Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation in Thailand

Abstract

Trafficking in women has become one of the serious and dangerous problems of the world. Thailand is a primary source, transit point, and destination for uncounted numbers of women and children trafficked from rural areas as well as out of national boundaries. Thailand’s sex industry has absorbed countless poor rural women from Northern and Northeast areas of Thailand. This paper puts the light on the nature and intensity of trafficking in women, and the factors which forced these poor rural women being trafficked. Through this paper it has also been tried to find out the relations between trafficking in women and prostitute industry in Thailand, and the socio-cultural factors behind the existence of prostitute industry and trafficking in women in Thailand. Finally paper also tries to overview legislative measures taken by Thai government to combat trafficking in women in Thailand in response to UN initiatives in 1960 when UN declared abolition of prostitution.