Thailand & Human Trafficking

Thailand itself is an exotic gem. Bright green rice fields dot the countryside, fragrant foods sizzle at roadside stands, and smiling faces greet you most places. It’s the home of some of the most pristine beaches in the world, and it remains the most sought-after vacation destination in all of SouthEast Asia.

And, yet, Thailand also is a major hub for the trafficking of modern day slaves into the sex industry, the fishing industry, or other forced labor situations. In fact, there are more slaves today worldwide than there were at any other point in human history– and, unfortunately, much of that activity takes place in the region of SouthEast Asia.

After months of on-the-ground collaboration in Thailand with other agencies fighting this particular social injustice, we have learned several important factors which we didn’t understand prior to living in Thailand and actually working in this field:

Trafficking is a cultural issue which requires a long-range approach, beginning at the root of why trafficking is prolific in this part of the world. Equality of women, poverty, lack of education, and the accepted attitudes towards prostitution are a few of these deeply rooted cultural realities.
Effectively fighting human trafficking requires thoughtful, innovative strategy. While there are many individuals with pure hearts who want to help this issue, so often we have seen that their methods are not culturally sensitive or effective.
Unfortunately, the world of agencies fighting human trafficking is a fragmented one. While there seems to be a great increase in organizations targeting counter-trafficking, there remains a great disunity among those organizations, making it very difficult to collaborate and share resources or ideas.
There are three areas of focus in fighting any social injustice — prevention, intervention, and aftercare. {You can watch Laura explain that idea in a video here.} All three are equally important, but each requires different strategy and resources.
In order for modern day slavery to begin to decline, the culture itself must be made aware of the issue and convinced of its injustice. Nationals must believe counter-trafficking is worthy of resources and support. We believe this grassroots cultural shift happens predominately through education, awareness, opportunity, and prayer.

We’d love for you to spend some time educating yourself on the realities of human trafficking. Regardless of whether or not you are interested in actually coming to volunteer with Destined Traveler, there is immense value in your knowledge of the issue of modern day slavery. Below are several links to organizations we have personally worked with, or whom we have grown to respect, here in Asia and worldwide. We think they are most definitely worth a look.

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Love 146 {Powerful story of small children trapped in the sex industry, and the ministry formed to rescue them.}

ZOE Children’s Home {Here in Chiang Mai, a quality run Christian home for children, nearly-sold or already-sold.}

Daniel Walker’s Book, God in a Brothel {True story of a police officer working undercover in the global sex industry.}

Somaly Mam’s Book, The Road of Lost Innocence {True story of a Cambodian woman sold into the sex industry.}

Not For Sale {Global Anti-Trafficking Organization. Excellent media resources.}

NightLight {Located in Bangkok, Nightlight works in the red light district, offering jobs and hope to prostitutes.}

HumanTrafficking.Org {An excellent resources for statistics on trafficking worldwide.}

Hagar International {A quality organization which provides after-care for victims of trafficking.}

Compassion International {Educating and helping children worldwide.}

TrafCord {A Thai organization in Northern Thailand which conducts interventions.}

MTV EXIT {A campaign which produces culturally-relevant media educating and raising awareness.}