Trafficking study suggests using community policing

UNDERBELLY: A red light district in Bangkok. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Burmese women and girls are among thousands of migrants being lured into Thailand's sex trade under false pretences, according to a former Palmerston North police officer.

Francis Maiava recently presented his in-depth study into the country's sex trafficking, finding the industry full of bribery, corruption and exploitation.

Mr Maiava had been living in Bangkok with his wife when he decided to research the issue, completing a master's degree through Massey University.

He had been volunteering at a rugby academy set up in the slums of Bangkok and found most of the children's mothers and sisters were involved in the sex trade.

"Burmese women and girls are unwittingly lured by traffickers into false promises of better jobs, lifestyle and education only to be exploited in Thailand by having their travel documents confiscated and forced to work in slavery-like conditions, under debt bondage, in karaoke bars, brothels, massage parlours and restaurants," the report reads.

It states women become dependent on their traffickers due to language and cultural barriers.

"As a result, they are susceptible to forced prostitution and subjected to the control of pimps, brothel owners and criminal networks aided by corrupt state officials."

Mr Maiava has proposed introducing community policing as a way of combating this trade. He says recruiting Burmese men and women into these policing units would help break down language barriers.

"It would also help dispel entrenched mistrust, fear of authority and stigma experienced by victims of sex trafficking, which deters them from seeking help through the police and justice systems."

He says community policing has already proven to be a successful tool in places like Singapore and the Philippines.

"The advantage of community policing is its focus on improving the quality of life by working in partnership with communities to find practical, sustainable solutions to crime and social ills," he says. "But its success depends on a major culture shift within a policing organisation."

Thailand passed anti-trafficking legislation in 2007 and although this was a base for the prevention of sex work, Mr Maiava says the policy is "mere rhetoric".

Thailand's first female tourism minister, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, announced earlier this year Thailand was closed to the sex trade.

She stated Thailand should be known as a female-friendly tourist destination, and this was precipitated by police raids which saw the closure of a major Bangkok massage parlour. More than 100 sex workers were arrested, including 15 underage girls.

Mr Maiava says human trafficking is a multi-faceted issue encompassing human rights, migration, globalisation, inequality, poverty, crime and corruption. As a result of his studies, Mr Maiava has been awarded top student in Massey University's Master of International Security programme.