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August 16, 2017

Article: "Depth of Child Trafficking to Thailand exposed in report"

A new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ) evidentiate the current prevalence of trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao and Myanmar to Thailand.The report found that for many Cambodians, migration to Thailand is necessary for basic survival. Others, especially children in remote or rural areas, are victims of kidnapping or other forms of coerced migration. Upon release of the report, the UNODC highlighted the sexual exploitation of children as an emerging trafficking issue for the Greater Mekong Subregion, along with several forms of labour trafficking. The report also notes that Cambodia has become a source country for sex trafficking.Professor Kittipong Kittiyarak, executive director of the TIJ, highlighted that root causes such as inequality, poverty, lack of access to education and lack of decent employment in source countries fuel trafficking in the region. Kittypong advocates for preventative efforts which “… involve improving school attendance, ensuring that both boys and girls are given fair, equal and free access to education… foster[ing] skills training and improve[ing] equal employment opportunities for men and women so that they have access to decent work and the pursuit of a legitimate career.”At Free To Shine, we aim to prevent exploitation and trafficking of at-risk girls by facilitating their access to education, ensuring their basic needs are met and by working to strengthen their families and communities.