Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Child Prostitution & Human Trafficking
According to Ecpat (End Child Prostitution & Trafficking), there are currently 30,000 to
40,000 children involved in prostitution in Thailand, though estimates are unreliable. Ac-
cording to Chulalongkorn University, the number of children is as high as 800,000, though
this number includes anyone under the age of 18.
In 1996, Thailand passed a reform law to address the issue of child prostitution defined
into two tiers: 15 to 18 years old and under 15. Fines and jail time are assigned to custom-
ers, establishment owners and even parents involved in child prostitution. Under the old
law only prostitutes were culpable. Many countries also have extraterritorial legislation that
allows nationals to be prosecuted in their own country for such crimes committed in Thail-
and.
Urban job centres such as Bangkok have large populations of displaced and marginalised
people (migrant workers, ethnic hill-tribe members and impoverished rural Thais). Chil-
dren of these fractured families often turn to street begging, which is an entryway into pros-
titution usually through low-level criminal gangs.
Thailand is also a conduit and destination for people trafficking from Myanmar, Laos,
Cambodia and China. In 2007, the US State Department labelled Thailand as not meeting
the minimum standards of prevention of human trafficking. Reliable data about trafficked
people, including minors, does not exist.
