Book Review: Human Trafficking in Thailand: Current Issues, Trends, and the Role of the Thai Government

2 Pages Posted: 10 Oct 2018

See all articles by Kittisak Jermsittiparsert

Kittisak Jermsittiparsert

Political Science Association of Kasetsart University

Date Written: january 1, 2017

Abstract

“Human trafficking” is a problem of which the Thai society has very little understanding. While it is largely a domestic problem, it is often necessary, in an attempt to understand the problem, to rely on foreign research works that collect raw data and information from Thai government officials, Thai academics, officers of international organizations based in Thailand, and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). “Human Trafficking in Thailand: Current Issues, Trends, and the Role of the Thai Government” is another piece that has been worked on from outside of the country. Even though the author, Siroj Sorajjakool, may call Thailand his motherland, presently he is a professor of religion and of counseling and family science at Loma Linda University, USA, whose Center for Spiritual Life and Wholeness funds this research. In this book, Sorajjakool attempts to find answers with regards to (1) the format of human trafficking in Thailand, (2) the efforts by the government to solve the problem, and (3) the areas and the factors involved in human trafficking in Thailand, by interviewing 25 key informants from Thai government agencies, academic institutions, the United Nations, Thailand, non-governmental organizations, and some of the human trafficking victims themselves. The structure of “Human Trafficking in Thailand” consists of three parts. First, in “Understanding the Current Situation”, which encompasses Chapters 1 and 2 of the book, an overall picture of the human trafficking problem in Thailand is painted by synthesizing information from three reports, including the reports of the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the website Humantraffickinf.org. This part also addresses the issue where Thailand is both at the sending and the receiving ends of the migration flow, a labor issue that also leads to the human trafficking problem. Second, “Exploring Types of Trafficking”, Chapters 3 to 7 explains the forms of human trafficking in Thailand, which include labors in the fishery and related industries, labors in the agricultural sector, domestic workers, sex workers, child labors, and children trafficking. Third, issues with regards to “Combating Human Trafficking” are covered in Chapters 8 and 9. Here, the role of the government in solving the human trafficking problem is touched upon, and the conclusion of the research as to the theoretical reasoning of the existing problem is explored. In my opinion, as the head of the research project “Modern Slavery: Inside the Business of Sex Trade of GMS Women Entering into Thailand”, which has received funding from Thailand Institute of Justice (Public Organization), this book has synthesized the issues of human trafficking in Thailand and should not be missed by those who are interested in the issues. The author is able to put together the current situations of the problem and the efforts by the government agencies to confront them. These are interestingly and systematically composed in ways that enable readers to understand the human trafficking issues in Thailand. However, drawn by the author are a conclusion that links human trafficking to greed as well as a suggestion that “consumerism” and “materialism” are the factors leading to human trafficking, and, therefore, “sufficiency economy” is an economic philosophy that should be able to solve the problem for the Thai society. These suggestions remain arguable, as the research results derived from the “Modern Slavery” project suggest that some women who are willing to sell their body in exchange for money do so out of necessity, not for extravagant desires. Not only, as commonly understood, are many of them financially poor, but they lack the opportunities to progress in life as well.

Suggested Citation

Jermsittiparsert, Kittisak, Book Review: Human Trafficking in Thailand: Current Issues, Trends, and the Role of the Thai Government (january 1, 2017). PSAKU International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, Vol. 6, No. 1, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3263092

Kittisak Jermsittiparsert (Contact Author)

Political Science Association of Kasetsart University ( email )

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Thung Song Hong
Lak Si, Bangkok 10210
Thailand
+66615495054 (Phone)

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