exposed the scope of the problem in a profile of Thailand’s forced labor crisis published Tuesday.

Up to 500,000 slaves are believed to be working within Thai borders, the majority of whom are migrants pressured into forced labor with threats of deportation, torture, or death. Enslaved laborers on Thai ships frequently report working 18-22 hour long days, and a 2009 report by the U.N. reveals that 59 percent have witnessed captains murder a fellow worker. The international outcry sparked by the findings prompted leading seafood retailers such as Walmart, Tesco and Costco to announce that they are making efforts to end forced labor. However, the firms also suggest they were previously aware of the problem, raising suspicions that forced labor in the seafood industry amounts to an open secret.

http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/06/12/3447958/thailand-military-regime-slavery/