| Total
Child Labour |
NATIONAL STATISTICS
* About 230,000
Thai minors between the ages of 13 to 17 are still working. (ILO
-IPEC, Christina Wille, Trafficking in Children into the Worst Forms
of Child Labour: A Rapid Assessment, ILO - Geneva, November 2001)
* For the year
2000, the ILO projects that there will be 687,000 economically active
children, 351,000 girls and 337,000 boys between the ages of 10-14,
representing 12.21% of this age group. (ILO,
International Labour Office - Bureau of Statistics, Economically
Active Population 1950-2010, STAT Working Paper, ILO 1997)
* For the year
2000, 173400 children between 13-14 years and 1956900 children between
15-19 were economically active. (ILO, Yearbook of
Labour Statistics, 2001)
* 212,100 children
between 13-14 and 2,159,600 between 15-19 are economically active.
(ILO, Yearbook of Labour Statistics,
1999)
* An estimated
525,300 children are working. (ILO-IPEC, Chantana Banpasirichot et
al, The Situation of Child Labour in Thailand, June 1998)
* Of the 13-14
age group 76.4% work in agriculture, 6.5% in manufacturing, and 5.7%
in commerce. (ILO-IPEC, Chantana Banpasirichot et al, The Situation
of Child Labour in Thailand, June 1998)
* 240,000 to 410,000
children, or 2-4% of children between the ages of 6-14, work in urban
employment. (US
Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 1998)
* According to
government figures, 850,000 to 1,480,000 children work, mostly in
family farms. (US
Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 1998)
* 4.1 million children
and youth between 13-19 years are in the labour force. Of these 525,300
are in the 13-14 age group. (ILO-IPEC, Chantana Banpasirichot et al,
The Situation of Child Labour in Thailand, June 1998)
* Estimates of
children working in Thailand range from 2,500 to 800,000. (ABC-CLIO,
Sandy Hobbs et al, Child Labor: A World History Companion, 1999, citing
Maggie Black, Child Worker in the Hotel, Tourism and Catering Industry,
1995)
* In 1995, there
were 905,000 economically active children, 461,000 girls and 444,000
boys between the ages of 10-14, representing 16.22% of this age group.
(ILO, International Labour Office - Bureau of Statistics, Economically Active Population 1950-2010, STAT Working Paper, ILO 1997)
LOCAL
STATISTICS
* According
to inspection reports 50.66% of child labour is in Bangkok. (ILO-IPEC,
Chantana Banpasirichot et al, The Situation of Child Labour in Thailand,
June 1998)
|
| Child
Slavery |
GENERAL NOTES
AND OBSERVATIONS
* Forced or bonded
labour by children is a serious problem in Thailand. (EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998)
* The network between
brothels ensures that women will not escape from bondage. The owner
sells prostituted girl or women to another brothel just before she
repays her 'debt'. She then must pay a new 'debt', starting at the
next brothel.(CATW-Asia
Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific,
1996)
|
| Child
Trafficking |
NATIONAL
STATISTICS
* According to domestic
NGOs, girls between the ages of 12 and 18 are trafficked from Burma, southern
China, and Laos to work in the commercial sex industry. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000)
* Of 1,062 child beggars
in 1999, 80 were Thai and 982 were foreign. (ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
* 500 Cambodian children
work for gangs in Thailand. (ILO-IPEC, Trafficking
in Children and Women, 1999)
* Estimates of
children who were sold for sex range from 100,000 (UNICEF)
to 800,000.
(June Kane, Sold for Sex, Aren Ashgate Publising Limited Gower House, 1998, citing CPCR)
* 90,000 women,
girls and boys are in prostitution. ("Study
Probes Thai Child Prostitution", UPI, 28 July 1998, citing IPSR)
* 500 children trafficked
from Cambodia to Thailand for begging. (ILO-IPEC,
Trafficking in children for labour exploitation in Mekong Sub-region,
July 1998)
* There are an estimated
16,423 foreign prostitutes in Thailand, 30% of them are under 18 years.
(ILO-IPEC,
Combating Trafficking in Children for Labour Exploitation in the Mekong
Sub-region, October 1998)
* 12,000-18,000 children
including 5,510 foreigners are in prostitution. ("Study
Probes Thai Child Prostitution", UPI, 28 July 1998, citing IPSR)
* The number of Burmese
women and girls travelling to Thailand through Mae Sai to enter the sex
industry is increasing. 60% of them are under 18 years of age. (CATW
Fact Book, citing Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, "Influx of Burmese sex workers",
Bangkok Post, 2 June 1997)
* Thai officials estimate
that there are 20,000 women and girls trafficked from Burma into Thai brothels
with 10,000 more imported each year; 10,000 women and girls from the former
Soviet Union; and 5,000 women and girls from China.
(CATW, Dorchen Leidholdt, Sex Industry Survivor and Coalition address United Nations General Assembly, Coalition Report, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1997)
* There are at least
50,000 Burmese girls and women working in Thailand as prostitutes at any
one time. (ECPAT, Report Cites Burma's Child Rights Abuses, Bulletin, Vol. 4/1, 1996-97)
*
In 1996, there were almost 200,000 foreign children from Burma, Laos and
Cambodia who had been trafficked in to Thailand for prostitution and work
at construction sites and sweatshops. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of children on the rise", Bangkok Post,
22 July 1998, citing IPSR)
*
4,000 Thai boys are sold or abducted every year and shipped to Malaysia.
(Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal
Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996)
*
80,000 women and children have been trafficked to Thailand for prostitution,
since 1990. The highest numbers are from Burma, followed by Yunnan
province of China and Laos. (ILO-IPEC,
Combating Trafficking in Children for Labour Exploitation in the
Mekong Sub-region, October 1998)
ADULT
STATISTICS
*
Many NGOs and government departments use a figure of 200,000 persons
trafficked, which is considered a credible estimate. This figure
includes children under age 18 and foreigners. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000)
* There are
more than 150,000 foreign women in prostitution in Japan, 40% are
Thai. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Newsletter, Winter 1998)
* The Coalition
Against Trafficking in Women, estimated that 1 million women of
various nationalities have been trafficked into Thailand.
(CWA,
Ahmad Saufian, Pusat Kajian Perlindungan Anak, "Child Labour
in Jermals", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 15, No. 2, May - August
1999)
* Women from
Burma's Shan state and China's southern province of Yunnan constitute
16% of the 77,000 women in the sex industry in Thailand. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "Academic urges action in war against flesh trade",
The Nation, 28 May 1997, citing IPSR, Kritaya Archavanitkul, The
Passage of Women in Neighbouring Countries Into the Sex Trade in
Thailand)
*
10,000 are trafficked annually from Burma to Thailand.
(World
Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation, August 1996)
GENERAL
NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS
*
Much of the cross border trafficking in South East Asia involves
Thailand. It is a substantial receiver country as well as a transit
and sender country. (ECPAT,
CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp)
* Thailand is a destination, source, and transit country
for trafficked persons. (US
Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001)
* Victims are primarily young women and girls who are trafficked
for sexual exploitation, although a significant number of men and
women are trafficked for farm, industrial and domestic labour. (US
Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001)
* The trafficking is both international and domestic. (US
Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001)
* Persons from Burma, Cambodia, and Laos are the primary
trafficked persons to Thailand. (US
Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001)
* Within the country, trafficking is chiefly from the poor
North and Northeast regions to Bangkok. (US
Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001)
* Women are trafficked internationally to Japan, Taiwan,
Australia, Europe, and the United States, chiefly for sexual exploitation
and, to a lesser degree, sweatshop labour. (US
Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001)
*
Increasing children found begging have come to Thailand from countries
like Cambodia, Burma and Bangladesh. These children are usually
between 6-10 years who either travelled to Thailand on their own
or were brought by beggar gangs and agents. (ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
* Organised criminal
gangs recruiting and even kidnapping children from neighbouring countries
and trafficking them to beg for them in Thailand. (ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
* Many Thai girls,
some in their early teens, have been reported at various times working
in brothels in Sydney, Australia. An investigation is underway into
a gang trafficking Southeast Asian girls to North America and Australia.
("Survival
the name of the game", Bangkok Post, 3 July 1998)
* Thai girls as
young as 18 years old were forced to work in brothels in Auckland.
("Police raid parlor using Thai prostitutes", New Zealand Herald,
6 April 1999)
*
Women from Thailand, and a few from Cambodia and China, were being
smuggled into South Africa for prostitution by Chinese and South African
organised crime syndicates. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000)
* In the past,
victims of trafficking in India came from Thailand, parts of Africa,
or South America ; recently an increasing number of women come from
Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, and other states of the former Soviet Union.
(US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000)
*
Malaysian police believe that the overwhelming number of prostitutes
in Malaysia are foreigners from Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma,
Thailand, and China. These women often work as karaoke hostesses,
guest relations officers, and masseuses. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000)
Thai girls are found to be working as prostitutes in Western African
countries such as Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and Senegal.
("Thai
girls lured to sex trade in Africa", Bangkok Post, 24 August 1998)
* Experts fear
a resurgence of commercial sexual exploitation, child prostitution
and human trafficking across the region, because of Thailand's economic
meltdown. ("Survival
the name of the game", Bangkok Post, 3 July 1998)
*
Trafficked children were also found on construction sites and in sweatshops.
(CATW
Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of children on the rise", Bangkok Post,
22 July 1998, citing IPSR)
* Thousands
of girls from China's southern parts are trafficked into Thailand's
sex industry; some go on to Malaysia or Singapore. (CATW
Fact Book, citing Supalak Ganjanakhundee, "Migrant workers booming
as Asian economy declines", Kyodo News, 23 September 1998)
* Pattaya has
a multi-billion dollar multinational sex industry with links to
drug trafficking, money laundering and an expanding regional cross-border
traffic in women. (CATW
Fact Book, citing Mark Baker, "Sin city can't shake vice's grip",
Sydney Morning Herald, 17 May 1997)
* Large numbers
of women and children from neighbouring countries are lured into prostitution
and trafficked through the four Thai borders: Chiang Rai, Ranong and
Mae Hong Son at the Burmese border, Trat and Sa Kaew at the Cambodia
border, Mukdahan and Nong Khai at the Lao border and Yala and Narathiwat
at the Malaysian border. (Wanlop Phloytaptim
and Sirinya Wattanasukchai, "Flesh trade shrugs off new risks", The
Nation, 1 May 1997)
* A 1996 study,
conducted at 40 commercial venues in Bangkok, Kulachada and Chaipipat,
found trafficking women and children from the Mekong countries - China,
Burma, Laos and Cambodia to be increasing. The largest groups of newly
trafficked women into the sex industry are from Burma's Shan state,
and minority women from the Northwest border areas.
("New law targets human trafficking", The Nation, 30 November 1997)
* In 1996, foreign
women made up the majority of prostitutes in 40 sex establishments
in 18 border provinces that are brothels masquerading as karaoke bars,
restaurants and traditional massage parlours. In some venues, there
are no Thai women at all. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "Academic urges action in war against flesh trade",
The Nation, 28 May 1997, citing IPSR, Kritaya Archavanitkul, The Passage
of Women in Neighbouring Countries Into the Sex Trade in Thailand)
*
The high proportion of child victims of prostitution in Thailand
is aggravated by the arrival of children lured and trafficked from
Cambodia, China, Laos, and Burma.
(US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996)
* The internal
traffic of Thai females consists mostly of 12-16-year-olds from hill
tribes of the north/northeast. Most of the internally trafficked girls
are sent to closed brothels, which operate under prison-like conditions.
(CATW-Asia
Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific,
1996)
* 20 years
ago, Thailand was in the forefront as a sending country for trafficked
women. Thailand has now become a destination country, receiving
women from Russia, Yugoslavia, Poland, and the Czech and Slovak
Republics, South America. (CATW-Asia
Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific,
1996)
|
| Child
Prostitution and
Pornography |
NATIONAL
STATISTICS
* The Public
Welfare Department set the number of minors engaged in prostitution
at between 12,000 and 18,000 in 1998, while the Office of Women's
Affairs is cited as calculating the number of under-18 years -olds
in prostitution as between 22,500 and 40,000. (ILO-IPEC,
Action Against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children,
June 2001)
* According
to two studies undertaken by Mahidol University and Thai Red Cross
Society, the estimated number of child prostitutes in Thailand is
between 30,000-40,000. This is calculated from the estimated number
of prostitutes, which is 200,000, and 20-25% of them are children.
(ECPAT International, Chitraporn Vanaspong,
e-mail to GMIS, 24 April 2000)
* The Thai Government
estimates that there are 12,000 to 18,000 child prostitutes in Thailand.
(UNICEF, Children on the Edge, citing Bangkok Post, 3 August 1999,
UNICEF East Asia and Pacific)
* According to
National Commission for Women's Affairs estimates there are between
150,000 to 200,000 prostitutes with approximately 30,000 to 35,000
prostitutes below 18 years excluding foreign prostitutes. (ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
* 5.3% of the prostitutes
are under 18 years. (ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
* The number of
child prostitutes increased by 20% from 1998-99.
(ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
* The government
estimates that there are as many as 20,000 prostitutes under the
age of 18 years. (US
Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999,
25 February 2000)
* Of an estimated
16,423 foreign prostitutes in Thailand, 30% of them are under 18 years.(ILO-IPEC,
Combating Trafficking in Children for Labour Exploitation in the Mekong
Sub-region, October 1998, citing IPSR)
* Officials
estimate that there are between 12,000 and 18,000 children under
the age of 18 engaged in prostitution in Thailand, 5,510 of them
foreign nationals. Out of 17,978 of these children, 16,651 are girls
and 1,327 boys, and of foreign children, 5,419 are girls and 91
boys. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "Child Prostitute Problem Worrying", Bangkok Post,
28 July 1998, citing IPSR)
* Up to 400,000
children under the age of 16 are believed to be working in brothels,
clubs or bars. (CATW
Fact Book, citing Jill Serjeant, "Asia to launch joint crackdown
on child sex trade", Reuters, 1 April 1998)
* Estimates
from January 1998 show 14% of prostituted persons are younger than
18 years and most of them from neighbouring countries.
("Vice purge hinders campaign as prostitutes go underground", Bangkok
Post, 17 June 1998, citing the Thai Public Health Ministry)
* In Thailand,
estimates of the number of children who are sold for sex in the country
range from 100,000, according to UNICEF, to 800,000, according to
the Centre for the Protection of Children's Rights. (June Kane, Sold for Sex, Aren Ashgate Publising Limited Gower House, 1998)
* The number of
children forced or tricked into prostitution is unknown, although
estimates range between 20,000 and 300,000.
(EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998)
* The government
and NGOs estimate that there are 20,000 to 40,000 prostitutes under
the age of 18. US
Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 1998)
* 20% or 18,248
of sex workers are foreign and 30% or 4,927 are below 18 years. 70%
or 12,317 started when they were under 18 years. 80,000 women and
children from Mekong sub region were in prostitution between 1990
and 1997.(ILO-IPEC, Mainstreaming Gender in IPEC Activities, 1999)
* 250,000 children
are bought and sold for sex in Thailand alone. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "UK police join fight against Thai child sex tourism",
BBC, 9 December 1997, citing UNICEF)
* The number of
Burmese women and girls travelling to Thailand through Mae Sai to
enter the sex industry is increasing. 60% of them are under 18 years
of age. (CATW
Fact Book, citing Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, "Influx of Burmese sex workers",
Bangkok Post, 2 June 1997)
* The government
accepts that there are 200,000 'sex workers', 25% are probably below
18. (CATW
Fact Book, citing Chris Gelken, "Row Over Call to Boycott 'Paedophile
Playground'", Gemini News, 28 February 1997, citing Dr. Saisuree Chutikul
of the National Committee for Women's Affairs)
* 40% of the
2 million in prostitution in Thailand are under 18, meaning that
about 850,000 children are in prostitution.
(CATW Fact Book, citing Chris Gelken, "Row Over Call to Boycott
'Paedophile Playground'", Gemini News, 28 February 1997, citing
CPCR)
* In Thailand,
the numbers of child prostitutes vary, 15,000 according to Ministry
of Public Health, 30,000 according to Thai Red Cross and 200,000
according to ECPAT. The latter figures include girls brought to
Thailand from countries such as Burma and Vietnam.(ECPAT, "Sex Tourism and the Travel Industry", Travel Trade, Gazette Asia, 25-31 October 1996, reprinted in ECPAT Bulletin, October 1996)
*
In 1996, there were almost 200,000 foreign children from Burma,
Laos and Cambodia who had been trafficked in to Thailand for prostitution
and work at construction sites and sweatshops.
(CATW
Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of children on the rise", Bangkok Post,
22 July 1998, citing IPSR)
* Estimates
on the number of women in prostitution range from 300,000 to 2.8
million, of which a third are minors. Thai women are also in prostitution
in many countries in Asia, Australia, Europe and the US.
(CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the
Asia Pacific, 1996)
* There are 75,000
prostituted children in Thailand.
(CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia
Pacific, 1996)
* Estimates of
children working in sex industry range from 2,500 to 800,000. (ABC-CLIO,
Sandy Hobbs et al, Child Labor: A World History Companion, 1999, citing
Maggie Black, Child Workers in the Hotel, Tourism and Catering Industry:
1995)
LOCAL
STATISTICS
*
A survey conducted in 1998, on the origin of Thai prostituted persons
in Thailand, found that 54.01% of prostituted persons came from
the north, 28.90% from the north-east, and 9.67% from the Central
Region. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "Vice purge hinders campaign as prostitutes go
underground", Bangkok Post, 17 June 1998, citing Thai Public Health
Ministry)
*
Of the estimated 20,000 prostitutes in Pattaya, hundreds are children
who are either lured from their villages by the idea of opportunity
or by criminal networks. (CATW
Fact Book, citing Mark Baker, "Sin city can't shake vice's grip",
Sydney Morning Herald, 17 May 1997)
ADULT
STATISTICS
* 80,000 women
and children have been trafficked to Thailand for prostitution, since
1990. The highest numbers are from Burma, followed by Yunnan province
of China and Laos. (ILO-IPEC,
Combating Trafficking in Children for Labour Exploitation in the Mekong
Sub-region, October 1998)
* There are 200,000
to 300,000 prostituted persons in Thailand. They are mainly adult
women, but there are also male, transvestite and child prostitutes,
both girls and boys. (CATW
Fact Book, citing ILO, Dario Agnote, "Sex trade key part of S.E. Asian
economies, study says", Kyodo News, 18 August 1998)
* The Mahidol University'
Institute for Population and Social Research (IPSR) and several other
governmental, non-governmental and international agencies estimate
that there are 90,000 persons engaged in prostitution, contrasting
with the Public Health Ministry's latest survey, which comes up with
a figure of 63,941. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "Child Prostitute Problem Worrying", Bangkok Post,
28 July 1998, citing IPSR)
* There are
between 200,000-300,000 persons in the sex industry in Thailand.
(CATW
Fact Book, citing "Survival the name of the game", Bangkok Post,
3 July 1998)
*
Half a million women are in sexual slavery, accounting for 18-20%
of all Thai women aged 18-30. (CATW
Fact Book, citing AFP, 13 November 1997, citing Pino Arlaccki, UN
International Drug Control Programme)
* There are 1-2
million people in the sex industry in Thailand. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "Sex industry census shows more venues", The Nation,
29 July 1997, citing NGOs)
* Women from
Burma's Shan state and China's southern province of Yunnan constitute
16% of the 77,000 women in the sex industry in Thailand. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "Academic urges action in war against flesh trade",
The Nation, 28 May 1997, citing IPSR, Kritaya Archavanitkul, The
Passage of Women in Neighbouring Countries into the Sex Trade in
Thailand)
* 10,000 foreign
women are trafficked for sexual exploitation each year from nearby
countries to replace Thai women who have moved on to other roles
in the sex industry. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "Academic urges action in war against flesh trade",
The Nation, 28 May 1997, citing IPSR, Kritaya Archavanitkul, The
Passage of Women in Neighbouring Countries into the Sex Trade in
Thailand)
*
There are 300,000 people in prostitution and many more in related
sex industry ventures. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "There's money everywhere for Thai police", The
Nation, 25 February 1997)
* 10% of the
female population of Thailand are in prostitution. (CATW, Dorchen Leidholdt, Sex Industry Survivor and Coalition address United Nations General Assembly, Coalition Report, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1997)
* 20,000-30,000
Burmese women are in prostitution in Thailand. (CATW-Asia
Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific,
1996)
*
In 1994, there were 200,000 prostitutes in Thailand. (CATW
Fact Book, citing independent research reports compiled in 1994
by the Thai Red Cross Society and IPSR, Kulachada Chaipipa)
*
Every year, over 100,000 women, mostly Filipinos and Thais, are
sexually exploited in the sex industry all over Japan. (Committee
for a Safe Society, Matsui Yayori, Eliminating Trafficking in Asian
Women, www.alternatives.com)
GENERAL
NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS
* Girls are lured from Burma, Cambodia, Laos,
and South China for the sex markets in Thailand or to be diverted
to Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan.
("Human Trafficking: Gangs make Thailand a regional hub", Bangkok
Post, 6 September 2000, reprinted in Stop Trafficking Archive, September
2000)
*
Child prostitution and trafficking in girls for the purpose of forced
prostitution - especially Shan girls who were sent or lured to Thailand,
continues to be a major problem in Burma. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000)
*
Documented evidence reveals that street children and child beggars
are involved in selling sex and in the making of pornographic photographs.
There are strong indications that paedophiles who come to Thailand
to have sex with children are also taking pornographic pictures
of them. (ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
* Thai girls as
young as 18 years old were forced to work in brothels in Auckland.
("Police raid parlor using Thai prostitutes",
New Zealand Herald, 6 April 1999)
*
Child trafficking will increase in Thailand due to the Asian economic
crisis. There is a child labour shortage resulting in a need for labour
from neighbouring poorer countries as well as an increase in domestic
child labour. Middle class Thai children are increasingly becoming
involved in prostitution, drugs, and begging. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "Children hard-hit by Asian crisis", UPI, 22 September
1998)
* Thai girls are
found to be working as prostitutes in Western African countries such
as Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and Senegal. ("Thai
girls lured to sex trade in Africa", Bangkok Post, 24 August 1998)
* Large numbers
of street children from Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Pattaya are being
lured into the sex trade. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "Study Probes Thai Child Prostitution", UPI, 28
July 1998, citing IPSR)
*
In every brothel raided between 1996-1997 children were found. (CATW
Fact Book, "More foreign workers join sex industry as fewer Thai
girls enter flesh trade", Bangkok Post, 24 November 1997, citing
Wanchai Boonphacra of CPCR)
*
Chinese children are trafficked from Laos to Thailand for prostitution
and sweatshop work. (ILO-IPEC,
Child Labour: Trends and Challenges in Asia, August 1997)
* Fewer girls from
northern Thailand have entered the sex industry in the past few years.
As their numbers decline they are replaced by women and girls from
Burma and southern China. Girls from China are often 12-18 years of
age. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "Academic urges action in war against flesh trade",
The Nation, 28 May 1997, citing IPSR, Kritaya Archavanitkul, The Passage
of Women in Neighbouring Countries Into the Sex Trade in Thailand)
* Pattaya has
a multi-billion dollar multinational sex industry with links to
drug trafficking, money laundering and an expanding regional cross-border
traffic in women. (CATW
Fact Book, citing Mark Baker, "Sin city can't shake vice's grip",
Sydney Morning Herald, 17 May 1997)
*
The high proportion of child victims of prostitution in Thailand is
aggravated by the arrival of children lured and trafficked from Cambodia,
China, Laos, and Burma. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution
of Children, 1996)
*
In 1996, foreign women made up the majority of prostitutes in 40
sex establishments in 18 border provinces that are brothels masquerading
as karaoke bars, restaurants and traditional massage parlours. In
some venues, there are no Thai women at all. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "Academic urges action in war against flesh trade",
The Nation, 28 May 1997, citing IPSR, Kritaya Archavanitkul, The
Passage of Women in Neighbouring Countries Into the Sex Trade in
Thailand)
*
In Thailand, Patpong, Soi Cowboy, Nana Plaza and Pattaya are main
areas of the child sex industry. (CATW
Fact Book, citing Laura Bobak, "For Sale: The Innocence of Cambodia",
Ottawa Sun, 24 October 1996)
* Women are
prostituted in bars, brothels, massage parlours, hair salons, restaurants
and golf clubs. (CATW-Asia
Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific,
1996)
* The internal
traffic of Thai females consists mostly of 12-16 year olds from
hill tribes of the north/north-east. Most of the internally trafficked
girls are sent to closed brothels, which operate under prison-like
conditions. (CATW-Asia
Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific,
1996)
* 20 years
ago, Thailand was in the forefront as a sending country for trafficked
women. Thailand has now become a destination country, receiving
women from Russia, Yugoslavia, Poland, and the Czech and Slovak
Republics, South America. (CATW-Asia
Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific,
1996)
* A study by
the Center on Speech, Equality and Harm, University of Minnesota
Law School in 1996 highlights Thailand amongst the countries South
East Asia from where child pornography is being produced and exported
to Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
(ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
* Thai and Filipino
girls are trafficked into Malaysia for prostitution. (Lawyers
for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996)
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|
Children in
Crime
|
NATIONAL STATISTICS
* 500 Cambodian children
work for gangs. (ILO-IPEC, Trafficking in
Children and Women, 1999)
* Statistics of court
cases involving drugs and children according to Juvenile and Family
Central Court authorities are 19,967 in 1998.
(ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
*
Drug-related offences accounted for about 30% of the 24,448 criminal
offence allegedly committed by children and taken to court in 1996.
(ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
GENERAL NOTES
AND OBSERVATIONS
* There is a growing
involvement of children in the drug trade. (ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
* Organised
criminal gangs are recruiting and even kidnapping children from
neighbouring countries and trafficking them to beg for them in Thailand.
(ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
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| Child
Soldiers |
RECRUITMENT
LAWS AND REGULATIONS
* The 1954 Military Service
Act sets 18 as a minimum age for the voluntary recruitment of Thai male
citizens. (CSUCS,
Asia Report, July 2000)
*
The minimum age for enlistment into the paramilitary forces is 18. According
to Thai officials, the actual recruitment procedure takes place only when
those registered or enlisted are 21 years of age. (CSUCS,
Asia Report, July 2000, citing War Resisters' International, The CONCODOC
Project, 1998)
NOTES
ON OPPOSITION GROUPS
* Some Malay Muslim separatist
armed groups are believed to attract teenagers. (CSUCS,
Asia Report, July 2000)
* There is widespread
recruitment of children into ethnic insurgent groups on the Thailand/ Myanmar
border. (CSUCS,
Asia Report, July 2000)
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| Domestic
Child Servants |
NATIONAL STATISTICS
* There are
an estimated 100,000 child domestic workers. (Bangkok
Post, 14 February 1997, reprinted in ECPAT Bulletin)
|
Other
Hazardous
Child Labour |
ASSORTED STATISTICS
*
Child labour is more in the non-agricultural sector. Department
of Labour Protection and Welfare estimates show 95,000 to 100,000
children working in small-scale establishments.(ILO-IPEC,
Implementation Report, 1992-95)
GENERAL NOTES
AND OBSERVATIONS
*
In 1996, there were almost 200,000 foreign children from Burma, Laos and
Cambodia who had been trafficked in to Thailand for prostitution and work
at construction sites and sweatshops.
(CATW
Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of children on the rise", Bangkok Post,
22 July 1998, citing IPSR)
*
Trafficked children were also found on construction sites and in
sweatshops.(CATW
Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of children on the rise", Bangkok
Post, 22 July 1998, citing IPSR)
* In the urban
setting, children working outside the commercial sex industry are
employed in the service sector, primarily at gas stations and restaurants.
(EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998)
* Numerous sweatshops
employ children in harsh conditions.
(EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998)
* Children work
in fisheries, construction, industrial and factory work, the service
sector, and agriculture, in 14 border provinces and the Bangkok area.
(CATW Fact Book, "More foreign workers join sex industry", Bangkok
Post, 24 November 1997, citing Professor Kusol Sunthorntada of IPSR)
* Chinese children
are trafficked from Laos to Thailand for prostitution and sweatshop
work.
(ILO-IPEC,
Child Labour: Trends and Challenges in Asia, August 1997)
* Children work
in food packaging and processing factories, factories producing garments,
leather, plastics, accessories etc. (CWA, Panudda Boonpala, "Review of Child Labour Situation, Thailand", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 10, No. 1, January - March 1994)
*
In the service and commercial sector, children are employed in households,
shops, restaurants, markets, gas stations, and different types of
transportation systems. Included in this sector are children working
on the street. Figures are not available in these sectors. Even
less is known about the situation of children in construction work,
farming and other types of agricultural work. (CWA, Panudda Boonpala, "Review of Child Labour Situation, Thailand", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 10, No. 1, January - March 1994)
SPECIFIC
SECTORS
*
Commercial Agriculture - In a 1990 survey, it was found that there
were 7,500 children aged 13 years who were individually engaged
in paid employment in agriculture. (ABC-CLIO,
Sandy Hobbs et al, Child Labor: A World History Companion, 1999)
*
Commercial Fishing - The results of a survey in Pattani province,
in Thailand revealed - About 7,080 child labourers were identified,
i.e. 269 children working at sorting fish; 148 children in factories;
1,408 children aboard fishing boats and 5,255 children working at
fishing in villages. (PPATand UNICEF,
K. Nitiruangjaras et all, Child Labour in Fishing Industry- Pattani
Province, Thailand, October 1998)
* Begging - Statistics
from the Department of Social Welfare indicate there were 1,062 child
beggars in 1999. Of these children 80 were Thai and 982 were foreign.
(ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
* Begging - Increasing
children found begging have come to Thailand from countries like Cambodia,
Burma and Bangladesh. These children are usually between 6-10 years
or either traveled to Thailand on their own or were brought by beggar
gangs and agents. Organised criminal gangs recruit and even kidnap
children from neighbouring countries. (ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
* Begging - 500 children
were trafficked from Cambodia to Thailand for begging.
(ILO-IPEC,
Trafficking in children for labour exploitation in Mekong Sub-region,
July 1998)
* Commercial Fishing
- Children in Thailand clean and sell sea food, at constant risk of
injury from sharp knives and tools. (US
Dept of Labor, Sweat and Toil of Children: Efforts to Eliminate Child
Labour, 1998, citing IPSR, Kerry Richter et al, Child Labour in Thailand's
Fishing industry, 1995)
* Commercial Fishing
- 2,442 children work in deep-sea fishing. (US
Dept of Labor, Sweat and Toil of Children: Agricultural Imports &
Forced and Bonded Child Labour, 1995)
* Manufacturing - Bangkok
had 1.4 million children working in underground manufacturing units. (US
Dept of Labor, Sweat and Toil of Children, 1994, citing "Little Hands Grasp
for Prosperity", Child Workers in Asia, July-September 1993)
* Street Children
- There are over 17,400 street children. (ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
* Street Children - Street
Children and child beggars can be found in every region of the country,
including Chiang Mai in the north, Khon Kaen in the north east, Had
Yai in the south and around major tourist spots such as Pattaya in
the east. (ILO-IPEC,
Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September
1999)
* Street Children - The
Asian economic crisis has lead to an increase in street children in Thailand.
Before the crisis the majority (80%) of street children where from poor
families; in 1998, 10-15% of the children are from middle class families.
The children are involved in prostitution, drugs, and begging. According
to official estimates there are 15,000 street children. (CATW
Fact Book, citing "Expert says Thailand turns into hub of child trafficking",
Bangkok Post, 22 September 1998)
* Street Children
- There were 14,250 homeless children in 1997, up from 13,227 in 1996.
Most are between eight and 14 years of age, 90% are boys. More than 5,000
are in Bangkok, in places such as Hua Lampong train station, parks or 'red
light' districts. They survive by begging, washing cars, collecting plastic
bottles or by prostitution. (CATW
Fact Book, citing Ratchada Chitrada, "Street teachers help overcome false
starts", News-Scan International Ltd, 2 October 1997, citing The National
Committee on Social Welfare)
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