Trafficking victims wait for justice

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Trafficking victims wait for justice
Chularat Saengpassa
The Nation


Friends of Women Foundation

Seminar hears of Thai women living in hell abroad, dismal results in their fights for justice

BANGKOK: -- IT HAS BEEN nearly 10 years but 51-year-old Boongrong (last name withheld) and friends - rescued from prostitution in Italy - are still waiting for an end to the judicial process, to get compensation.

The Supreme Court sentenced Boongrong's job agent - her husband's elder sister - to jail, while the Civil Court has ruled on compensation. "I don't know when I will get compensation and if the person who lured me will be punished," Boongrong told a recent seminar titled "Human Trafficking: What do the damaged persons get?" held in Bangkok by the Friends of Women Foundation.

After four months in hell, Boongrong and two Thai women were rescued from Italy. It was 2006, but it took the pair months to return to Thailand because they also faced a charge of illegal entry. Boongrong filed criminal and civil suits against the job agent in the same year.

The agent, who was later given a 10-year prison sentence by the Supreme Court, jumped bail during the appeal process, she said.

As for her request for Bt1 million in compensation, the court ruled she would get only Bt400,000, she added.

"Today, I still hold on to the piece of paper, as I need it to ask for the court's legal execution order," she said.

With a state-provided budget of Bt35,000 to hire a lawyer, Boongrong said no-one would take her case as the amount was so small. Months passed until she found a lawyer. But he was 80 years old and had suffered stroke.

The state process was painfully slow and the lawyer told her to survey the agent's assets by herself. "I want to know who should really have responsibility for this task? Don't you think the agent would have transferred the assets to others?" Boongrong said, adding she wished the court would use the bail money to pay victims for their losses first.

Moreover, Boongrong lost the chance to get additional compensation from state. "I got a letter but didn't understand what it was. By the time I contacted the agency to claim the money, the one-year payment period had expired," she said, adding she was told she was six months too late.

Transport reimbursement from the Social Development and Human Security Ministry (SDHS), which had to be applied for each visit, covered a third-class train fare without any more money to pay transport to the court. She said. "If I didn't have some money, I couldn't have come and proceeded with my case."

"The course of justice and related agencies' procedure disheartened me. If I didn't have help from the 'Ying Su Cheewit' Group, I wouldn't have been able to fight on until now."

Boongrong said she paid Bt500,000 in travel expenses in the hope of getting a good-paying job at a restaurant in Italy. But as soon as she reached her destination, all the hope was shattered - she was forced into prostitution without a chance to escape or refuse.

Boonkrong said her ordeal, which included her husband and his relatives' blaming her for taking the agent to court, was still better than another victim. Her friend became pregnant with a guest and forced to abort, Boongrong said. This friend was now dependent on anti-depression pills, with her husband having left her and villagers calling her a prostitute.

Another victim, Ying (not her real name), 32, from Si Sa Ket province, said she was lured into prostitution in Italy by a different agent. Ying said an acquaintance offered a restaurant job in Italy and promised to pay Bt500,000 in travel expenses for her in advance. She flew to France and travelled by car into Italy, she said. But she had not started "working" before she and the others were rescued in 2006.

The Supreme Court sentenced Ying's agent to 14 years in jail. But when the Civil Court verdict came out last March, she said the agent had jumped bail. Now Ying is waiting for a lawyer provided by the Justice Ministry to file for legal execution and compensation, she said.

"My hope of getting the money is diminishing because the agent is nowhere to be found." She wished it was possible for police to seize the assets of people found guilty in human trafficking cases - as in drug cases - so that victims at least get a guarantee of compensation.

Nuch (not her real name) - was forced into prostitution in Japan. She won a victory in a Thai court, and established the Ying Su Cheewit or Live Our Lives Group in 2006. Nuch said state and justice procedures left underprivileged people disheartened as often the suspects, whom the court had sentenced to jail, weren't even arrested.

The seminar also addressed the woes of Thais lured into massage work in South Africa and fruit-picking in Poland.

"When eight victims, including me, returned to Thailand two years ago, state agencies welcomed us - but our case has not yet been brought to court," said Pawinee (last name withheld), who was lured to a massage job in South Africa.

The company that hired her still recruits people, while she and other victims have suffered debt and family disunity. She said the state-provided assistance to case victims wasn't equal - some got it, while some didn't.

Another victim, identified only as Sayan, said she borrowed hundreds of thousands of baht to get a massage job abroad - but wasn't paid at the promised rate and forced to work overtime and detained like an inmate. She still wanted to get a legal massage job in another country because she needed the money to take care of her disabled father.

Another victim, Nong (not her real name), broke into tears when talking about money she borrowed to get a fruit-picking job in Poland. "My family's rice field was seized by a money lender, from whom I borrowed Bt200,000 and I repaid Bt400,000. But the money lender still didn't return the land," she said.

Friends of Women Foundation official Usa Lerdsrisantuch said they were helping Nong in her case, which has seen the Central Labour Court order the job agency to pay compensation to 80 affected workers. However, the company's Bt5-million deposit has not been sufficient to pay everyone and the lawsuit continues.

Advocate Wanee Bangprapa urged the government to give more justice to victims who suffer losses and help by establishing an agency to follow through on cases involving people who have been trafficked. She said that law enforcement should be stricter, with a law to prohibit accused suspects from shifting their assets.

- This report is the first of a series on female human-trafficking victims. It is published as Thailand tries to improve its laws in the fight against human traffickers.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Trafficking-victims-wait-for-justice-30272605.html

-- The Nation 2015-11-10

[Hayduke]

Their wait for justice will no doubt be very long...if not endless.

Only money talks...so once more, the exploited and abused have no voice.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Hayduke

[BrainLife]

Sorry, but my guess is they went voluntary to Italy, just as many do now to many countries still. Just hunting money.

They believe the lies, take the consequences.

They are lucky they got out, move on

[FangFerang]

Justice?

That's a slow train ain't coming...

"Another victim, Nong (not her real name), broke into tears when talking about money she borrowed to get a fruit-picking job in Poland. "My family's rice field was seized by a money lender, from whom I borrowed Bt200,000 and I repaid Bt400,000. But the money lender still didn't return the land," she said."

Loan sharks are fed in the public aquarium once again.

Edited November 10, 2015 by FangFerang

[elgordo38]

Their wait for justice will no doubt be very long...if not endless.

Only money talks...so once more, the exploited and abused have no voice.

Her 400,000 baht "voucher" sounds like the old Wimpy and the hamburger today story. Again Mr. P where is the justice for this woman. Don't you think on top of her suffering 10 years of waiting is a tad to long?? Like the old movie "Gone With The Wind"

Edited November 10, 2015 by elgordo38

[BestBitterPhuket]

The Thai governments have never done anything to protect their own citizens from exploitation and human trafficking, so why would they protect the Burmese, Cambodians or Rohinga?

[oldsailor35]

And i was led to believe that the PM is convincing the USA that he is doing all he can against trafficking. What a load of crap! he arrests a couple of cops over the Rohinga case and that's it !