Combatting human trafficking at home and abroad
On 30 August 2014, the Royal Thai government declared a policy of “Zero Tolerance for Human Trafficking”, which has been the basis for creating an integrated system for tackling human trafficking across its various manifestations, addressing root causes, and ensuring coordination among government agencies, NGOs, the media and the private sector. In addition, battling human trafficking has been elevated to a national priority by General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand, who publicly announced this policy, along with the Royal Thai Government’s determination to punish those who were involved in the use of forced labourers on fishing vessels. In prevention, the Royal Thai Government has identified weaknesses in the underlying migrant system as a key root cause that must be addressed in order to prevent human trafficking. There now exists 112 mobile registration units at district levels across 22 coastal provinces to make it more convenient for owners and employers to register their fishing vessels, fishing licenses and workers. In the prosecution realm, the Royal Thai government has drastically altered the law enforcement landscape to increase accountability, decrease possibilities for corruption and law enforcement malfeasance, and focus investigation and prosecution efforts more squarely on busting large trafficking networks and bring them to justice.
At an international level, Thailand emphasizes close cooperation and shared responsibility. Thailand is working with members of the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime to develop policy guidance for countries in the Asia-Pacific so as to promote a common understanding on how to effectively implement the UN Trafficking and Smuggling Protocols.