| Trafficking in Persons: Country Profiles (ARTIP Project Countries) | ||
During the post-ARTIP transition phase (26 August 2011-September 2012) the website provided by the ARTIP Project will be accessible on the world-wide web, however, it will not be updated or maintained. Please note that the information, links and documents provided on this website, in particular legal and policy documents (including sources and citations to documents), may be outdated or have been superseded by amendments. |
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| For the four other ASEAN countries external links to publications that include individual country profiles are provided: | ||
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Cambodia Country Profile |
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| Cambodia is a source, transit and destination country for victims of human trafficking. Cambodia suffers from wide spread unemployment and high levels of poverty, partly as a result of the countries’ turbulent recent history. This leads many Cambodians to seek employment in larger cities or overseas, often resulting in irregular migration which makes them vulnerable to traffickers.1 Source areas for trafficking tend to be highly populated rural areas close to urban or tourist centres as well as the fast developing urban slums in Phnom Penh.2 Sexual Exploitation Internal trafficking in Cambodia is thought to be predominantly for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.3 Internal trafficking for sexual exploitation is mainly to urban and tourist areas, including to Phnom Penh (the capital) and to Sihanouk Ville (a frontier town, home to sailors and dockworkers and frequented by tourists).4 The majority of persons working in the sex industry in Cambodia are Khmer. While not all sex workers are human trafficking victims, some studies have shown that up to 1 in 5 women and girls working in brothels have been trafficked.5 These trafficked women are most often deceived or tricked into their first work experience, rather than recruited through violent means.6 Increasingly, young women are being deceptively recruited to work in karaoke bars. These women are employed under the pretence of a job in a ‘restaurant’ or as a waitress in an entertainment complex, and while they are often not physically forced to have sex with clients, the women face constant harassment in a sexually exploitative environment.7 Women of Vietnamese origin are over-represented in the Cambodian sex industry. Estimates have found that in Cambodia up to 30% of sex workers are of Vietnamese descent, with a substantial number of these women thought to be victims of human trafficking.8 These figures include a large percentage of ethnically Vietnamese women who were born in Cambodia or have lived there for a number of years. Debt bondage is particularly common among these women. Limited numbers of Khmer women and girls are trafficked to Malaysia and to Thailand for the purpose of sexual exploitation.9 Begging Trafficking victims who are repatriated to Cambodia from Thailand and Vietnam are predominantly children who were trafficked to beg or sell goods on the streets.10 This form of trafficking mainly affects children, particularly very young children and children with a disability, but also affects women (including mothers with babies). Children are also recruited to sell sweets and flowers on the streets. A small number are recruited for work in other sectors, such as domestic work or in restaurants.11 Khmer children who have been trafficked report similar experiences once they arrive in Thailand, including long working hours, confiscation of earnings by traffickers, beatings and threats of violence and a constant fear of arrest.12 Migrant Workers and Labour Exploitation The process for Cambodian citizens to work legally in Thailand is time-consuming and expensive and is, therefore, not conducive to encouraging safe and legal migration between these two countries.1313 As a result large numbers of Cambodian men and women migrate through irregular or informal channels in search of economic opportunity in Thailand, and to a lesser extent in Malaysia and Korea. These irregular migrants are vulnerable to trafficking. Cambodian workers who migrate willingly to Thailand for work but are then subjected to conditions of forced labour or debt bondage (typically in the fishing, construction or agriculture industries) would be considered victims of trafficking. Trafficking from Cambodia also takes place for the purpose of labour exploitation in a number of industries, including construction, logging, factory work and agriculture.14 There is an emerging body of research that is concerned about Cambodian men being trafficked to work in Thailand’s fishing industry and in construction and factory work in Malaysia.15 Cambodian men who are lured into working on Thai fishing boats report appalling conditions, trapped and isolated, they suffer from long working hours, dangerous working conditions and physical abuse.16 There are also reports of Cambodian male migrant workers returning from India, South Korea and Malaysia who report conditions of forced labour and debt bondage.17 Adoption There is limited evidence that babies and very young children in Cambodia are bought by recruiters posing as childcare centre owners who then sell the children to overseas adoption agencies at a significant profit.18 Marriage There are increasing numbers of Khmer women being issued marriage visas by the Korean and Taiwanese Embassies in Cambodia.19 While the statistics in themselves do not prove the existence of a ‘trafficking for marriage’ problem, studies remain to be done on the exact nature of many of these arrangements. There are reports that some Cambodian women who marry foreigners end up being forced to work in exploitative conditions, including being forced into commercial sexual exploitation.20 For information on Cambodia’s National Legal and Policy Framework around trafficking in persons click here The following reports include individual country profiles:
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| Indonesia is primarily a source country for trafficking in children, women and men, but is also considered as a transit country and, to the extent that Indonesia has a significant problem of internal trafficking, as a country of destination.22 Trafficking in Indonesia takes many forms and implicates a number of sectors, principally construction, domestic work, sex work, informal industries and the entertainment industry. Migrant Workers and Labour Exploitation Trafficking of men, women and children out of Indonesia is frequently related to migration for work. Labour migration makes a significant contribution to the Indonesian economy, with up to US$5.49 billion in remittances recorded in Indonesia each year.22 In fact, it has been estimated that Indonesia has about 4.3 million citizens working overseas.23 Most men find work in agriculture, construction or manufacturing while women are employed as domestic workers or in hospitality.24 The number of undocumented migrants from Indonesia is higher than the number of documented migrants, and with this high rate of irregular and informal migration comes a high incidence of trafficking in persons.20 In addition, while many migrants voluntarily engage the recruitment process a number eventually become victims of trafficking.26 Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have been identified as the most common destinations for trafficked Indonesian migrant workers.27 Indonesian migrants are exploited throughout the migration process, from the time of recruitment until returning home.28 Labour migration in Indonesia is facilitated by employment agencies who arrange recruitment, training, transportation, documentation and placement of workers overseas. While there are a number of officially registered and licensed agencies, there are countless other illegal employment agencies that operate outside government laws and regulations.29 These agencies, both legal and illegal, use deceptive practices to recruit workers, falsify documents to facilitate and accelerate immigration and charge high fees for services which ultimately place migrants in situations of debt bondage.30 According to the US State Department, some of these labour recruitment companies operate in a manner similar to trafficking rings, ‘recruiting’ both male and female workers into debt bondage, involuntary servitude and other trafficking situations.31 A significant number of Indonesian migrant workers find themselves in abusive and exploitative conditions once they arrive in country, facing forced labour or debt bondage. Migrants are forced to work in conditions that violate local labour laws, are regularly housed in substandard conditions and often have their travel documents withheld, preventing them from escaping or returning home. There are reports of Indonesian women being trafficked to Taiwan on the promise of marriage to Taiwanese men but who are, in fact, subject to exploitation and/or forced labour in restaurants, factories and fish processing plants.32 Domestic Workers and Domestic Servitude Migration in Indonesia is becoming increasingly feminised, with Indonesia one of the few Asian countries that deploys more female than male migrant workers.33 The largest demand for Indonesian migrant women workers is as unskilled domestic help.34 Most of these women seek employment in Malaysia and Singapore.35 Migrant domestic workers face the same exploitative processes of recruitment, transport and placement as other migrant workers. In order to be issued the official papers required for overseas migration as a domestic worker, women must spend time in a pre-departure training facility in Indonesia. The experience of exploitation often begins in these centres, where workers suffer from restrictions on their freedom of movement, are denied wages and suffer from physical and psychological abuse.36 Internal trafficking in persons is a considerable problem in Indonesia and many Indonesian women and girls who are trafficked within Indonesia are exploited in domestic servitude.37 Domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Considered as informal workers, domestic workers, both outside and within Indonesia, are denied labour protections guaranteed to workers in the formal labour sector.38 This vulnerability is compounded by the fact that the nature of domestic work is in isolated conditions in private homes and hidden from public scrutiny.39 Domestic workers often endure a number of exploitative working conditions, including:
Both internal and external trafficking for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation are problems in Indonesia. Rates of trafficking for work in the sex industry are difficult, if not impossible, to quantify. Migration for this purpose is illegal and therefore carried out through underground and irregular channels. Alternatively, victims trafficked into sexual exploitation are often deceived by promises of a job in an ‘acceptable’ industry and so appear to be migrating legally.41 For these reasons, among others, collecting accurate data on trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation remains a challenge. Indonesia is a recognised source country for international trafficking into commercial sexual exploitation and also faces a substantial challenge of internal trafficking for this purpose. Persons (mostly women and girls) who are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation internationally are reported to be predominantly trafficked to Malaysia and Singapore.42 There are also reports of international trafficking of Indonesian women as “mail order brides” to men in Taiwan and as “cultural dancers” to Japan.43 Internal trafficking within Indonesia is widespread, principally from rural to urban areas and, secondarily, to business and leisure tourist centres.44 Not all women in sex work in Indonesia are victims of trafficking. It is commonly argued that there are three forms of entry into Indonesia’s sex industry, voluntary entry (by choice), bonded entry (through payment to parents, spouse, guardian or broker) and involuntary entry (through coercion, deception or abduction).45 While superficially helpful, these categories are imprecise and the boundaries between them fluid, and relying on them to make a definite distinction between trafficked victims and voluntary sex workers could be problematic. However, broadly speaking, bonded entry and involuntary entry could both regularly constitute forms of trafficking in persons. Legally, children cannot consent to work in the sex industry, and as such, can never be considered to have entered into sex work voluntarily. Note that voluntary entry into the sex industry will always constitute trafficking when the “consent” of the individual involved is secured through fraud or deception. Child Labour Of the children in the Indonesian labour force,46 there are many employed under working conditions which could constitute trafficking. Indonesia is a source, transit and destination country for trafficked child labour. Current reports suggest internal child trafficking is most commonly for sexual exploitation (both direct and indirect) and domestic work,47 but children are also trafficked to work on fishing platforms (jermal) in the straits of Malacca, as beggars on city streets and in coffee, tea, sugar and palm oil plantations.48 For information on Indonesia’s National Legal and Policy Framework around trafficking in persons click here The following reports include individual country profiles: U.S. Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report (2011): Indonesia Profile, p. 191. |
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| Lao PDR is principally a source country for human trafficking, although there are indications that the country is also becoming a country of transit for victims from Vietnam, China and Myanmar who are destined for Thailand.49 Internal trafficking is also thought to be prevalent, but receives less attention than international trafficking.50 While it is generally thought that that Lao’s ethnic minorities are particularly vulnerable to trafficking, this link remains to be fully explored.51 A significant number of people from Lao PDR migrate to Thailand in search of work. Trafficking largely takes place within the context of this considerable seasonal labour migration from Lao PDR to Thailand.52 Because the legal migration process is complicated, time-consuming and often expensive, most workers use informal or irregular channels to migrate between these two countries.53 While many migrant workers may begin the migration process willingly, some end up working in exploitative and abusive conditions. Victims trafficked from Lao PDR to Thailand are predominantly trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation, domestic work, factory work, agricultural labour or work on fishing boats.54 The majority of these workers are not forcibly recruited, but are deceived into leaving their homes on the promise of a good employment opportunity.55 There are also indicators of Lao women being trafficked into China for sexual exploitation. Domestic migrant workers make up the majority of Lao workers in Thailand.56 A lack of legal protection increases the exposure of domestic workers, who are already vulnerable to exploitation because of the nature of their work, to abusive and exploitative conditions.57 Trafficking of Lao women to Myanmar and China for the purposes of buying and selling brides has also been reported.58 There are only a small number of studies investigating the trafficking of men from Lao PDR. These studies suggest that male victims of trafficking end up in the fishing, construction and agriculture industries in Thailand.59 There is evidence that Lao PDR acts as a transit country for a small number of Chinese and Vietnamese victims travelling to Thailand.60 There are also reports of Chinese women and girls being trafficked into Northern Lao to service the growing Chinese commercial presence in the area. New infrastructure in border areas connecting Lao PDR to its surrounding countries, such as roads, highways and bridges, enables the flow of goods and people from and through Lao. There are concerns that these new routes will increase trafficking crime through, from and into Lao PDR.61 Internal Trafficking Reports indicate that internal trafficking does occur and is common. Known victims are almost exclusively young women who are trafficked from the rural areas of Lao PDR to Vientiane for work in garment factories or for commercial sexual exploitation.62 For information on Lao PDR’s National Legal and Policy Framework around trafficking in persons click here The following reports include individual country profiles: U.S. Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report (2011): Laos Profile, p. 223. | ||
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| Myanmar is a source country for women, men and children trafficked for forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation. There is also internal trafficking in Myanmar. Woman and children from Myanmar are trafficked to Thailand, China, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, South Korea and Macau for the purposes of forced labour, sexual exploitation and domestic work. An established trend is the trafficking of young Myanmar males to Thailand for labour exploitation as deckhands within the Thai fishing fleets.63 Current research also indicates a new trend of the trafficking of young women and girls into China for sexual and labour exploitation as ‘brides’. Migrant Workers and Labour Exploitation Legal migration from Myanmar is difficult. Economic and political pressures force many individuals to take dangerous migration decisions in search of safety, security and the chance of a better life. As the vast majority of these persons migrate informally, they fall outside the scope of government protections and face the constant threat of deportation because of their irregular legal status.64 As a result, many of these migrants, who initially migrate voluntarily, end up in situations of forced labour, debt bondage and servitude.65 While it has been estimated that over 100,000 females from Myanmar work as domestic workers in Thailand,66 it appears that the majority of women and girls who travel from Myanmar to Thailand in search of work do not know what industry they will end up in, or the conditions under which they will be employed.67 While it is difficult to obtain accurate information about their conditions of work, domestic workers are commonly more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse given the isolated and private nature of their employment. Upon finding employment as domestic workers in Thailand, many women and girls from Myanmar face a range of exploitative working conditions, including unfair or withheld wages, long working hours without days off, unacceptable food and accommodation arrangements, restrictions on their movement and regular verbal, sexual and physical abuse.68 Domestic workers from Myanmar rarely possess valid working documents, making them vulnerable to ongoing harassment and threats of arrest and deportation. Both women and men from Myanmar are also trafficked to Thailand for work in factories, often being paid minimal wages, confined within the factory walls, and subjected to sexual harassment and physical abusive.69 A recent case has exposed the shocking conditions under which hundreds of Burmese migrants were forced to work in a large shrimp processing factory in Thailand.70 A UN report suggests this is not an isolated instance, and that the trafficking and debt bondage of Burmese workers to Thailand’s low-wage, informal sectors is well-established, systematic and widespread.71 There are also reports that Rohingya women and children (an ethnic minority group from Arakan State in northern Myanmar) are trafficked from Myanmar to Pakistan to work in fish processing factories, make carpets and for commercial sexual exploitation, domestic labour and marriage.72 Human Rights Watch has reported that Rohingya refugees are detained in Malaysia before being abandoned at the Thai border where they are recruited by traffickers for exploitation in the fishing industry and rubber plantations.73 Men from Myanmar are trafficked to Thailand to work in the fishing industry. A high proportion of these workers are unregistered, without legal identification and work authorisation.74 Migrants working in the fishing industry face particularly exploitative conditions, with restrictions on their freedom of movement, confiscation of their identity papers (if any) by their employers, low wages and constant threats of violence.75 Children There are a large number of children trafficked from Myanmar to Thailand to work, and a substantial proportion of these children are from ethnic minorities and hill tribes.76 A large number work in factories in towns along the border, while others work in Bangkok as hawkers and beggars and in shops. There are reports of a substantial number of children from Myanmar working in the fishing industry, on trawlers and in fish processing factories in Thailand. Reports suggest that the majority of these children leave their villages voluntarily on the understanding (or in the hope) of securing good employment and ‘a better life’ in Thailand.77 Children in Myanmar are also forcibly recruited to serve as soldiers in the national army. Reports indicate that in order to meet recruitment quotas, the army offers cash and other incentives to soldiers to bring in army recruits. Recruiters target young boys and either offer them money, jobs or education, or use threats and violence to recruit them into army ranks.78 Sexual Exploitation Women and girls from Myanmar trafficked for sexual exploitation in Thailand, work in brothels and other ‘indirect’ commercial sex venues. These women and girls report having their earnings withheld, being forced to provide sexual services to local police and authorities without payment and being subjected to physical abuse.79 Women and girls from Myanmar are also trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation to Australia80, hina81 and Malaysia. Marriage Research indicates that a growing number of women and girls are being trafficked from Myanmar to China as forced brides.82 Organ Trade There is increasing concern about the reported rise of a global trade in human body parts.83 It has been reported that the trafficking of men, women and children from Myanmar may be taking place for the purpose of the organ trade.84 Internal Trafficking Internal trafficking in Myanmar occurs from rural areas to urban centres for the purposes of forced labour in agriculture, industry and commercial sexual exploitation.85 It is thought that forced labour also occurs outside government controlled areas, where military and civilian officials continue to use forced labour in lieu of charging taxes and forcibly recruit children into the army and insurgent groups.86 For information on Myanmar’s National Legal and Policy Framework around trafficking in persons click here The following reports include individual country profiles: U.S. Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report (2011): Burma [Myanmar] Profile, p. 104. |
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| The Philippines is one of the largest source countries of migrant labour in the world.87 Whilst a large number of Filipinos migrate to work overseas, human trafficking is a significant issue within this wider migration context and puts many Filipino migrants at risk. In many cases, voluntary migration of Filipinos for the purpose of work becomes human trafficking where those who migrate are deceived, held in debt bondage and exploited at the destination point in their place of work.
The Philippines is primarily a source and transit country.88 Internal trafficking from rural areas to urban centres is also an issue for the country.89 Filipino migrant workers travel to many countries around the world in search of greater economic opportunity. Many Filipino migrant workers travel to Malaysia and other parts of Asia including Japan, Singapore and South Korea. Middle Eastern countries including Bahrain, Brunei, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are also major destinations for Filipino migrant workers.90 Most Filipino men and women who migrate work in low or semi-skilled occupations- on construction sites, in factories, in the service sector and in agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Large numbers of Filipino’s also migrate for professional and technical work. In addition, women commonly migrate to work as domestic servants in Malaysia, Singapore and the Middle East. Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore are top destinations for Filipina women who are trafficked into the sex industry.91 Filipina women are also trafficked overseas for the purpose of forced marriage. Filipino children migrate in search of work too and often end up in situations of forced labour in factories, as beggars, on fishing boats or they are sexually exploited in the commercial sex industry. Child sex tourism remains an issue in the Philippines, particularly in Angeles City and Cebu.92 The trafficking of persons from the Philippines is most often orchestrated by specialised recruitment agencies or informal networks that organise travel and work overseas. With such a great market for overseas recruitment, traffickers have been able to organise within the recruitment context. Informal networks offer another avenue for illegal migration and recruitment opportunities. Push-pull factors influencing migrants including the desire to support the family financially, greater economic opportunity abroad, and escaping poverty contribute to the vulnerability of Filipinos to trafficking. Human trafficking from the Philippines often involves illicit recruitment practices and the facilitation of exit illegally. Most migrants are transported to their destination by air from the international airport in Manila whilst others leave through ‘backdoor’ exit points in the south of the archipelago. Travel by sea, particularly from Zamboanga to Malaysia, is another mode of transport used by traffickers and smugglers.93 Corruption of government officials and law enforcement officers is a contributing factor to human trafficking crime from the Philippines. For example, human trafficking syndicates operating in the Philippines often corrupt border officials to pass their human cargo through airport and port checkpoints. Organ Trade Cases of trafficking for the purpose of the organ trade have been exposed in the Philippines. Organ brokering is illegal in the Philippines however the country’s trade in kidney transplants is well known. Commercial organ transplants are targeted at international buyers, particularly customers from the Middle East.94 Organs are harvested from poor and vulnerable Filipinos who are willing to give their kidneys for relatively large sums of money. While the selling of a kidney can mean fast and easy cash, there are many risks associated with this practice. For those who sell their kidney, post- transplant care is often inadequate and can result in other medical problems such as infections. Poor individuals who sell their kidneys will then need to use the money given for their kidney for further medical treatment. In some cases those who donate a kidney and do not recover to their fullest potential, cannot return to work, which then further affects their livelihood. Those who receive a kidney transplant are also at risk. Inadequate testing and screening of organs prior to the transplant increase the receivers risk to infections. Additional risks include HIV, tuberculosis, hepatitis and malaria.95 For information on the Philippine’s National Legal and Policy Framework around trafficking in persons click here The following reports include individual country profiles: U.S. Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report (2011): Philippines Profile, p. 295. |
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| Thailand is a major source, destination and transit country for men, women and children trafficked from and to the South East Asian region and beyond. Thailand’s relative prosperity makes it an attractive destination for migrant workers from many of the regions’ less wealthy countries. Unregistered migrants from around the region, and further abroad, who find work in a number of different industries have been found to be working in difficult, dangerous and abusive conditions.87 Uneven growth has also led to high levels of internal trafficking, with rural and hill tribe populations trafficked to industrial and urban areas within Thailand. Migrant Workers and Labour Exploitation Thailand is host to a huge migrant worker population, with more than 875,000 registered foreign workers and at least 500,000 migrant workers who do not hold valid work permits in Thailand, including children younger than 15 who are not eligible for registration.88 According to some estimates, up to 12 percent of migrant workers in Thailand are victims of human trafficking.89 Thailand’s fishing industry is host to a substantial number of migrant workers, some of whom are victims of trafficking. Fish processing factories also employ a large number of migrant workers, most commonly women and children from Myanmar.90 While the large numbers of undocumented workers makes it difficult to accurately estimate, there are up to 200,000 migrant labourers working as fisher workers on Thai boats (mainly men and boys),91 the majority of whom come from Cambodia and Myanmar.92 Migrant children make up a large proportion of the workforce both in the fish processing sector and on fishing boats.93 Forced labour, physical and verbal abuse, restrictions on freedom of movement, confiscation of identity documents, long working hours in dangerous and difficult conditions, low rates of pay and the use of child labour are common in the fishing industry.94 Cambodian men and boys who are lured into working on Thai fishing boats report appalling conditions, trapped and isolated, they suffer from long working hours, dangerous working conditions and physical abuse.95 There are reports of trafficking of men, women and children from Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia to work in slave-like conditions in factories around Thailand.96 There are also reports that victims from these countries are trafficked for work in the agriculture and construction industries.97 A UN report has found that the trafficking and debt bondage of Burmese workers to Thailand’s low-wage, informal sectors is well-established, systematic and widespread.98 Migrant workers who traveled from Banteay Meanchey province in Cambodia to work in a number of different sectors in Thailand reported long working hours, withholding of wages, restrictions on freedom of movement and physical and psychological abuse across a broad range of sectors.99 Domestic Workers and Domestic Servitude Thailand is a destination country for domestic workers, predominantly children and youth from other South East Asian nations. It is believed that girls are in high demand in Thailand as domestic workers.100 Many of these workers come from China, Cambodia, Myanmar and Lao PDR.101 While the hidden nature of domestic work makes it difficult to accurately estimate the number of victims trafficked for domestic servitude, research has consistently shown that child domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. It is estimated that over 100,000 women and girls from Myanmar are employed as domestic workers in Thailand.102 Domestic workers also make up the majority of Lao workers in Thailand.103 Many of these women and girls incur large debts to cover the costs of crossing the border, and once they arrive in Thailand they often work in exploitative conditions, including having their wages withheld, being housed in unacceptable accommodation, having their freedom of movement and association restricted, being expected to fulfill unrealistic work demands and regular exposure to domestic (and often sexual) violence.104 Sexual Exploitation Given the clandestine nature of the Thai sex industry, obtaining accurate estimates of the numbers of workers and their ethnicities presents a significant challenge. Victims trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation are found in Northern and Southern Thailand, Bangkok, Pattaya, port areas and tourist hubs.105 Thailand as a source country for sexual exploitation Thai women are trafficked around the world for commercial sexual exploitation. Countries in which Thai women have been found in commercial sexual exploitation include Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hong King, Kosovo, Macau, the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United States of America. A large number of women from Northern Thailand and from Bangkok are also trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation in Japan. While some women are told they will be working in lucrative positions in Japanese factories or restaurants, others know they will be working in the sex industry. Few are accurately informed of the financial arrangements and labour conditions under which they will work.106 Most often, Thai women work in ‘snack bars’ where they serve food and drinks and provide sexual services to clients. These women often have their passports confiscated, are unable to refuse a customer’s request and are beaten for failing to obey their employers’ demands.107 Thailand as a destination country for sexual exploitation There are a large number of Lao women and girls working in the Thai sex industry.108 Northern Thailand attracts women from neighbouring countries, particularly from Lao PDR and China, who are trafficked into and sexually exploited in the Thailand sex industry.109 Women and girls from Myanmar trafficked for sexual exploitation in Thailand work in brothels and other ‘indirect’ commercial sex venues. These women and girls report having their earnings withheld, being forced to provide sexual services to local police and authorities without payment and being subjected to physical abuse.110 There are also reports of women from Eastern Europe and Central Asia being trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation in Thailand. Media reports cite cases in which women from Uzbekistan and Russia are trafficked into debt bondage in brothels in Bangkok and Pattaya.111 Begging While not everyone begging on the streets of Thailand is a victim of trafficking, there are reports that children (and less so women and men) from neighbouring countries are trafficked to beg and sell small goods in Thailand.112 These children are trafficked from Myanmar, Lao PDR, Bangladesh and Cambodia as well as from rural areas of Northern Thailand. Internal Trafficking Thailand’s hill tribes face a wide range of legal, social and economic barriers to full rights and equality. As a result of marginalization, government policies and social discrimination, members of Thailand’s hill tribes are particularly vulnerable to trafficking.113 Thai ethnic minorities and hill tribes are vulnerable to trafficking for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation114 and domestic servitude115. Many hill tribe women and girls, without full Thai citizenship, migrate to the cities and urban areas for work and end up working for employers that routinely violate government labour conditions, physically abuse and sexually assault the girls and constantly threaten to report them to the police for working without necessary legal documentation.116 There are reports that children from rural areas of Northern Thailand are trafficked to the cities to beg and sell goods on the streets. For information on Thailand’s National Legal and Policy Framework around trafficking in persons click here The following reports include individual country profiles: U.S. Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report (2011): Thailand Profile, p. 351. |
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According to a recent UN Report, Vietnam has a high incidence of reporting as an origin country, a medium incidence of reporting as a destination country and a very low incidence of reporting as a transit country.117 Cambodian children are trafficked to Vietnam’s cities for forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation.118 Internal trafficking from rural to urban areas for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation remains a problem. U.S. Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report (2011): Vietnam Profile, p. 383. |
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| For information on Brunei Darussalam's National Legal and Policy Framework around trafficking in persons click here The following reports include individual country profiles: U.S. Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report (2011): Brunei Profile, p. 100. |
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| For information on Malaysia’s National Legal and Policy Framework around trafficking in persons click here The following reports include individual country profiles: U.S. Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report (2011): Malaysia Profile, p. 243. |
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| For information on Singapore’s National Legal and Policy Framework around trafficking in persons click here The following reports include individual country profiles:
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1. UNIAP Human Trafficking Data Sheet, Strategic Information Response Network, March 2008. |
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