Trafficking victims

Children women are particularly vulnerable to become victims of trafficking.

To this date the MRICRH has given assistance to children and women who are victims of trafficking for the purpose of exploitation of prostitution. However we also support persons who have been trafficked for other purposes, be it forced labour or services, practices similar to slavery. (This protocol is in accordance to UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in persons especially Women and Children.)

Trafficking victims are children and women who have been trafficked for the exploitation of prostitution. (December 2000 United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which supplements the Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime)

The MRICRH assists children in the Upper Mekong Region, including Myanmar, Laos and China (Yunnan Province) who have been or are at risk of being trafficked for the exploitation of prostitution. These are some of the challenges that may affect trafficking victims:

• Entry to Thailand without visas, passports or identification papers.
• Debt bondage to the agents.
• Difficulties in locating relatives in their home towns.
• The risk of re- trafficking into the exploitation of prostitution by trafficking agents and/or parents.
• Trafficking agents demanding initial payments back.
• Police arresting and jailing the rescued women and children for prostitution.
• The need of serious medical attention.

The MRICRH also assists persons who have been or are at risk of being trafficked within Thailand and the main source for human trafficking within Thailand is children from hill tribes. In Thailand, hill tribe children often lack citizenship are easily exploitable and thus at risk for being trafficked into the commercial sex industry.

The process of dealing with trafficking victims consists of:

• Participation in receiving calls and cases
• Monitoring
• Investigation
• Protection
• Rehabilitation
• Social re- integration
• Prevention.

Trafficking victims need specialized care and support to rebuild their lives.
(The person portrayed here is not directly related to our activities.)