In our last trip to Chiang Mai, we had a sharing session with TRAFCORD's project manager to share ideas and information. TRAFCORD is a Thai based NGO which enjoys close relations with UNICEF, their focus is on trafficking issues in northern thailand and the Mekong region.
This is what we have gathered in our meetings.
1 ) Where do they come from ?
Children come from Thailand's hill tribes and Burma. These children are "bought" from their poor natural parents for something like 2000-5000bht(SGD$90-$227) and resold into brothels or labor camps.
2 ) How old are the victims ?
Children rescued by TRAFCORD ranges from 12 years old to 17 year olds.
We also have reports of children as young as 6 year old are also trafficked on the Maesai region.
3 ) Are they predominantly girls ?
The children who are rescued from sex trade are mainly young girls but there is also an increase in boys entering the sex trade in Bangkok.
4 ) How are they trafficked ?
In Thailand, traffickers operate in small groups in the poorer hill tribes, convincing parents that these children will be given better paying jobs in cities like Bangkok, Chiang Mai. Only to find their children coerced into sex trade.
Children are usually passed through many hands before finally reaching the brothels or pimps.
Ie : Village purchase -> Sending to border -> Receipient -> Transport -> Agents -> Brothel
5 ) Success rate ?
Every year the success rate of rescue operations is fairly low. Something in the ranges of 20 raids, which is normally tipped off by the general public.
*Tip off are rare in view of the Thai culture of acceptance.
Note* : This rescue is disproportionate to the estimates of some 10,000 children being trafficked every year.
6 ) Shelters
Even after rescue, the children are placed in general shelter homes to wait out a repatriation or receive help. There is no home which specialises on child rehablitation and emotional recovery.
Today I'll be headed to Chiang Mai for another set of meetings to with similar minded NGOs on child trafficking in northern Thailand.
We will also be looking out for possible building plots for building the Y-Gen home.
I should be back in Phetchabun on Tuesday.
Just a short update on the progress of Y-Gen.
I've meet up with the collection team to understand more about how they function. The collection team in essence will be doing the actual rescue operations and for us, we'll be in charge of rehabilitating these children in a safe environment.
Simultaneously, we are also in discussions with another Singapore-based NGO to discuss on the building of this centre.
This is one of the places which I'm looking at.
Tomorrow I'll be using the break to go up to Chiang Rai to do a ground survey for Project Y-Gen.
Project Y-Gen is our child rehabilitation home for children who have been sexually abused.
Our initial ground feel was to situate the home in Chiang Rai in view of accessibility to resources as well as proximity to target areas.
Our initial estimates for building this home is SGD705,000, this will go into building shelter for some 200 children as well as supporting infrastructure.
I'll give an update after I complete the meeting and get back from Chiang Rai.
