Victims of trafficking unable to get access to aid

HUMAN-TRAFFICKING victims still lack systematic access to aid from state agencies, the Thai Researchers in Community Happiness Association (TRICHA) said yesterday, adding that despite having many related laws, lack of coherence was preventing the efficient tackling of this problem.
Noppadol Kannika, TRICHA’s strategic research chief, yesterday urged the Social Development and Human Security Ministry’s Office of Anti-Trafficking in Persons Committee to be established as a permanent agency so as to find actual information about the situation for formulation of strategies and concrete and effective action plans. Such an agency would also eventually help remove Thailand from the US’s Trafficking in Persons report’s Tier 3 level, Noppadol said.
Another speaker, Mahidol University’s PhD student on criminology and criminal justice Saranpong Foongkiat, said Thais and foreigners victimised by human trafficking rings were confused in seeking help from organisations and state agencies. He cited a qualitative research – which included findings of related documents and in-depth interview with key persons from September 1-28.
“It is clear that the victims had no main agency or proper direction to seek aid, while some also slip through state officials’ detection and return to the vicious cycle of human-trafficking rings while business operators are also extorted on a monthly basis,” he said, citing the research findings. The research found various laws linked to human trafficking such as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act 2008 while there were many agencies involved, including the Social Development and Human Security Ministry, the Anti-Money Laundering Office, the Department of Special Investigation, the Royal Thai Police and the Interior Ministry.
The study also found that agencies had 25 separate laws to apply such as the Prostitution Prevention and Suppression Act 1996, the Alien Working Act, the Child Protection Act, the Business Establishment Act, the Immigration Act, the Labour Protection Act, the Anti-Money Laundering Act, the Witness Protection Act and the Beggar Control Act.

Lack of integration
“Thailand has so many tools but the crackdown on human-trafficking rings is done without fulfilling its potential and existing capacity,” he said. Although previous governments emphasised integrating the work of agencies in tackling human trafficking, such orders kept changing according to the government in charge. State officials who were given anti-human trafficking training also returned to their main missions besides the anti-human trafficking tasks, he added.
He said the country’s strategy against human trafficking should have been clear, united, easy-to-understand and consistent, with the participation of all state agencies at all levels and public members.
All parties should know the cause of the problem, the contributing factors, who is the responsible official to handle the arising problems and from whom the victim should seek aid, he added.