Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE
Committee: SOCHUM
Topic: Human Trafficking
Country: Thailand
Delegate: Quinn Lowry
Human trafficking is devastating to the lives of those who are forced to endure it. Unfortunately, Thailand has faced great difficulties with human trafficking and its prevalence in the nation. Specifically, the fishing industry has become ripe with trafficking and abuse. This slavery did not go unnoticed as the United States government and the European Union both issued warning to Thailand saying that these problems in the fishing industry would need to be solved, or there would be consequences and potentially stopping seafood imports to those nations. However, the issue of trafficking is unfortunately not limited to the fishing industry. Out of the 720 identified trafficking victims in 2015, at least 151 of them were sex trafficked. All of this exploitation is possible due to the popularity of working abroad in Thailand. Thai citizens will apply for jobs overseas without properly vetting the country they are going to work for, and then when they actually get there, they end up being kidnapped and trafficked. Thankfully, the Thai government recognizes this problem and is taking steps in solving it.
Thailand strongly opposes the trafficking and abuse of any person and has been taking active steps in preventing it. Police perform raids and shut down operating brothels in order to find and capture traffickers. There has also been a widespread information campaign so that citizens and tourists are informed of the dangers and warning signs of human trafficking in the area. Thailand has also expanded its efforts to local advocacy groups. These groups are now given resources and information on how to address physical and mental health needs of human trafficking victims. To crackdown on the trafficking found in the fishing industry, Thailand now requires each fishing boat to be equipped with a GPS. These efforts have been working as recently the US moved Thailand from a tier 3 nation back to a tier 2 nation due to the decrease in human trafficking the nation has seen since these measures have been implemented. Not only have these efforts worked on the streets, Thailand is also in the process of reforming it’s legal system to protect the rights of trafficking victims. This includes ensuring that those abused abroad have protections and gives asylum to female trafficking victims for example.
Thailand would be open to expanding these efforts at home, as there is still much to improve, and introducing them to other countries. While we do recognize the great importance of reducing human trafficking, we also need to keep budget in mind. So, while searching for solutions Thailand would generally be open to anything that is not only effective but also not overly expensive.
Works Cited
“Here Be Monsters.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 12 May 2015, www.economist.com/international/2015/03/12/here-be-monsters.
“Trafficking in Persons Report June 2016”. U.S. Department of State. June 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
“Trafficking in Persons Report 2019: Tier Placements”. www.state.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-06-28. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
Jitcharoenkul, Prangthong. “Thailand, Laos Agree on Workers Pact.” Https://Www.bangkokpost.com, Bangkok Post Public Company Limited, 7 July 2016, www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1029497/thailand-laos-agree-on-workers-pact.
Roujanavong, Wanchai. “Human Trafficking: A Challenge to Thailand and the World Community” (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 11, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
Rujivanarom, Pratch. “Thais Working Abroad Prone to Exploitation.” Https://Www.nationthailand.com, 22 Dec. 2017, www.nationthailand.com/national/30334588.
- Quinn Lowry
