THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Social circumstances a key factor in minors being victims of sex trade

Social circumstances a key factor in minors being victims of sex trade

THOUGH better access to education and job opportunities had reduced the practice of children being sold into prostitution by parents or relatives, the practice of preying on minors still persists in Thailand.

Except, now the victims come from broken homes or are involved in gambling, drug abuse or engaging in premature sex. 
The issue of child prostitution also reveals the complex nature of rural Thai society, and tackling that would require cooperation from community leaders, health-promotion volunteers, schoolteachers and, most importantly, parents who can immunise and steer their children away from vice amid social change.
With experience of more than a decade in such issues, Pol Lt-Colonel Chusak Apaipakdee from the police Anti-Human Trafficking Division said most child prostitution cases were found in the Northeast, border provinces and tourism destinations.
Gangs procure youngsters for the prostitution industry at venues that have a glut of businesses such as restaurants, karaoke bars and massage parlours.
Since young people from the Northeast and neighbouring countries are in high demand, illegal sex trade is difficult to crack down on because it is often done with consent from both sides, he said.
More youths from the Northeast enter prostitution due to dire poverty, while many of their family values are inclined towards materialism, driving them to find money to cater to their family’s and their own wants and needs. This makes them vulnerable to predators, he explained.
Teams working to fight child prostitution find it difficult to identify the sort of customers that are serviced, as minors refuse to provide information, saying that the service is provided with their consent. Also some say they would be ungrateful if they reveal their clients’ details to police.
Chusak also voiced concerns now that the Kingdom is opening its doors under the Asean Economic Community (AEC), saying that the problem might worsen and those concerned may use even more elusive methods. 
“From our talks [two years before the AEC was implemented], the 10 member states agreed that opening up borders allowing a free flow |of people could lead to transnational sex trade, in which high-technology is used to avoid detection,” he said. 
There are also reports that some procurers set up Line group chats so they can contact customers without having to know them in person, hence making it even more difficult for police to detect or trace the masterminds, he said.
“Even if we find the big fish, the court can still let them walk free if there is insufficient evidence to prove wrongdoing,” the senior policeman added.
A recent video clip that went viral of teenage girls fighting in Buri Ram province with others cheering on is further confirmation of the problem. Once the assailants were arrested, it was learned that the reason for |the attack was forced prostitution.
Pol Colonel Somchai Soponpanyaporn, superintendent at Chalerm Phrakiat Police Station, along with a multi-discipline team, talked with the girls – aged between 14 and 18 – and learned how easily rural girls can now enter the sex trade.
Since many come from broken homes and stay with elderly grandparents, they lack an emotional anchor and often become attached to friends who lead them astray.
Also, he explained, the Internet means that the youth have easy access to information that may not be age-appropriate, resulting in copy-cat behaviour.
“When out of school, young people cannot be controlled – sleeping and waking up late, sleeping over at friends’ houses, hopping from one night club to another, wearing trendy clothes, having boyfriends and adopting inappropriate, promiscuous sexual values,” Somchai said. 
In the Buri Ram case, once the girls lost their virginity to their boyfriends, some of them thought they could have sex with others for money, hence falling victim to human traffickers, he added.
The “Mae Lao” procurer was often someone the girls knew from their hometown. The Mae Lao was entrusted with the girls by unsuspicious older relatives, while the girls also knew who to turn to when they wanted money, Somchai said. This relationship with the Mae Lao also opened the door to girls being invited to provide sexual services and meeting clients at appointed venues. If a girl refused or changed her mind, the Mae Lao would just get another girl for the client, he said, adding that since there was no force involved, such behaviour was considered consensual. 
As for child prostitutes, which are in high demand among elderly customers, most clients have had long-standing ties with the Mae Lao and trust her. “Customers make contact via the phone or the Facebook messaging service to arrange meetings at venues such as one. Once the deed is done, the customers pay cash to the Mae Lao or the girls,” the superintendent said.
Samran Yimcheun, chief of a children’s and family home in Buri Ram, said: “A solution, which should be implemented immediately, would be to provide information to the parents, teachers and community leaders to keep an eye on the children and adjust their attitudes towards completing their education.”
 
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