Metro Police joins hands with Thailand Research Fund to combat human trafficking

BANGKOK, 9 March 2016 (NNT) – The Metropolitan Police Bureau and the Thailand Research Fund have collaborated in organizing training on research into human trafficking in an effort to help withdraw Thailand from Tier 3 in the U.S.’ TIP Report.

Investigators and researchers participated in the training aimed at developing their potential to deal with human trafficking in Thailand. Acting Commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau Pol.Lt.Gen.Sanit Mahathawon said most of the human trafficking problems in Thailand concerned child prostitution, begging and fishery labor.

The training focused on prevention, suppression and legal action against human trafficking as well as participation from all sectors in the society. The participants were encouraged to conduct research into the causes of human trafficking as Thailand’s successful fight against human trafficking would show the EU that the country was really determined to tackle the problem, said the acting commander.


-- NNT 2016-03-09

Whereas I'm in favour of all approaches and resources introduced into tackling this problem, IMO this will do very little to help. The research side may eventually produce very pretty reports, compiled over many months, or years, that will come to the conclusion that the main cause of human trafficking is money, obtained by demand.

Local intelligence already knows where the 'demand' locations are, work backwards from there. Local intelligence already knows the 'supply' routes, work forward from there. Develop more 'on the ground' resources rather than researching known variables.

That said, Thailand will always remain Tier 3 until the influence of the owners of said 'demand' locations remains intact. And on the tier 3 issue, isn't it sad that the main drive against this horrendous activity is to rate a country into a more favourable position on another country's list?

I sometimes wonder where the pride has gone.

In my very humble opinion of course........................

I'm not even confident that everyone has the same definition of human trafficking.

Some people take trafficking to basically mean 'kidnapping' or 'modern day slavery'. That's clearly not what's going on, in the vast majority of cases; it seems mostly applied to the voluntary migration of people to seek employment and opportunity.

And then any crackdown on 'trafficking' automatically takes the form of draconian oppression and deportation of migrants, or those suspected of being a migrant, i.e. some of the most vulnerable people in society. It is sometimes even labelled a 'rescue', especially by Christian organizations.

On the topic of sex trafficking, a great recent article by a local NGO includes:

In the late 1980s Thailand was building up its tourism and industry. Thailand welcomed millions of tourists. Thai sex workers travelled throughout the world, while our neighbours from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and China were coming to Thailand to build a better life. Moving to work is our path of resistance. We refuse to accept the situations or conditions we were born into and dream of a better life.

Migration is our solution, not our problem.

However, instead of the governments working to promote safe migration the ‘Anti-trafficking Law’ landed on top of us. We learned that anti- trafficking law does not improve our working conditions, increase our options, or end our poverty. It does not reduce armed conflict in our homelands. It does not reduce corruption. It does not increase support for children and minors. It does not demand governments or society respect us or our basic human rights. Crucially, anti-trafficking law and practice do not reduce ‘trafficking’ or provide justice to workers in such situations in any industry, including the sex industry.

Edited March 9, 201610 yr by WinnieTheKhwai