Causes Of Human Trafficking In Thailand

Thailand 's long history of human trafficking is no well kept secret. The land of smiles is also notorious for being a destination, transit country, and source for women, children, and men who are subjugated to forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. The main elements of human trafficking throughout Thailand are nuanced, contain multitudes, and can be mainly examined by identifying the differences and similarities between the causes of labor and sex trafficking within the nation. The causes examined can be divided into two distinctive classifications, universal and specific. Universal causes are global-scale social problems affecting the bulk of countries, such as globalization and poverty. Specific causes are those that are purely

Although some similarities exists between the two categories, it is important to understand the differences in both the advocacy and analysis each type has received and the particular challenges each presents prior to Thailand attempting to institute anti-trafficking policy. According to Lisa Rende Taylor, an anthropologist who has worked in the field of anti human trafficking in Asia for eighteen years, the Thai government must have a strong understanding of both the regional and global causes of both types of human trafficking. While there are some similarities between the large-scale causes, in general, each type of trafficking has distinctive and unique origins. A significant number of experts have attempted to determine the root causes of human trafficking within Thailand, which has led to great debate inside the community regarding the pervasiveness and relevance of many of the causes. However, the discussion over the years has not resulted in a clear consensus and many international organizations, such as the United Nations, do not incorporate an official cause of human trafficking in protocols or other

Compared to many other countries within the Southeast Asian region, Thailand has had a long history of both human trafficking and anti-trafficking intervention. As a result, the causes of human trafficking throughout Thailand are more openly acknowledged and better understood than elsewhere in the region. However, a stark divide between the understanding of the sex trafficking and labor trafficking industry still exists. The Thai government has been reluctant to act in contesting labor trafficking when compared to the contentious actions that it has taken to curtail sex trafficking. The primary causes of human trafficking present within the country are the sex tourism industry and rapid economic growth. Historically, the Thai government has long been involved in the regulation and management of the expansive sex industry present within the country. There is indication that as early as the 1300s, the Siam government taxed and licensed prostitution and there has been recorded government mediation into the sex sector since that time. The sex industry within the country received a substantial increase during the Vietnam War, when nearly 40,000 American service members entered the country on recreation and rest periods. The heightened amount of American service members in the country occurred at the same time as the growing flow of global travel; as a result, this brought an even larger number of foreigners into the country seeking sex. The entry of foreign men with