Protection
According to the 2011 TIP Report, the Thai Government demonstrated limited efforts to identify and protect foreign and Thai victims of trafficking during the year. The Thai Government reported that 381 foreign victims were classified as trafficking victims in Thailand and received assistance at government shelters during the year, a decrease from the 530 foreign victims assisted in 2009. The government also reported that in 2010, 88 Thai nationals were classified as trafficking victims abroad and were repatriated to Thailand, a significant decrease from the 309 victims repatriated in 2009. The government has reported increasing efforts to identify victims of trafficking among vulnerable populations through screening checkpoints at airports and border crossings. However, only 52 trafficking victims were reported identified in immigration detention centers in 2010.21
The Thai government continues to refer victims to one of nine regional shelters run by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS), where victims receive counseling, limited legal assistance, and medical care. However, trafficking victims typically cannot opt to reside outside of these shelters or leave, and stays can be long due to lengthy repatriation and court processes. Furthermore, despite a 2005 cabinet resolution that established that foreign trafficking victims in Thailand who are stateless residents can be given residency status on a case-by-case basis, the Thai government has yet to report granting residency status to a single foreign trafficking victim. As a result, it has been reported, that migrant victims run away from shelters to avoid deportation, which in turn makes them vulnerable to re-trafficking.22
While the government generally encourages victims to participate in the investigation and prosecution of their traffickers, it provides limited incentives for victims to do so. High legal costs, language, bureaucratic, and immigration barriers, fear of retribution by traffickers, distrust of Thai officials, slow legal processes, and the financial needs of victims effectively prevent most victims from participating in the Thai legal process. While in the past, the government has offered legal aid and encouraged trafficking victims to seek financial compensation from their trafficking offenders in a few cases, there were no such reported cases during 2010