NCJ Number
155484
Date Published
1993
Length
160 pages
Annotation
Based on indepth interviews with Burmese trafficking victims, this book describes the abuses of Burmese women brought into Thai brothels and the official corruption and policies that intensify their abuse.
Abstract
Thousands of Burmese women and girls are trafficked into Thai brothels every year, where they work under conditions tantamount to slavery. Subject to debt bondage, illegal confinement, various forms of sexual and physical abuse, and exposure to HIV in the brothels, they then face wrongful arrest as illegal immigrants if they try to escape or if the brothels are raided by Thai police. Once arrested, the women and girls may be subjected to further sexual abuse in Thai detention centers. They are then taken for deportation to the Thai-Burmese border, where they are often lured back into prostitution by brothel agents who convince them they will be arrested if they return to Burma. Thai police and border patrol officials are involved in both the trafficking and the brothel operations, but they routinely escape punishment as do brothel agents, owners, pimps, and clients. The book notes the many violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against these women and girls. The book concludes with a presentation of detailed recommendations to the Thai and Burmese governments, as well as to the international community; the recommendations are designed to improve the protection of the women and girls and ensure the prosecution of their abusers. 220 footnotes