AAS-in-Asia, Seoul

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Process of Child trafficking: A Case Study of Child Labor from Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia

Sat, June 24, 10:00am to 12:00pm, LG-Posco Hall, Floor: 4th Floor, 432

Abstract

Human trafficking is a problem that directly affects the security of life and violates human dignity. It is because it impairs the dignity of "human" as "merchandise" that is traded and exploited with no regards of being physical, mental, and emotional as well as the humanity of the victims. Human trafficking is a matter of human rights violations and being inhuman. This problem seriously affects victimized individuals, families, communities, and societies and has become a national problem. Thailand is the first and terminal station and a transit for trafficking workers, men, women, and children for forced labor and prostitution of migrant workers with up to nearly three million people mostly from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. Therefore, this case study has 3 objectives: 1) to conduct a comparative study of the conditions that encourage and support girls and boys from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos involving child trafficking; 2) to study forms and methods of the trafficking of children from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, and 3) to study an approach to formulate mechanisms to prevent and tackle this child trafficking problem. The study employed a qualitative approach to obtain complete information using a document survey and interviewing victims of child trafficking, who were 8 children under the age of 18 and families of the other victims as well as related staff from public and private institutes in Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. The study found that several causes of the child trafficking are poverty of families, lack of educational opportunities, and deprivation of parental care. The patterns of child trafficking found were mainly in the form of sex trafficking, forced labor, trafficking in fishery industry, and being forced to beg for money. The methods in which the victims were trafficked were abducting them from their homes, having recruiting dealers for child trafficking, and voluntarily involving child trafficking. The approach to formulate mechanisms to prevent and tackle this child trafficking problem is that Thailand should impose highly strict law enforcement and enforce greater penalties to prevent child trafficking in the long run.

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